Bolivia Travel Forum

Hola ,

I’ll be in South America in November and have drafted an impossible itinerary and now I can use all of your help to get it right. I do travel at a fast pace and take countries by storm instead of smelling the roses but transport limits anybody’s options

This is/was my initial plan
7/nov Flight Bxl - Rio
8/nov Rio
9/nov Rio
10/nov Iguazu BR
11/nov Iguazu AR
12/nov Buenos Aires
13/nov Buenos Aires
14/nov BA to PM
15/nov Perito Moreno
16/nov Perito Moreno
17/nov Travel to Atacama
18/nov Atacama Laguna Miscanti y Miniques & Valle de la luna
19/nov Atacama Chuquicamata & El Tatio Geyser
20/nov Atacama Buffer day
21/nov Chile - Bolivia
22/nov Uyuni
23/nov Uyuni
24/nov Uyuni
25/nov Uyuni or La Paz
26/nov La Paz
27/nov Coroico
28/nov Fly La Paz - Rurrenabaque
29/nov Rurrenabaque
30/nov Rurrenabaque
1/dec Rurrenabaque
2/dec Lago Titicaca
3/dec Copacabana & Isla del Sol
4/dec Arequipa
5/dec Colca Canyon
6/dec Colca Canyon
7/dec Cuzco
8/dec Machu Picchu sunset
9/dec Machu Picchu sunrise - fly Cuzco to Lima
10/dec Lima
11/dec Flight Lima - Atlanta
12/dec Atlanta
Flight Atlanta - Brussel
13/dec Back Home


My draft plan is indeed too tightly scheduled as I find out while booking flights/buses/tours..
My original plan was to fly between these destinations :
Rio - Iguazu - Buenos Aires - Perito Moreno - Calama/San Pedro de Atacama
But Perito Moreno is indeed too remote and takes a lot of time and money to reach, then also difficult to continue to Calama as this seems to be a small airport. Besides I prefer nature to cities and as I only planned to spend 2 days in Buenos Aires that is an expensive flight from Iguazu. So in case I skip BA and PM I can continue from Iguazu to Calama, unless the flight from Rio is a lot cheaper but then I should book an all in tour from Rio to Iguazu (return flight + park entrance + hostel).
Do you know by chance if there are any interesting offers ? I did some research on the internet but most sites are in Portuguese, difficult for me.
I'll land in Rio on November 8th , where I will spend 1 or 2 days so I can book a tour to Iguazu starting from November 9th or 10th to spend 2days there as I want to see both the Brazilian as the Argentinian side of the falls and preferably also go as close as possible by boat.
Do you also know which airline proposes a good connection from Rio (or Iguazu) to Calama (Chile) ?

If rio-iguazu-rio is not worthwhile then I might still fly to BA and continue by bus through North Argentina towards Atacama. How many days should I foresee for this, with stops in Mendoza and Salta? Can I include nightbuses to win some time?
Which option would you recommend? 1. Rio - Atacama or 2. Iguazu-BA-Mendoza-Salta-Atacama

I've been told about corrupt customs agents on the CL-BO border, now you tell me it's AR-CL.... it's all part of the fun I guess

Do tour operators offer to visit the nice places in Atacama and also drop you off at Uyuni? Do you have a website or email of the tour operator that can do all this?
Can I book the Salar de Uyuni tour towards La Paz, starting from Uyuni ?
So far I found there are only 2 buses a week from Atacama to Uyuni , but hope that is not true
http://www.sanpedroatacama.com/ingles/ir.htm
Should I also include a buffer day to cross the Bolivia-Peru border?

Is it true that the Salar de Uyuni is flooded by rain in nov-dec? Does that not spoil the scenery? Hopefully I can get to see it at sunrise, the best moment of the day to enjoy nature's beauty.

Can I book an all-in tour from La Paz to Rurrenabaque(flight, safari, accomodation, .. booze?)

Re Machu Picchu I understood so far that the entrance to the site is unlimited, but they only allow 500p/day on the Inca Trail, which I'm not doing due to lack of time. On the other hand I should be very early there to get a ticket for the Huaynu Picchu on the other side so I can enjoy the sunrise from there. Is all this correct?

Sorry for this huge bunch of questions, but I'm looking forward to go to South America for the first time and really want to make the best out of it

feel free to contact me directly on christian.buchheit@gmail.com as I read those emails a few times a day

Muchas gracias para ayudarme
hasta luego,
Christian

Hola ,

I’ll be in South America in November and have drafted an impossible itinerary and now I can use all of your help to get it right. I do travel at a fast pace and take countries by storm instead of smelling the roses but transport limits anybody’s options

This is/was my initial plan
7/nov Flight Bxl - Rio
8/nov Rio
9/nov Rio
10/nov Iguazu BR
11/nov Iguazu AR
12/nov Buenos Aires
13/nov Buenos Aires
14/nov BA to PM
15/nov Perito Moreno
16/nov Perito Moreno
17/nov Travel to Atacama
18/nov Atacama Laguna Miscanti y Miniques & Valle de la luna
19/nov Atacama Chuquicamata & El Tatio Geyser
20/nov Atacama Buffer day
21/nov Chile - Bolivia
22/nov Uyuni
23/nov Uyuni
24/nov Uyuni
25/nov Uyuni or La Paz
26/nov La Paz
27/nov Coroico
28/nov Fly La Paz - Rurrenabaque
29/nov Rurrenabaque
30/nov Rurrenabaque
1/dec Rurrenabaque
2/dec Lago Titicaca
3/dec Copacabana & Isla del Sol
4/dec Arequipa
5/dec Colca Canyon
6/dec Colca Canyon
7/dec Cuzco
8/dec Machu Picchu sunset
9/dec Machu Picchu sunrise - fly Cuzco to Lima
10/dec Lima
11/dec Flight Lima - Atlanta
12/dec Atlanta
Flight Atlanta - Brussel
13/dec Back Home


My draft plan is indeed too tightly scheduled as I find out while booking flights/buses/tours..
My original plan was to fly between these destinations :
Rio - Iguazu - Buenos Aires - Perito Moreno - Calama/San Pedro de Atacama
But Perito Moreno is indeed too remote and takes a lot of time and money to reach, then also difficult to continue to Calama as this seems to be a small airport. Besides I prefer nature to cities and as I only planned to spend 2 days in Buenos Aires that is an expensive flight from Iguazu. So in case I skip BA and PM I can continue from Iguazu to Calama, unless the flight from Rio is a lot cheaper but then I should book an all in tour from Rio to Iguazu (return flight + park entrance + hostel).
Do you know by chance if there are any interesting offers ? I did some research on the internet but most sites are in Portuguese, difficult for me.
I'll land in Rio on November 8th , where I will spend 1 or 2 days so I can book a tour to Iguazu starting from November 9th or 10th to spend 2days there as I want to see both the Brazilian as the Argentinian side of the falls and preferably also go as close as possible by boat.
Do you also know which airline proposes a good connection from Rio (or Iguazu) to Calama (Chile) ?

If rio-iguazu-rio is not worthwhile then I might still fly to BA and continue by bus through North Argentina towards Atacama. How many days should I foresee for this, with stops in Mendoza and Salta? Can I include nightbuses to win some time?
Which option would you recommend? 1. Rio - Atacama or 2. Iguazu-BA-Mendoza-Salta-Atacama

I've been told about corrupt customs agents on the CL-BO border, now you tell me it's AR-CL.... it's all part of the fun I guess

Do tour operators offer to visit the nice places in Atacama and also drop you off at Uyuni? Do you have a website or email of the tour operator that can do all this?
Can I book the Salar de Uyuni tour towards La Paz, starting from Uyuni ?
So far I found there are only 2 buses a week from Atacama to Uyuni , but hope that is not true
http://www.sanpedroatacama.com/ingles/ir.htm
Should I also include a buffer day to cross the Bolivia-Peru border?

Is it true that the Salar de Uyuni is flooded by rain in nov-dec? Does that not spoil the scenery? Hopefully I can get to see it at sunrise, the best moment of the day to enjoy nature's beauty.

Can I book an all-in tour from La Paz to Rurrenabaque(flight, safari, accomodation, .. booze?)

Re Machu Picchu I understood so far that the entrance to the site is unlimited, but they only allow 500p/day on the Inca Trail, which I'm not doing due to lack of time. On the other hand I should be very early there to get a ticket for the Huaynu Picchu on the other side so I can enjoy the sunrise from there. Is all this correct?

Sorry for this huge bunch of questions, but I'm looking forward to go to South America for the first time and really want to make the best out of it

feel free to contact me directly on christian.buchheit@gmail.com as I read those emails a few times a day

Muchas gracias para ayudarme
hasta luego,
Christian

Hi,

I fly into Santa Cruz on the morning of the 7th of November. My plan is to get a bus to Potosi and then a bus to Uyuni. I'm hoping to do this in about 24 hours so I am in Uyuni on the 8th, and do the salt plains tour on the 9th. my problem then is the quickest way to get to La Paz? Train? Bus?

If anyone can help that would be great or if anyone sees any major flaws in my plan to get to Uyuni that would be great too!
Thanks!

Buenas. En Wikipedia y Lonely Planet sostienen que la gente suele confundir Incahuasi con la isla del Pescado, pero en otros sitios dicen que Incahuasi es el nombre quechua para la isla..... ¿alguien tiene una información más confiable?

Hola, en qué provincia está el pueblo de Miraflores (20 minutos de Potosí)?

Gracias

I will be in La Paz in February and March, and I am looking for any good volunteer opportunities. Preferably free or cheaper, and working with kids since I am going to be a physical education teacher. I'm open to any suggestions though, and I would like to do it for about 1 month.

Thanks,

Ben

does anyone know how long it takes to ride by bus to uyuni from potosi?

Hi:
I am a Canadian woman who wishes to stay in La Paz for the month of December...and travel around Bolivia. Is La Paz a better place to stay in order to do this...Does anyone know of any good, clean inexpensive rentals?
Thanks

I'd like to travel to Argentia from Bolivia for the month of January...any good airlines to consider? How are prices?

Has anyone any information on the ability to dive at Marka Pampa??

any know how long it takes to travel from la paz to sucre by bus? are the roads safe?

Hi!
I just want to start by thanking everyone who replied to my last post, it was very helpful. I was wondering if there are any experienced travelers out there who could suggest some places in Bolivia and Peru, and maybe some routes that they took in their travels. The help would be very much appreciated.

Thank you!!!!

Kat

I am trying to check the transportation from La Paz to Uyuni.

I have found that I would have to take the bus to Oruro and then from there I have to catch the train to Uyuni. I also found out that the train does not run regularly and only on certain days. Can someone please comment on this and provide some information?

I am trying to find if there is another option that the bus goes direct without having to change in Oruro and so far have only found one company who does it:

http://www.kanootours.com/kanooweb/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_new.tpl&product_id=53&category_id=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

Has anyone taken such a journey before? Comments please.

hey there,

I am planning to take travel from Uyuni to Santiago by bus (i have time but on tight budget. Don't mind taking the bus if its the cheapest) after I am done with Salar Uyuni tour. I am thinking of the following option

1) After finishing Salar Uyuni tour and back to Uyuni, take the bus from Uyuni to Santiago. Is there a direct bus option? How long does it take?

2) Take the Salar Uyuni tour and instead of going back to Uyuni, thought if its possible for the tour to drop us at the nearest town (near the Chiliean border) and we take the bus from there to santiago. Have anyone done this before? Any tour company that does it?

Cheers

Hello,

my husband and I are thinking about a self driving tour in Bolivia with a 4 WD rental car. We both speak Spanish (not perfectly, but well enough) and made already "self driving tours" in Mexico, Argentina and Guatemala. Among all, we would like to tour the Salar de Uyuni and the lagunas in the extreme southwest. We'd bring a GPS, but is it dangerous to drive there? Apart of changing a flat tire, we do not have any mechanical skills in case of a car breakdown...
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Christine

I am going with 2 children (7 and 9) so I'd like to do a tour, but I'd love to arrive in the morning and return to LaPaz in the evening.

I've read about one day tours. Is this possible?

thanks

I'd heard from a friend of a friend (you know, its fairly second-hand information) that the border crossing from Bolivia to Argentina is a bit crazy, with a crowd of people waving passports at the border guards. Is this true, or is there a bit more order to it?

Cheers,
Paddy

We will arrive late in La Paz.
The next morning, is it easy to book a (half a)day tour to Tiwanaku on the same day? or you have to book in advance (a day before e.g.)?
Thank you

Where can we book the tourist bus from Lapaz to Copacabana?
We want to go with the tourist bus, because we don't want to take the 'local' bus.
(they pick us up at the hotel?)

need to know if u need a yellow fever cert to enter Bolivia from Peru, someone must know, help would be good on this one.

Hello, I will be going to Sucre in June for a two-week mission trip. I am curious if they have bullfighting there. I also want to know if there are any worthwhile side trips around Sucre (within a few hours).

anyone just back from Bolivia, i need info on wherther u need a yellow fever cert to enter Bolivia from Peru (not travelled in amazon area) and also to travel around Bolivia?

do u need yellow fever cert, to enter Bolivia, from Peru (not travelled in amazon area), do u need yellow fever cover to travel in Bolivia,?

need recommendations or suggestions on a good cheap($12-16) a night place to stay in La Paz.

Hello,
I am heading into Bolivia for a month and want to do the jungle trip based out of Rurrenabaque but I am a bit concerned about safety. I recently read a couple of books ( one by a Canadian guy and the other by an Israeli) and they both seem to have barely escaped their trips alive. Is it really that dangerous or are these guys drumming it up a bit to sell copies of their books?
I am going with my girlfriend and she is quite new to the travel thing.

Hey everyone,looking for some advice on getting from peru to bolivia by bus. Im fine getting from cusco to puno, but need to get from puno into bolivia to do the salt flats tour - i think there are buses from puno to la paz but does anyone know if you can go directly from puno to uyuni? or do you need to go via la paz? its such a long bus ride.. also a little bit worried as a female solo traveller going to la paz.

thanks for your help! :)

Hi does anyone know if the only way to see the salts and lagoons in uyuni is to take the 3day tour? Is everything very apart from each other?

Thanks,
Arly

we want to do a 3 day jungle/pampa tour in may but time is limited and we want to fly from la paz to rurrenbaque return. is this easy to do and what kind of cost are we looking at? also any recommendations on tours would be appreciated! thanks

Hi,

I am currently staying in Arequipa (Peru) and plan to go to puno(lake titicaca), copacabana,
la paz, oruro, potosi, sucre, uyuni, cochabamba, and final destination santa
cruz.

Im really confused as to what route to take from la paz to all of this places?
What do you recommend? Do you know what would be the best destination to go to
before heading to santa cruz?

Any tips/information apprecciated

Thanks,

Arly :)

Arlette

any suggestions on tour companies for uyuni or would it be best if i booked it all on my own?

i don't care much about la paz or any of those places, my main interest is the salt dessert, i'm thinking maybe 4 or 5 days, is it enough time or too much?

is the salt hotel worth it, cause i see is 2 or 3 times more expensive than all oter hostels?

also, is september a good time of the year to visit it?
anyone who can help me with some info, i would greatly apreciate it!

Me and my friend have 2 weeks to travel through Bolivia. Will be leaving from Cusco. We heard great stories about the Amazon and Uyuni. Is it possible to see both in little less than two weeks?

Any recommendations for transportation and timelines?

Thanks in advance.