Destinations › Bolivia
🇧🇴 Bolivia
Salt flats, Lake Titicaca, colonial cities and the high Andes.
Bolivia is one of South America's most spectacular and least crowded countries. The Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, turns into a mirror in the rainy season; Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol hold the legends of the Inca; La Paz climbs the walls of a canyon with cable cars gliding overhead; and Sucre and Potosí keep some of the continent's finest colonial architecture.
Altitude is the big thing to plan for: La Paz sits around 12,000 feet and Uyuni even higher, so take it slowly for the first days. Spanish is the main language, alongside Quechua, Aymara and many others, and the country is very affordable for visitors.
- Language
- Spanish, plus Quechua, Aymara and dozens of other official languages
- Currency
- Boliviano (BOB)
- Known for
- Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca, La Paz cable cars, colonial Sucre and Potosí
- Seasons
- Dry season May to October; the salt-flat mirror effect is best January to March
Start here
- Bolivia: A Local's Guide to a Country You Have to See to Believe · Juan Flores, our Bolivian friend, on the salt flats, La Paz, Sucre, Lake Titicaca and Santa Cruz — with the hotels and tours we'd book.
Cities in Bolivia
- La Paz · The world's highest seat of government, with cable cars over the city and the Andes all around
- Cochabamba · Eternal-spring valley city known for its food and markets
- Copacabana · Lake Titicaca town and the boat dock for Isla del Sol
- Potosí · Colonial silver-mining city beneath Cerro Rico
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra · Tropical lowland city, Bolivia's biggest and busiest
- Sucre · The white colonial capital, home to Bolivia's independence story
- Tarija · Southern wine country with high-altitude vineyards
- Uyuni · Gateway to the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat