Bucket List Places To See In Bolivia

May 20

Bolivia is one of the most unique countries in South America, yet for some reason, people still decide to skip the country when visiting South America.

From dense rainforests to otherworldly salt plains, Bolivia features some of the most diverse landscapes on the continent.

We were fortunate enough to travel to Bolivia while backpacking through South America; to this day, it remains one of our favourite countries.

So, let’s walk you through some of our favourite bucket list places to see in Bolivia. We will outline how you can visit these bucket-list-worthy places independently or, if you prefer, through an organised tour.

Disclaimer - this blog post contains affiliate links where we can earn a commission if you make a purchase through them (at no extra cost to you).

Bolivia at a Glance

Currency: Bolivian Boliviano (BOB) - 1 BOB = £0.10 ($0.14)

Population: 11,650,000

Most common language: Spanish

Capital City: La Paz

Main Highlight: Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

Can I drink the tap water? Not advised unless you are using a LifeStraw to filter the water.

Must have travel item for Bolivia: Lonely Planet Guide Book

Bolivian Girl with Llama on Isla del Sol

Bolivia Overview

Celebrated for its incredible array of natural wonders and its enterprising adventure tourism scene, Bolivia is a must-see destination in South America.

Despite not getting the global recognition of its neighbours, Bolivia still boasts a wonderful infrastructure that happily caters to intrepid travellers looking to get off the beaten path.

Whether it’s mountains, rainforests or deserts you want to explore, Bolivia will undoubtedly have the answer.

Away from the terrific natural landscapes of the country, Bolivia is also brimming with fascinating, and sometimes intriguing, culture and traditions.

Bolivia is home to a number of Brujas (witches) who gain magical intuition after near-fatal encounters with snake bites, lightning strikes and deadly conditions in the Andean mountains.

On top of this, indigenous Aymara and Quechua women are challenging gender stereotypes within the country. The women wear signature Cholita outfits while wrestling in front of large crowds.

As you can probably already tell, Bolivia is a country that absolutely needs to be explored in person to understand fully.

In our list of places to see in Bolivia, we will walk you through some of the best cities to visit in Bolivia, the best natural wonders to see in Bolivia, and even some of the best experiences to have in Bolivia.

Bucket List Cities to See in Bolivia

We are going to begin our guide of the best places to see in Bolivia by highlighting which cities you should seek to explore during your time in the country.

La Paz

Why should you visit La Paz?

Officially the highest capital city in the world, La Paz sits inside a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River, giving the city a unique and distinct character.

The canyon gives the city its infamous bowl-shaped feel, with communities sprawled throughout the valley walls until you reach the imposing Andean Mountains that surround the city.

Broadly speaking, the elite and upper class live in high-rise condos in the lower levels and centre of the city. In contrast, the lower-income residents tend to reside in makeshift, temporary housing in the surrounding hills.

To be able to combat some of the social inequalities within the city, a cable car system was launched in 2014. Now, lower-income residents have an easy route into the centre of the city and, more importantly, access to jobs and provisions.

Mi Teleférico, as the cable car system is known, is unique in that it can be seen gliding over the buildings of La Paz. From all over the city, you are able to see cable cars operating above your head; it is rather bizarre.

Every street corner has a different feel to it, making La Paz one of the most fascinating cities to explore in the whole of Latin America.

La Paz’s Cable Car system - Mi Teleférico

Things to do in La Paz

The first thing you need to do in La Paz is explore around the streets. As we said, La Paz is full of character and needs to be explored in great detail. One way to do this is to grab yourself a Bolivia Guide Book and head out to the street level, practice your Spanish with the locals, and discover what La Paz has to offer.

Alternatively, you are able to book a La Paz Walking Tour, where a local guide will lead you through the narrow streets and alleyways of central La Paz, teaching you the history and stories of the famous city.

The second must-do activity in La Paz, and a bucket list activity in Bolivia more generally, is riding the infamous cable car. Again, this is best done with the help of a local guide on a La Paz Cable Car Tour, where you will be able to ride the transport system and visit the local cemetery and get your fortunes read by a local Shaman.

Sucre

Why should you visit Sucre?

Touted as the country’s most beautiful city, it is easy to see why Sucre should be one of your bucket list places to see in Bolivia.

Granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1991, the city owes much of its beautiful architecture to its colonial past. Many of the buildings in Sucre feature whitewashed facades with a mix of patios and balconies to enjoy the sun.

Whether you want to brush up on your Spanish or enjoy a relaxing weekend in the city, Sucre is a place that has to feature on your Bolivia itinerary.

The iconic white facades of Sucre Buildings

Things to do in Sucre

Visiting La Recoleta for sunrise is a must-do activity in Sucre. The Franciscan monastery and plaza offer extensive views of the city and the opportunity to watch live performances by budding local musicians. It really is a breathtaking site to start your day in.

The Markets in Sucre, as with most of South America, are a fascinating cultural experience. Mercado Central is arguably the city’s most significant market, so be sure to check it out if you’re looking for an abundance of colours, smells and spices.

If you’re looking for a more historical activity, then one of the best places to see in Sucre has to be Cal Orco. The infamous paleontological museum claims to be the most prominent site of dinosaur tracks in the world and with a 500m long wall bearing multiple, clearly visible tracks, who are we to argue otherwise?

Bucket List Natural Wonders to See in Bolivia

Now that we’ve given you some recommendations of the best cities you should explore in Bolivia, we are going to outline some of the bucket list natural wonders to see in Bolivia.

Uyuni Salt Flats

Why should you visit the Uyuni Salt Flats?

Salar de Uyuni, or Uyuni Salt Flats, is the world’s largest salt flat, spreading over an incredible 10,000 square kilometres (3900 square miles).

Formed after the transformation of two prehistoric lakes, Uyuni is covered by a thick salt crust that has helped it become one of the flattest areas on Earth. Uyuni is so flat, in fact, that distance measurement equipment in satellites is regularly calibrated there.

Following rainfall on the salt flats, a thin layer of perfectly still water transforms Uyuni into the world’s largest mirror - approximately 129 kilometres (80 miles) across. Thankfully for eager visitors, this gives you the opportunity to take some truly once-in-a-lifetime photographs.

On top of this, you are even able to visit a train cemetery in the middle of the Salt Flats. After a failed railway construction in the late 1800s, a number of trains were abandoned and have remained in situ ever since. The train cemetery, along with the otherworldly nature of the salt flats, certainly gives an eerie feel to Uyuni.

All of these amazing factors culminate in the Uyuni Salt Flats easily making our list of the bucket list places you must visit in Bolivia.

How to visit Uyuni Salt Flats independently?

It is generally assumed that during your trip to Bolivia, you will end up in La Paz, so the best way to get to Uyuni is through the capital city.

Your first option is to catch a 55-minute flight from La Paz to Uyuni. It is the easiest and most efficient way to visit the salt flats, but of course, is the most expensive. With flights starting from as little as £24 ($34) one-way, though, it is certainly worth looking into.

Alternatively, you are able to get a 10-hour overnight bus from La Paz. While prices vary, you can sometimes be expected to pay up to £20 ($28) for the return journey, so it is worth paying the extra money to fly instead.

Once the bus arrives, you are free to explore Uyuni independently, though this isn’t always feasible without the use of a jeep/overland vehicle like people will have on a tour.

As the salt flats are such a vast area of land, going without a tour group means you will be walking/hiking to all the areas of Uyuni, severely restricting how much of the area you are actually able to see.

How to visit Uyuni Salt Flats through a tour?

Your first option for an organised tour of Uyuni is to book an Uyuni Tour from La Paz. The 2-day tour begins and ends in the capital city and includes an overnight bus to the salt flats as well as a guided tour once you arrive.

Alternatively, you could make your way to Uyuni independently and then book a tour from there. For a truly once-in-a-lifetime adventure, the Starlight and Sunrise Tour is certainly recommended. The 3 am pickup will be 100% worthwhile once you are gazing up at the stars, eagerly awaiting sunrise over one of the most incredible landscapes anywhere on Planet Earth.

Jeeps (the main mode of transport) at Uyuni Salt Flats

Bolivian Pampas

Why should you visit the Bolivian Pampas?

Visiting the Bolivian Pampas means spotting Alligators and Cayman jostling for territory, watching capybaras looking after their young, swimming with endangered pink river dolphins, and searching for 6ft anacondas in the undergrowth. Who wouldn’t want to experience all of that?

Visiting the Pampas is undoubtedly going to be one of the highlights of your trip to Bolivia and probably the whole of South America.

The Pampas often gets confused with the Amazon Rainforest, and many people assume they are visiting the rainforest when, in fact, they are actually visiting the Pampas.

How we describe the Pampas - the pre-Amazonian wetlands in the Beni Region of Bolivia. So essentially, a Pampas trip doesn’t take you around the Amazon rainforest, just the wetlands instead.

The Pampas are a hive of activity and wildlife, and as they are only navigable by boat, they offer the chance to escape the ordinary and live off-grid for a number of days. Let’s face it: living off the grid is good for everybody.

Advice: if you want to learn how not to end up in a Bolivian hospital then it’s probably worth bringing a good reserve of bottled water to the Pampas with you - trust us, we learned the hard way!

How to visit the Pampas independently?

In order to reach the Pampas, you need to make your way to the nearest hospitable town, which is Rurrenabaque - a small town in the North of Bolivia.

To get to the town from La Paz, you can take the 1hr flight with Amaszonas Air, which usually costs in the region of £80 ($115) one-way, or you can brave the 18-hour coach journey that only costs in the region of £15 ($21).

The reason we say ‘brave’ the coach journey is because the route takes you through the same place as the infamous ‘Death Road’. It must be said that the old route was replaced in 2006 with a much safer route, but it is still a particularly hair-raising journey.

Once you arrive in Rurrenabaque, it is unfortunately impossible to visit the Pampas without booking an organised tour.

Canoes - the only form of transport in the Bolivian Pampas

How to visit the Pampas through a tour?

You have a few options when booking a tour to the Pampas, and the first would be to make your way to Rurrenabaque independently before visiting one of the many tour companies in the town.

The second option is to make your way to Rurrenabaque and book the tour online.

The third option is to book a tour online that includes both the actual tour of the Pampas and the flight to Rurrenabaque.

The best resource we found when booking our tour of the Pampas was Kanoo Tours. They offered bundles of flights and tours and different multi-day tour options.

We opted for the 3-day Pampas Tour that included several canoe rides to find wildlife, searching for anacondas, swimming with dolphins and piranha fishing. It was honestly epic! With the tour starting from only £135 ($190) per person, it’s incredibly good value and well worth the money.

Lake Titicaca

Why should you visit Lake Titicaca?

Lake Titicaca is known as the world's highest navigable lake and the largest lake in South America.

Ancient Incas considered Lake Titicaca to be the ‘birthplace of the sun’ and as such, the lake remains a deeply spiritual and sacred site to many Bolivians. A number of fascinating Inca ruins and remains can be found scattered among the many islands of Titicaca.

Among the many things to do in Lake Titicaca, a trip to Isla del Sol is high on the bucket list for many travellers. The modest island boasts some incredible rugged landscapes on top of historical Incan ruins and brilliant hiking trails.

From sailing over the water to hiking across the islands, Lake Titicaca should certainly be one of your bucket list places to see in Bolivia.

Isla Del Sol - an island on Lake Titicaca

How to visit Lake Titicaca independently?

The easiest and most efficient way to get from La Paz to Lake Titicaca is via a 3-4 hour bus journey. Coaches depart daily from La Paz, bound for Copacabana, a small town next to Lake Titicaca.

The cost varies between bus companies, but you should expect to pay around £3 ($5) for a one-way trip to the Lake.

One of the things you need to know before backpacking through South America is that the buses on the continent are some of the highest standards we have travelled in. This means that a simple 3-4 hour bus journey should be a breeze.

Cruz del Sur offers daily coach journeys from La Paz to Copacabana, and when we travelled on board their coaches, we were treated to snacks, refreshments, reclining seats and even a TV screen.

Once you arrive in Copacabana, you’re able to jump on a ferry to Isla del Sol and explore the island, or you can hang around the town of Copacabana and explore Lake Titicaca that way. Both Isla de Sol and Copacabana have numerous, if somewhat basic, accommodation options, so you can happily extend your stay in either place for a number of nights.

Visiting Copacabana, Titicaca and Isla del Sol in a single-day trip from La Paz is possible, but you may feel rushed when trying to organise ferry and coach transfers. Generally, if you only have 1 day to visit from La Paz, an organised tour is better suited.

How to visit Lake Titicaca through a tour?

The majority of Lake Titicaca tours in Bolivia start and end in La Paz. The Titicaca Day Trip from La Paz Tour allows you to sail on Titicaca while including visits to the towns of Copacabana and Yumani. On the 15-hour trip, you will also discover the mystical Inca Steps and an old Inca Fountain.

If you’re looking for something slightly more adventurous, perhaps the Lake Titicaca Tour and Zip Line Experience. Certainly, it is the more costly of the two ventures, but that is understandable when it includes a once-in-a-lifetime zipline experience.

Bucket List Experiences to have in Bolivia

Visiting the Witches’ Market in La Paz

Why should you visit the Witches’ Market?

Quite simply, it’s not every day you get to visit a market that sells dried frogs and llama fetuses as nonchalantly as they would if they were selling regular fruit and veg.

Bolivia has a long and fascinating relationship with spirits and witchcraft, and nowhere is this more apparent than amongst the stalls and alleyways of the Witches’ market in La Paz.

One moment, you’ll be wandering through the streets with phone shops and cafes on either side, then you’ll turn a corner, and suddenly, you’re greeted with row upon row of medicinal plants and potions.

The most famous product, if that’s what you can call them, sold at the Witches’ market has to be the dried llama fetuses. A somewhat distressing site to many Western eyes, many Bolivians bury the fetus underneath their new homes as a sacred offering to Pachamama - a Goddess revered by many indigenous Andean communities.

There can be no denying that the Witches’ Market of La Paz is unquestionably a bucket list place to see in Bolivia - just be prepared to avert your eyes if it gets all too much.

Witches’ Market, La Paz - © saiko3p/Shutterstock

How to visit the Witches’ Market independently?

Visiting the Witches’ market independently is a fairly straightforward venture and doesn’t need to take a lot of prior planning. On any given day when you’re wandering the streets of La Paz, head to the Cerro Cumbre district.

Located just off the junction between the streets of Santa Cruz and Melchor Jiminez, the Witches’ Market is pretty impossible to miss.

If you’re struggling to find it, keep your eyes out for the Yatiri - the local witch doctors, easily identifiable by their black hats and coca pouches.

How to visit the Witches’ Market through a tour?

The Witches’ Market is fairly easy to explore independently, but without a guide, you find yourself constantly looking at your phone to read information rather than taking in the actual market stalls themselves.

The best-reviewed tour we could find to visit the Witches’ Market was a half-day walking tour of La Paz that featured an English-speaking guide. The guides will explain the history and origin of the Witches’ Market, as well as guide you through the various potions and ailments that are available to purchase from the stalls.

Cycling the Death Road

Why should you visit the Death Road?

Yungas Road or ‘Death Road’, as it is more commonly referred to, is a stretch of road about 60km long that connects La Paz with the mountainous region of Yungas.

The road grew to infamy in the mid-2000s when BBC TV series Top Gear filmed an episode in which the 3 presenters attempted to drive the entire route.

The route involved hairpin bends, steep slopes, no guardrails, mudslides and eroding road conditions.

In 2006, work was finally completed on an alternative route between La Paz and Yungas, one that involved a double-carriageway, fully tarmacked road - leaving the original Yungas Road to become a popular tourist attraction in the area.

Most are no longer allowed on the Death Road and have been replaced by mountain biking adventures operated by tour companies (There are still some communities that live along the old Yungas Road, so you may occasionally see a minivan serving them).

Although the road is generally considered safe nowadays, there have been 18 tourist deaths on the road since 1998, so caution is still advised.

Cycling along the Yungas road has certainly become one of the best and most popular things to do in Bolivia and for good reason - it’s not every day that you get to cycle on what was once considered the world’s most dangerous road.

How to visit the Death Road independently?

Unfortunately, as far as we know, you cannot cycle the death road without booking an organised tour.

We have read reports that you are able to jump off the bus that goes between La Paz and Coroico, as the main road passes directly next to the Death Road.

From here, you would be able to hike to the death road and experience it by foot before hiking back to the main road and flagging down a bus or taxi back to La Paz.

Again, we cannot give you the exact details on how to visit the Death Road independently, but we would love to hear from anybody who knows how to do it.

How to visit the Death Road through a tour?

As one of the activities that features heavily on most people’s Bolivia bucket list, many great tours are available for the Death Road.

The Mountain Bike Down the World’s Most Dangerous Road tour includes the actual bike ride itself and a visit to the Senda Verde Animal Refuge centre to see endangered Andean Bears and monkeys. Throw in the opportunity to go zip-lining, and you can see why this tour is so incredibly popular.

The tour includes pick-up and drop-off in La Paz, a full-buffet lunch and several snacks along the way.

Bucket List Places to Visit in Bolivia Recap

There we have it, folks, our round-up of the places that you should feature on your Bolivia bucket list.

If you’re planning on visiting South America this year, we hope our list has inspired you to feature some of these bucket list places to see in Bolivia on your South America travel itinerary.

Bolivia is a country that often gets overlooked in South America, giving you all the more reason to go out and explore it as soon as you can. Whether you incorporate it into a 6-week South America backpacking itinerary, or whether you explore the country in one trip, Bolivia is a place that is certainly not going to let you down.