Las Palomas Lodge, Bolivia Website, 2024

Home to ancient traditions and cultures that are fast disappearing, Bolivia is the continent’s most indigenous country, with 60% of its inhabitants descended from Native Americans - a rich heritage that is evident in the local art, cuisine, music and traditions. Equally as fascinating is the incredibly diverse landscape, stretching from the central Andes to the Amazon Basin and encompassing a terrain that includes snowy peaks, the world’s highest navigable lake, rainforests, dry valleys, and volcanoes both active and extinct. Whether you are in search of colourful festivals, ancient remains or an outdoor adventure, Bolivia is a tourist’s treat waiting to be discovered.

Currency

Notes are in denominations of 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 bolivianos. Coins are in denominations of Bs5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20 and 10 centavos. Bolivianos are sometimes referred to as pesos.

The Boliviano is tied to the US Dollar. Due to the relative weakness of the Bolivian economy, the boliviano remains vulnerable and so many businesses operate in US dollars. Most hotels and tour operators quote in dollars and will accept payment in either currency. Smaller shops, stalls and local businesses will only accept bolivianos.

Change and coins are in very short supply in Bolivia, which is something of a vicious circle as local buses, shops and taxis often won’t accept big denomination notes. Try to break big notes wherever possible – namely hotels, restaurants, large stores and bus companies.

There are no import restrictions on local and foreign currency; export restrictions on both local and foreign currency are up to the amounts imported and must be declared.

Banking

Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1430-1700, and Sat 0900-1300.

MasterCard and Visa credit cards are the most widely accepted in most mid to top range hotels and restaurants, but otherwise have limited acceptance. American Express is rarely accepted. It is best to carry cash with you.

There are ATMs in most of the larger towns and cities. Even the smaller towns have at least one bank with an ATM, and there are ATMs available at the larger airports. Enlace is the nationwide network from which you can withdraw either US dollars or bolivianos. Sometimes in smaller towns, banks will offer international withdrawals for a small fee over the counter.

US Dollar and Euro travellers’ cheques are accepted in the large cities, but outside the cities they are useless. Pound Sterling travellers’ cheques are not widely accepted. It is best to carry cash with you when travelling to smaller towns.

Money can be changed in hotels and casas de cambio. There are also plenty of money street changers if there are no official exchanges available, but be sure to check for forged notes in these cases. The boliviano is the preferred currency with exchange against the euro now preferred to the dollar.

Internal flights are operated by Boliviana de Aviación (www.boa.bo). Flights to the Amazon are largely operated by Amazonas (www.amaszonas.com) from La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. Because of the country's topography and tropical regions, air travel is the fastest, but not the cheapest method of transport (US$50-$100), although delays, cancellations and unreliability are common. La Paz (El Alto), which is the highest airport in the world, and Santa Cruz (Viru Viru) are the principal domestic air hubs. Busier routes should be booked a few days in advance, and it is important to reconfirm the day before departure. The is a mandatory departure tax of around Bs14, payable in bolivianos.

Bolivia’s size, geography and lack of basic infrastructure means that travel by road can often be a tumultuous, long and scary ride, yet it is still the first choice mode of transport for travellers and Bolivians alike. Most major roads are paved but in bad condition. Vehicles often have to take unpaved, dirt tracks. There are main highways entering and exiting major cities like Santa Cruz and La Paz. B roads are unpaved but widely used. Few travellers rent cars. Virtually no international car rental services are available, but there are local companies in all the major cities. The legal hire age is 25. The national speed limit is 90kph (55mph). The use of seat belts is not enforced, nor is the use of mobile phones prohibited. Vehicles drive on the right hand side, though this rule is overlooked on some mountain roads when turning – the vehicle going uphill has priority. Breakdown and petrol services on Bolivia’s roads are scarce. Fill your tank whenever possible. An International Driving Permit is required. This can be issued by Federación Inter-Americana de Touring y Automóvil (www.fitac.org) on production of a national licence, but it is wiser to obtain the International Permit before departure.

Taxis can usually be found anywhere and at anytime in Bolivia, and are the safest mode of transport. Many people work as part-time taxi drivers in cities to supplement their income. Fares tend to be fixed, rarely over Bs15. Tipping is not necessary. In the lowlands moto-taxis are commonly used, while micros (small minibuses) are the main form of urban transport in big cities. In some cities, fixed-route minibuses, otherwise known as colectivos or trufis are commonly used: there’s usually somebody shouting out the route through a window. In rural areas, catching a truck is a cheap but rough form of transport

Biking is rare in Bolivia. For proper touring you will need to bring a bike suitable for mountainous terrain. The country is home to some of the world’s best downhill mountain tracks, notably “Death Road” outside La Paz.

Bolivia has two separate and unconnected networks - Eastern and Western. The Eastern network's hub is Santa Cruz, from where Ferroviaria Oriental (www.ferroviariaoriental.com) runs trains to the Brazilian borders. The Western line, running from Oruro via Uyuni and Tupiza to Villazón (where you can connect to trains to Argentina) is run by Ferroviaria Andina (www.fca.com.bo). Trains have three to four classes and restaurant cars. Buy tickets in advance from the offices in Santa Cruz and La Paz respectively. There’s also a slow but scenic route between Sucre and Potosí.

Double-decker passenger boats operate between the various small islands on Lake Titicaca with regular departures from Copacabana to the Isla del Sol. Motorised canoes traverse the many rivers of the Amazon basin with the most regular departures from Rurrenabaque.

Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should be boiled or otherwise sterilised (iodine tablets or tincture are good options). It is best to avoid drinking tap water entirely while in Bolivia. Bottled water is purified (but check the seal as they are sometimes refilled in stores). All branded milk products are pasteurised; powdered or tinned milk is also available. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, and vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled. Be wary of street stalls or anything that has been reheated.

Bolivian cuisine is as distinctive and varied as its landscape. There’s nothing in the form of haute cuisine here, but you will find a large range of both national and international restaurants available at cheap prices, especially in the large cities. Local speciality food and drink is a must – these differ according to region (highlands, lowlands and the Altiplano). La Paz offers the biggest variation. Go straight for the markets or set lunch menus, or alternatively you can also find pizzerias, fast food, Chinese restaurants (known as chifas), popular spit-roast chicken restaurants as well as high-end eateries. Food in the Altiplano is less varied; Aymaran cuisine is centred on carbohydrates – especially potatoes, rice and quinoa – and meat (mutton and llama). Food in the lowlands tends to be more tropical (yucca and plantain are staples) with beef featuring heavily due to the cattle herding in the region. Although Bolivia is landlocked seafood is still available, mostly around Lake Titicaca.

Generally speaking, tipping is not expected in Bolivia, but it is welcomed. It is customary to add 10% as a tip to the 13% service charge added to hotel and restaurant bills.

Bolivia has a temperate climate but temperatures can differ dramatically between day and night. The wettest period is November to March, which, in extreme circumstances, may induce landslides in mountainous areas, and cause certain roads to become impassable. The northeast slopes of the Andes are semi-tropical. During the wet season the salt flats become flooded – it is a beautiful spectacle, as the flats turn into a mirror of the sky above. Winter is perhaps the best time to visit (May-October), especially in the hot and humid lowlands, as it is cooler and drier. In the highlands, it rains much less, remains sunny through the day but gets noticeably colder at night. Visitors sometimes find the highlands (especially La Paz) uncomfortable because of the thin air due to high altitude. The mountain areas can become very cold at night.

In terms of clothing, lightweight, natural fabrics and waterproofs are best. Layering is a good idea if taking the tour of the salt flats – it’s extremely cold at night and early mornings, but when the sun comes out it warms up quickly. Warmer clothing is necessary at night in the Altiplano, especially in La Paz, Oruro and Potosí. If you need warm clothing, the markets of La Paz and Sucre are a good place to find alpaca wool jumpers and scarves.

Internet cafés are available in most towns and cities. They charge around 3 to 5 bolivianos per hour. Don’t expect the same speed as at home: in many places it is still dial-up. Some internet cafés will also offer net phone or Skype services. Hotels, hostels and cafés may also offer free Wi-Fi access.

In Bolivia the power outlets accept either a flat blade ungrounded plug (Type A) or a two-pronged ungrounded plug (Type C).

Electricity in Bolivia is 230 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you travel to Bolivia with a device that does not accept 230 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter.