High-altitude markets, salt flats and lakes the colour of the sky.
Bolivia is South America at its most elemental. The Salar de Uyuni spreads white to the horizon, with flamingo-dotted lagoons and volcanoes beyond it, while Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol hold Inca legends at nearly 4,000 metres. La Paz tumbles down a canyon with cable cars overhead, and colonial Sucre and the silver-mining city of Potosí recall centuries of Spanish rule.
Travel here is slow and rewarding: altitude demands a few easy days, and roads between cities can take longer than expected. Expect salteñas for breakfast, busy indigenous markets and plenty of coca tea. May to October is the dry season and the best time overall; from January to March rain can turn Uyuni into a vast mirror but disrupts some roads.
Best time to visit Bolivia
May, June, July, August, September.
Places to visit in Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni: A vast white salt flat in the Bolivian altiplano that turns into a giant mirror in the rainy season.
La Paz: Bolivia's seat of government fills a canyon at over 3,600 metres, with cable cars overhead and indigenous culture on every street.
Sucre: Bolivia's constitutional capital, a gracious whitewashed colonial city where independence was declared.
Isla del Sol: A car-free island on Lake Titicaca with Inca ruins, terraced paths and deep blue views, reached by boat from Copacabana.
Potosí: Once one of the richest cities in the world thanks to the silver of the Cerro Rico, with a colonial mint and working mines.
Essentials
Currency: Bolivian Boliviano (BOB)
Language: Spanish; Quechua and Aymara widely spoken
Plugs: Type A / C, 230 V
Driving: Right side
Time zone: UTC−4
Tipping: Round up; around 10% in tourist restaurants and for guides
Getting around: Long-distance buses link the cities; use organised 4x4 tours for Uyuni and the southwest
Entry: Check the official rules for your passport before booking