| Bolivia is sometimes called the Tibet of the | | | | resort town in the sub-tropical Yungas |
| Americas, for its arid, high-altitude | | | | valleys. |
| desert-like plateau, more vivid when called | | | | |
| by its Spanish name altiplano. This is one of | | | | With more time, you could explore the remote |
| the toughest inhabited environments on earth | | | | corners of the Southern Altiplano. Old |
| from shimmering Lake Titicaca, the only lake | | | | colonial Potosi is said to be the most |
| to give birth to an empire, to the surreal | | | | interesting of Bolivia's cities and the site |
| Salar de Uyuni, the biggest and highest salt | | | | of the Spanish silver mines. Nearby is the |
| lake in the world - 12,000 sq km of blinding | | | | official capital, Sucre, with its fascinating |
| white, completely flat nothingness. | | | | colonial architecture. Southwest of Potosi is |
| | | | Uyuni, which sets you off on a 3-4-day tour |
| Bolivia has also been called the Nepal of the | | | | to the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest |
| Americas, for its Cordillera Real with almost | | | | salt lake. Further south, near the Chilean |
| a thousand peaks soaring over 5,000 meters | | | | border, are deserts, volcanoes and |
| and matching anything the Himalayas can offer | | | | multi-colored soda lakes carpeted with |
| in climbing and trekking, but with much less | | | | flamingoes. The south is also home to the |
| of the human traffic. | | | | vineyards of Tarija and the graveyards of |
| | | | dinosaurs. The Sajima National Park, near the |
| The major attraction tourists have for | | | | Chilean border, includes the highest peak in |
| Bolivia is its wild, unexplored natural | | | | Bolivia. |
| beauty. The country, or the greater part of | | | | |
| it, lies off the beaten track; a vast | | | | East of La Paz, you escape the cold of the |
| wildness waiting to be seen and appreciated. | | | | altiplano and go down the Amazon jungle |
| This land-locked country at the heart and | | | | towards Brazil. The Torotoro National Park is |
| peak of South America offers magnificent | | | | full of fossils, dinosaur footprints, caves |
| trekking, especially around Coroico and | | | | and waterfalls, the real trip for those who |
| Sorata in the Cordillera Real. You can go to | | | | love the unbeaten paths. |
| the Amazonian rainforests in its eastern | | | | |
| parts by breath-taking airplane flights or by | | | | Bolivia's newest attraction is the Chalalan |
| hair-raising, or rather, heart-stopping bus | | | | Eco-lodge, in the Madidi National Park, right |
| rides. | | | | in the Amazon jungle. This is ecotourism in |
| | | | capital letters, and the place has the |
| Special Treats | | | | greatest biodiversity in the whole planet. |
| | | | There are over 300 types of birds, 1,200 |
| Some travel companies offer the adventurous a | | | | butterfly species, monkeys, jaguar, tapir, |
| one-week ice-climbing and biking vacation. | | | | caiman, and other wildlife. |
| After a day of training on the mountain bike, | | | | |
| you pedal away on a mountain road ringed on | | | | Best time to go |
| the sides with 800-foot drops. If that's not | | | | |
| enough, another route will pass by a section | | | | Bolivia's roads are notoriously poor, so |
| with a 14,000-foot drop. The route takes you | | | | you'll want to avoid the rainy season from |
| from the peak of the Chacaltaya Mountain and | | | | November to March, if you want to visit the |
| goes down into the impenetrable jungles of | | | | jungles. The Altiplano does not get much |
| the Zongo Valley. A brief rest, and then you | | | | rain, so timing is not so crucial although |
| undergo one more day of training prior to a | | | | hiking trails can get muddy. June and July, |
| two-day climb up Huayna Potosi, one of the | | | | the winter months, are colder but the nights |
| highest peaks in the world at 20,000 feet. | | | | are clearer, and these are the best months to |
| | | | visit the Salar de Uyuni. June to August are |
| What Else to Do | | | | the busiest tourism months and hotels will be |
| | | | full. The best festivals (Carnival and Holy |
| Most parts of the country are remote, and can | | | | Week) happen during the rainy season. |
| be reached only by long bus rides. Vacations | | | | |
| lasting a few weeks would hardly be enough to | | | | Planning your trip |
| see what should be seen. You may have to fly | | | | |
| to other destinations. La Paz is the jump-off | | | | Airlines are busiest from early December to |
| point for Bolivia's sites. From the capital | | | | mid-January and July to September. The best |
| La Paz, you could take a trip north to the | | | | connections to La Paz are through Sao Paolo, |
| city of Tiahuanaco, which preceded the great | | | | Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires or Miami. The |
| Inca Empire; further north is Lake Titicaca. | | | | main cities have their hotels, but away from |
| On the lake is the beautiful Isla del Sol, | | | | them, there are suitable hotels for every |
| where legend says the Inca empire was | | | | budget, which offer excellent value - not |
| created. You can also go down a terrifying | | | | luxurious but clean and popular with |
| but spectacular road to Coroico, a popular | | | | travelers. |