Bolivia borders Peru but is one hour ahead and is mostly at high altitude, meaning that we were still taking our anti-altitude sickness tablets at this point. Similarly to Peru, there were loads of big dogs across the country, but again they were mostly friendly and chilled. We visited the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, the capital, La Paz, and the Uyuni Salt Flats, before crossing over to Chile.
BoliviaHop (Lake Titicaca)
Day 1
Following our border crossing from Peru, we hopped onto another coach in Bolivia, now with BoliviaHop instead of PeruHop (even though it's the same operator as far as I'm aware) bound for Copacabana, a very small town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca (not to be confused with Brazil's Copacabana). We were provided with a map for the first time, which despite the town's small size, was actually very helpful as we had little time in the town to exchange money and get a SIM card, before boarding a boat to Isla del Sol, an island on the lake itself.
Phi and I were actually staying on that island overnight, so we assumed we'd need to bring all of our luggage. Annoyingly, we were only told to bring as little as possible (which would have made our lives much easier and been possible with more notice) about 20 minutes before we had to drop our large bags off. This didn't seem like the biggest issue at the time, but as soon as we arrived on the island, we realised that our hostel was very far from the port, up a steep hill, with minimal paving and mostly steps. This would've been inconvenient at best usually, however given the high altitude of almost 4km above sea level, the climb was much more difficult on our bodies than it would have been elsewhere. Luckily, a local offered to take my suitcase up for 40 Bolivianos (roughly GBP 5), which was a godsend and the best fiver I've ever spent. He wrapped my suitcase in a large cloth, put it on his back, then paced it up the hill. He had to constantly wait for us, as we still had heavy backpacks and were breathless from the high altitude, but eventually we arrived at our hostel.
The views from our hostel were beautiful, and despite the fairly basic facilities, we were in a twin room, which was nice. Saying that, it was absolutely freezing; I was in thermals, two jumpers, tracksuit bottoms, jeans, and my winter coat. In fact, it was colder than in London (12°C here and 13°C in London)! We could, however, see snow-capped mountains directly across from our bedroom, and once dark, the star-filled sky from the balcony, which made the cold slightly more bearable. That said, there were then huge thunderstorms all night, so I awoke at 4:00am the following morning.
Day 2
We had breakfast at the hostel, which was run by a lovely middle-aged couple, and the husband whipped up some fried eggs and fresh coffee for us, alongside some warm bread and fresh fruit - it went down a treat and was exactly what we needed. We had most of the day to chill, so pulled out some lounging chairs on the hostel balcony and soaked up the views. A little doggo, who we named 'perrito' joined us and actually accompanied us for the remainder of our stay on the island.
Eventually, we left the hostel and the owner called the man who'd brought my suitcase up the previous day to help me take it down. He said he was busy, which was convenient since I'd overpaid him yesterday, under the premise that the overpayment would be discounted from today's payment (his idea, of course). We decided instead to make our way down slow and steady, and en route a different man kindly offered to take the suitcase for only 20 Bolivianos (less than GBP 2.50)! This man was lovely, chatting away to us so that we got to practice our Spanish, and I left him a lil tip as a thank you.
We had lunch near the port, which was okay at best, and then waited for our boat as the captain had told us he was arriving at 3:00pm. Instead, he arrived at 3:45pm, so we sat in the cold (with no access to toilets!) for a further 45 minutes, on top of the 30 minutes we'd arrived in advance, as requested by BoliviaHop throughout. We eventually arrived at Copacabana again, then waited ages for another coach bound for La Paz, and by this point it felt like we'd spent the whole day waiting around and killing time. Then all of a sudden we were being thrown onto a boat to cross a lake, and despite the lightning over the lake, there was bizarrely no rain where we were. Eventually, we hopped back on the coach, where we chatted to two sisters from Somerset, one of whom now lives in La Paz, and they gave us great recommendations for the city. We were also given popcorn and a film was put on, which made the experience a bit nicer, until the engine cut out and the guide said they were checking the car battery because 'better safe than sorry', which wasn't a great sign. Nonetheless, at long last, we were dropped off at what we thought was our Airbnb around 11:00pm. We were wrong; the Airbnb host had provided the wrong address, so we ended up having to lug our suitcases 10 minutes away in an unfamiliar city at night. When we arrived, she wasn't there and hadn't provided the keys, and at this point I was losing the will to live and was very tired. Luckily, she arrived 10 minutes later and both she and the flat were lovely.
La Paz
Day 1
We only had three days in the capital so wanted to make the most of our time there, and this started with a full day tour visiting an abandoned ski resort and the moon valley. We didn't really know what to expect, but the itinerary just said to bring a coat and a waterproof, so it seemed easy enough. Our pick-up location was at a nearby hostel, a 10-minute walk away, so we headed over in the morning and had breakfast there while we waited. During this time, we got chatting to a Canadian solo traveller, and a large dog was chilling next to her. Eventually, our tour guide arrived and after calling our names, he turned back towards the minivan, when suddenly the dog lunged at him and bit his calf. He was very unimpressed and when Phi and I informed the hostel staff, they replied 'oh yeah, he doesn't like strangers'... I assumed our tour would be delayed or cancelled, but instead our guide did the full day tour before going to hospital to check for rabies!
As we hopped in the minivan, our guide informed us that we would be hiking so it was best to bring layers, that the altitude was very high, and that we wouldn't be stopping for lunch. Bear in mind that Phi and I were wearing jeans, trainers, a jumper and a waterproof. For Rainbow Mountain, which was at a lower altitude, we had all the gear and now it appeared we'd accidentally signed up for a hike in jeans and trainers. I asked the guide if the hike was hard and he replied 'for you, yes'. We didn't really have an alternative option at this point, so we sat back and drove towards the ski resort.
The ski resort was Bolivia's only one, and the highest in the world, but due to global warming it now doesn't receive enough snow to function. That said, I have no clue how people used to frequent this resort because the roads were extremely bumpy, unpaved, barely wide enough for even our minivan, and there were immediate abysses throughout the journey. I genuinely don't know how we even made it to the ski resort, as the journey alone was terrifying, and this is from someone who grew up belting it along cliff edged roads in Madeira. We arrived at the start of the trek, which was solely ours, and there was a teeny shack with loos (though no running water) and the option to buy a coca tea, which would help with the altitude sickness (though it did occur to me at the time how they washed the mugs given the lack of running water). It was freezing on the mountain, the 'path' was mainly slates and snow so looked very slippery, and it was hailing. I asked the tour guide if it was a good idea to climb in my trainers and he replied 'no, if it rains it gets very slippery and those have no grip'. So, it's safe to say I wasn't assured and couldn't wait to be back in the city. Due to the high altitude, breathing was much more laborous, and there was low visibility due to the cloudiness so within about five minutes, five of the nine people in the group had descended back to the shack. I persisted, mainly because the idea of that treacherous journey up the mountain having been for nothing was worse than the idea of slipping, but also because another girl on the group, who was a doctor, was also in trainers and reassured me that we could do it (her lips were already blue at this point, which wasn't the best omen). Nonetheless, we eventually made it up to the 5.4km peak and the clouds cleared up just as we arrived, which allowed for nice views and pictures. The abandoned ski resort was slightly underwhelming but I was proud of myself for making it to the top.
We then made the journey back down Chacaltaya mountain, all the way across the city to the Moon Valley. This is allegedly named so because Neil Armstrong could see vast expanses of white from space and wanted to visit them once back on Earth; these turned out to be the Uyuni Salt Flats (more on that to come) and whilst visiting, he saw this area of jutting rocks in La Paz, and said that it looked like the moon, hence the name. Although the moon valley itself was much cooler than I'd anticipated, by this point I was starving and I was excited when we finally made it back to the Airbnb. We spent the evening playing cards and drinking wine, which was exactly what we needed by that point. I seemed to have injured the back of my ankle throuhgout the day, but that was the least of our worries.
Day 2
I woke up feeling quite queasy, and after eating some crackers found out that we had messed up our dates and would be homeless the following night. Luckily, it was an easy fix and I managed to move the date of our overnight bus to the Salt Flats to prevent any homelessness. The main plan for Day 2 in La Paz was to go on a walking tour of the city, as I love a good walking tour and feel like you really understand the locals and their customs more.
We started in Plaza Murillo, where we learnt about former politicians, the cause behind the bullet holes in the buildings, and religion in the country. We passed the Witch Doctor market, where we learnt that still nowadays both humans and animals are sacrificed to Pachamama, for example when building a new house, and we took a cable car up to El Alto, which is a poorer city adjacent to La Paz and is where the locals buy all their fruit and veg from the markets. Here, women control the family's finances and are very respected; there is also a subsect of women who are 'cholitas', known for wrestling and being very strong indeed. However, my favourite part of the tour was without a doubt by San Pedro prison. This is an infamous prison in La Paz, where the purest cocaine in the world is made, the inmates run themselves (as there are no guards on the inside), women and children can also live, and inmates have to pay for their cells. I recently read a book written by a former inmate, Marching Powder by Rusty Young, which I would strongly recommend and is very informative. The narrator used to offer tours of the prison to tourists back in the day, however these are no longer in operation. We later discovered that we could actually see into the prison from our Airbnb too, which was a bizarre experience. The tour was incredible, perhaps one of the best I've done, and I enjoyed it greatly.
We then had lunch at a restaurant recommended by the tour guide for authentic food, where four courses cost GBP 3.50! It was delicious and we tried a local drink from La Paz called mocochinchi, which tasted like a peach iced tea with cinnamon and was very refreshing. In the afternoon, we walked to San Francisco convent and then to the touristic witches market in order to pick up some souvenirs.
Day 3
I awoke to blinding sun coming into the Airbnb, which made a nice change from the previous cloudy days in the city. Oddly enough, one of the primary recommendations in La Paz is a cemetery, and although I was skeptical, I'd read good reviews, so we walked all the way there from our Airbnb (approximately a 40 minute walk). En route, we passed a series of markets and when we eventually reached the cemetery, it was much nicer than I'd expected. There were murals and streets within the cemetery and it was very well-maintained, with a lot of personalisation. In place of a headstone, there was an opening where you could have the deceased's name alongside any dates or poems you wanted, then also miniature cakes, cars, alcohol bottles or football shirts, all behind a locked glass door. There were sections for soldiers or nuns to be kept together, and at one point there was a small gathering presumably with the family of someone recently deceased, and a man sung and played the guitar whilst they all bowed their heads, which broke my heart. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and everything felt very respectful, which I liked.
We then took the cable car down to the city centre and headed to a restaurant called Popular for lunch. It had been recommended to us by the ladies we met on the BoliviaHop bus and it definitely lived up to its name as you had to arrive half an hour before it opened and queue in order to guarantee a seat. That said, the food and wine were absolutely delicious and we were stuffed - plus it only cost about GBP 11 for a three course meal, bread and a juice! We then walked through the city, including to a colonial street, Calle Jaen, which was pretty. We learnt about the Pacific War, where Chile refused to give Bolivia any access to the ocean, which Bolivia thinks is rightfully theirs, and that Bolivia has fought with most of its neighbouring countries at some point or another.
The fact that it was sunny truly shifted our perspective on the city, as despite it being very busy and polluted, it also felt safe and had some very nice areas. If we had more time, I'd have loved to cycle down Death Road.
We were taking an overnight bus to the Uyuni Salt Flats in the late evening, and were very lucky that our Airbnb host allowed us to check out as late as we wanted to, as it made the biggest difference and meant we could freshen up, relax and repack with no rush in the world. We eventually got an Uber to the bus station and got our overnight bus to the salt flats.
Uyuni Salt Flats
Day 1
Despite twisting and turning constantly throughout the night, I actually slept for the vast majority of the journey and was awoken around 7:00am for breakfast, soon before arrival. We learnt that 70% of the world's lithium supply is stored under these salt flats and that they used to be underwater, but the water dried up, leaving a vast expanse of salt. When it rains however, this creates a reflective surface, making it the largest mirror in the world. The government doesn't allow a lot of investment into the area, so the accommodation and toilets on this leg of the trip were some of the worst I stayed in throughout the entirety of my travels through South America. It was also on this day that I stopped taking my anti-altitude sickness tablets as we were now descendinghttps://www.thetwentiestraveller.com/post/argentina-2024.
We chilled in a café until the tour started, where we set off in 4x4s, and the first stop was a 'train cemetery'. This was located along some railway tracks which the Spanish formerly used to transport silver to Argentina, however this was no longer in use so the trains had been abandoned nearby, which made for great pictures. We then visited a building made of salt, and learnt why the salt blocks are layered with salt and dirt (it is due to the seasons, as during the winter the winds are high and cause the dust from the desert nearby to land on the salt flats). After lunch, we visited the actual salt flats, which were absolutely astounding. I thought I wouldn't be too enthralled by them but I was mistaken, though I honestly couldn't get my head around it not being snow. It was also so bright that without sunglasses it was hard to see much. The salt flats appeared to have no end in sight, covering 12km².
We stopped at a site filled with flags from around the world and took perspective pictures, which was actually very cool, then drove to Incahuasa Island, an island in the middle of the salt flats absolutely covered in huge cacti. As we approached, one of my favourite songs played on the radio (Vienna by Billy Joel) and this felt so magical and unexpected that I even teared up. After exploring the island, we had a surprise stop, where we enjoyed some local wine and snacks (after making an offering to Pachamama) whilst watching the beautiful colours of the sunset, however although it was hot and sunny during the day, the wind definitely picked up in the evening and it was baltic.
Eventually, we arrived at our hotel, where there was no signal or Wi-Fi and Phi and I shared our room with a middle aged French woman who constantly spoke French and had been ditched at the airport by her mate who was supposed to be travelling with her! We had dinner with the entire group, who we were slowly getting to know better and was very varied, and then headed to bed.
Day 2
We woke up bright and early, ready for a full day of sightseeing. We drove for ages with nothing of note for miles on end, similar to Death Valley. We then passed through a couple of army bases, to a viewpoint of an active volcano, Ollagüe, which was alright but having been to Nicaragua and Guatemala recently, was slightly underwhelming.
We saw flamingoes in a lagoon, then drove further through a desert so that our clothes and hair were full of dust, before spotting a 'viscacha', which is a rodent similar to a chinchilla! We saw the 'Tree of Rock', which was exactly as it sounds: a rock in the shape of a tree, and finally 'Lago Colorida', a red lake. I was feeling slightly unwell at this point and the day felt never-ending, so although the sights were incredible, I wasn't able to appreciate them fully. My back and knees ached from being squished in the back of the jeep, my stomach was unsettled, it was freezing, and I hadn't had any contact with the outside world in over 24 hours so I was desperate to arrive at the hostel.
Unfortunately, the hostel didn't even have electrcitiy, much less offer comfort, and the bathrooms were shared. We were warned that it would be a very cold night, and that I did not doubt. We had dinner, however Phi and I avoided the meat as it had already been in the back of our Jeep for three days now, drank wine, and played games with the rest of the group until bedtime.
Day 3
We had to wake up at 5:00am and I've never been glader for an early wake up call. I slept in multiple layers, including my winter coat, and I was still freezing. During the night, the wind blew the door to our room open and multiple people had the runs throughout the night, including the lady we were sharing a room with (I blame the meat at dinner). Even the following morning, I couldn't enter the bathroom without gagging - it was a state.
Nonetheless, we had a busy morning ahead, starting with a visit to some geysers, which were bubbling away and very cool, though smelt like rotten eggs, followed by the hot springs of Polques. Some people got in the water, but we were at 5km altitude and it was freezing, so instead Phi and I went into the café and purchased some Wi-Fi, for the first time in two days. We visited the desert of Dalí, which were evocative of his paintings, and a beautiful white and blue lagoon, before crossing the border into Chile.
Final Thoughts
Although Bolivia had some beautiful landscapes, it was definitely the country in which I was most tested - it was often extremely cold, the accommodations were the worst I experienced throughout my travels, and we were constantly surprised (both negatively and positively). I would say, having absolutely adored Peru, it was always going to be a tough act to follow.
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