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Bolivia Route

A short route through south west Bolivia perfect for connecting itineraries between Peru and Chile or Argentina. For extended stays there are many possibilities for interesting excursions.

map with the route

The marked route is available here for online viewing and download in the gpx format.

  1. Copacabana
  2. La Paz
  3. Sucre
  4. Potosí
  5. Uyuni
Start Copacabana
End Uyuni
Length ~ 1050 km
Duration 2 - 3 weeks

Route Description

Copacabana

Located on a peninsula of Lake Titicaca and easy to reach by bus from either Cusco or Puno in Peru. A good place to relax for a few days in the cafes and to take a boat trip to the nearby islands to marvel at the extraordinary blue colors of water and sky at almost 4000m of altitude.
Possible excursions:
  1. By boat to the Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna.
    For the Inca the islands where sacred places an there are still some interesting ruins to explore.
Continue: By bus to La Paz

La Paz

The capital of Bolivia and an awesome place to explore on foot or with the excellent and very affordable cable car system. Looking down into the basin from El Alto is a truly spectacular sight, especially at night.
To get comfortable walking around alone and to get a feel for the place it can be good to join one of the guided walking tours.
In the market streets you can find some very unusual souvenirs.
Possible excursions:
  1. Visit the ruins of an old civilization at Tiwanaku either with a tour group or by minibus.
  2. Ride a bike down the notorious death road.
  3. Many nearby trekking possibilities e.g. Valle de la Luna
Continue: By bus to Sucre

Sucre

A beautiful and calm city with a european flair (german bakeries, french restaurants and many expats living here). Coming down from La Paz, appreciate the cleaner air and the lower altitude which makes walking up the hills much easier.
Possible excursions:
  1. Take the Dino Bus to Parque Cretácico to see thousands of footprints from different types of dinosaurs. It is advisable to go there at noon to be able to see them up close.
Continue: By bus to Potosí

Potosí

Once the worlds most important mining town, which can still be glimpsed by the magnificent old buildings.
The main attraction here is the colorful mountain Cerro Rico.
Over the centuries it has become riddled with tunnels and a major collapse is likely to happen sooner or later but for thrill seekers the guided mining tours are a exhilarating experience.
After spending hours ducking and crawling through the narrow tunnels, dodging mine carts and passing underground shrines dedicated to El Tío (the Lord of this underworld), the first breath of fresh air back in daylight produces an immense sense of gratitude.
Continue: By bus to Uyuni

Uyuni

A small and tranquil railroad town in the middle of nowhere but also the main starting point for tours to the Salar de Uyuni salt flats.
There is a train graveyard (southwest outside the town, also visited at the beginning of most tours) and a railroad museum.
Possible excursions:
  1. Tours into the Salar de Uyuni.
    The tour providers in town offer everything from single to
    4 day (3 nights) excursions into and around the salt flats.
    It is absolutely worth it to go for the maximum duration because of the many unique landscapes traversed.
    It begins with empty almost primordial areas with volcanos in the distance in which one can imagine dinosaurs still walking around.
    Afterwards it goes through the vast salt flat passing cacti covered former islands. Here the sky and the ground seem to merge.
    Tours spend the first night in a hotel entirely made of salt.
    In the following days there are surrealist rock formations, colorful lagoons, geysers, hot springs and many other things to see.
    The clear night sky at this altitude is also a spectacular sight.
Continue: Some of the salt flat tours will end up in Argentina or Chile if you plan to continue your trip into those countries.