Length: 6 days
Tour Company: Over the Horizon
Tour: Bolivia Self Guided
Traveler: Dave
Places visited*:
- La Paz, La Paz, Pedro Domingo Murillo
- Death Road (Yungas Road)
- Tiwanaku, Tiwanaku
- Salt Flats – Uyuni, Potosí, Antonio Quijarro
*It’s important to include the Department and Province as the same city names are used in other regions.
La Paz, La Paz, Pedro Domingo Murillo
Entering Bolivia, as a U.S. citizen, requires a visa. A visa can be obtained at the border, but it is best to get it ahead of time from the Bolivian Embassy in the U.S. This will save you time and possibly denial of entry. For a list of requirements, click here.
The trip from Puno to La Paz was by bus, with Titicaca Bolivia Bus from the Terminal Terrestre Puno. The bus left at 7:30 AM Peru Time and arrived in La Paz at 5:30 PM Bolivia Time (there is a 1 hour time change from Peru to Bolivia), so the total time was about 9 hours. We crossed the border in Copacabana, which was fairly easy. I got off the bus on the Peru side, went to the Peru immigration office to get my exit stamp, walked across the border (the bus goes through with only the driver and luggage aboard), went to the Bolivian immigration office to get my entry stamp, which was super easy since I already had my visa, then got back on the bus to Copacabana. Once in Copacabana, we got off the bus, gathered luggage, and left it in the bus company office until the bus to La Paz arrived. From Copacabana, we needed to take the bus to a ferry, pay a few bolivianos to get on the ferry to the other side of the lake and wait for the bus to come over on its own ferry. These ferries are very small wooden boats and it’s amazing that they can handle 2 busses. It took about 30 minutes for the bus to get on a boat, cross the lake, and then be ready for boarding again. Next stop, La Paz.
Pulling into La Paz, you get a great view of the entire city as it is down in a central valley between several mountains. The elevation of the city (3,640 m / 11,942 ft) and the steepness of the hills and roads make walking around challenging, but not impossible.
Home based while in Bolivia was at Hotel Las Brisas. The rooms were small, but comfortable. The beds had plenty of blankets to combat the cold, there is no air conditioning, the TV has english channels (and can be switched to SAP mode to get English audio if available), breakfast on the top floor, and there is free WiFi throughout the hotel. There are 2 different tour companies that operate out of the lobby, as well as a taxi service provided right at the front desk. It is located near many shops, restaurants, tour offices, and about 30-45 minutes from the airport.
A few of the places I visited for food and drinks were:
The English Pub: Pretty much this is where dinner was had every night that I was in La Paz. It is conveniently located right next to the hotel and has a great menu of food, drinks, and desserts. I enjoyed every meal I had there and would definitely go back for more. I didn’t get to try to the Deep Fried Mars Bar, but it looked amazing.
Cafe del Mundo: When you’re looking for breakfast, the hotel has it, but why bother when this place is so close (300 m). Cafe del Mundo is a Swedish owned, 3 floor cafe that has an extensive menu. The 3 of us got 3 different meals and all were beautiful, flavorful, and just amazing. Service is a bit slow, but the wait is completely worth it. I would eat breakfast here every day if I could, and I’m not even a big breakfast person!
For photos from La Paz, check out my album on Facebook.
Death Road
The first activity that HAD to be done while in Bolivia was the legendary Death Road by Mountain Bike, so, I did! I booked my tour through Altitude Adventures, which was recommended by the tour guide from Peru. Thankfully, there is very little pedaling going on during this activity. It’s mostly downhill and you just hang on for the ride, which was both crazy and fun. We got picked up early at the hotel and made the 1.5 hour drive to the starting point where we were geared up with all kinds of pads, mountain bike racing suits, and off-road helmets, giving us a glimpse of what was to come. Soon we were on our bikes pedaling around to make sure the ride height was good and we were comfortable changing gears and using the brakes.
Starting at nearly 4,700 m (15,419 ft) at the top of the Andes, we descended 3,600 m (11,800 ft) over the course of 62 km (38.5 mi) into the jungle and passed some of the most breath-taking landscapes and cliffs. This was the lowest elevation (1,100 m / 3,600 ft) we had been in 3 weeks and it was great to get some oxygen in our systems!
To see my complete video of the Death Road, click here.
For photos from the Death Road, check out my album on Facebook.
Tiwanaku / Puma Punku
The next adventure for me was to see the ancient sites of Tiwanaku and Puma Punku. For years I had seen this place on TV and really wanted to see what it was all about. I was unable to get on a tour because the tour operators were always closed when I could see them, but luckily, the taxi service at the front desk of the hotel was able to book us a car and driver to take us to Tiwanaku (1.5 hours away) any time, wait for us to finish, and bring us back to the hotel, for only $65.00! That’s not bad to have your own driver to and from, no time limits, and that was for the car, not per person. Even better, I was able to split the cost with a friend.
Tiwanaku is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site about 65 km west of La Paz. The site was first recorded in written history by Spanish conquistador Pedro Cieza de León in 1549. The name by which Tiwanaku was known to its inhabitants may have been lost as they had no written language. The area around Tiwanaku may have been inhabited as early as 1500 BC as a small agricultural village. During the time period between 300 BC and AD 300, Tiwanaku is thought to have been a moral and cosmological center for the Tiwanaku empire, and one to which many people made pilgrimages. Researchers believe it achieved this standing prior to Tiwanaku expanding its powerful empire. In 1945, it was estimated that Tiwanaku dated to 15,000 BC, based on archaeoastronomy. In the 21st century, experts concluded these dates were invalid.
One of the more controversial theories is that extra-terrestrials are responsible for its constructions because of its possible age, complexity, design, and the inability of people of that time to quarry and move stones up to 130 tons from 9.7 km (6 mi) away, at an altitude of 3,900 m (12,795 ft), where there are no trees to use as rollers. There are also statues of people with full beards, which the native South Americans do not have facial hair. Since these cultures were supposedly not in touch with any cultures outside of South America, where a beard may be more prevalent, the theory is that they somehow knew of other cultures from around the world. In a pit, there are the heads of hundreds of different cultures that is assumed to represent all the cultures in the world. Check out my pictures for examples.
For photos from Tiwanaku / Puma Punku, check out my album on Facebook.
Salt Flats – Uyuni, Potosí, Antonio Quijarro
Another MUST if visiting Bolivia is to see the world’s largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni. This salt flat is famous for the amazing pictures taken when it is covered in water, created the world’s largest mirror, and prospective pictures that are a lot of fun to make. It also plays host to the Dakar Rally after it was moved from Africa. Beyond the big things that go on here, a 3 day / 2 night tour of the area takes you through so many different climates and environments in such a small area of Bolivia. It’s amazing to see 6 or 7 completely different landscapes in 3 days. One moment your on and endless sea of white salt, the next you’re in the mountains, and next you’re in a sand desert, then volcanoes, geothermal mud pools, lagoons with flamingos, and so on.
Once again going with Altitude Adventures, my friend and I booked the 3 day, 2 night, with flights to and from La Paz, all-inclusive tour, for around USD $350.00 per person. This got us accommodations, all meals, transportation, guide, and most importantly flights. The flight from La Paz to Uyuni is 50 minutes, whereas the other option is bus/train or a car, which takes around 14 hours. No thanks! We got to stay in a hotel made of salt where the walls, the floors, the beds, the tables next to the bed, etc. were all made of salt. It was quite interesting to walk around barefoot on the salt crystals in the dark.
I’m not sure words can even express how unexpectedly incredible this excursion was. I was, of course, hoping to see water on the flats for the mirror effect, but it was the dry season. FYI the rains come in January and February, so if you want the mirror, try to visit during these times. Either way, do not pass up the opportunity to do a tour of the salt flats. All companies pretty much do the same tour, but definitely opt for 3 day / 2 night, over the 2 day / 1 night as there is just too much to see for 2 days.
For photos from the Salt Flats, check out my album on Facebook.
I hope this gives you some inspiration to take a trip to Bolivia. You won’t regret it. For photos from the trip, check out my albums on Facebook.
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Thanks for reading!
Over The Horizon, LLC 