3 weeks travel itinerary for Bolivia
In the following you find a 3 weeks travel itinerary that covers the majority of the country’s hotspots. However, you can easily spend even more time in this extremely diverse and interesting country.
Bolivia has more or less everything the backpacker’s heart desires. High mountains, covered with dinosaur footsteps, modern cities, the world largest salt flat in Uyuni, hidden spots for hiking and exploring, the world’s most dangerous road “the Death road”, deserts, geysers and the planet’s highest lake, Titicaca.
Day 1-4: Salar de Uyuni
We started our Bolivia adventure in Uyuni with a 3-day tour through the largest salt flat on earth. You can either start the tour directly in Uyuni or get a pick-up in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. There are lots of different operators offering the tour at different price levels. Best check the pick-up options with your agency of choice. We recommend spending a little more money and go with Quechua Connection 4wd. The tour was better than ever imagined and included many more highlights besides the salt desert. We got to see geysers at 5.000 metres of altitude, deserts, colorful lagoons with flamingos, crazy canyons, a beautiful star filled night sky, hot springs and endless, untouched nature. You can read all the details of the tour here.
The tour either drops you off in Chile or brings you all the way back to Uyuni. Return to Uyuni is in the early evening, so you should be able to cath a connecting bus to eg. Potosi the same day. However, we decided for the more relaxed option (as always) and stayed another night in Uyuni in the “La Roca” hotel. It is a pretty basic but OK accommodations with double rooms at 5 EUR per person and night. Location is good too with the town’s “main square” in 5 min walking distance. In Uyuni itself you can do cheap market shopping and simply stroll around. The town is very small though and you get to see everything in one or two days.
Dinner reco: best pizza in Uyuni is served at “Minuteman Pizza”. The restaurant is in the basement of the same-named hotel. You can hardly see it from the outside and have to ring the hotel’s doorbell in order to get in.
Day 5-12: Beautiful colonial town of Sucre
Sucre is the capital of Bolivia. In case you did not know or thought (like I did) that La Paz is the capital, don’t worry about it. Literally every local in Sucre will tell you. The inhabitants are very proud of their highly livable and modern city. Fair enough!
Sucre is a good place to hang around a little longer. Activity options include a Spanish course, market shopping, going out for affordable food and drinks as well as gazing at real dinosaur footsteps. Even though the latter we’d rather recommend to do in Torotoro. Read all you need to know about Sucre in this post.
Day 13 – 17: amazing nature in Torotoro
Torotoro is (so far) a well-kept backpackers secret. Even, or because, the Lonely Planet does not send you there. However, I am convinced this will change in the next few years, as the place has so much interesting things to offer. Most of all it is the fascinating nature of the area, that we fell in love with.
You get to see real dinosaur footsteps in the middle of nowhere, steep canyons with wonderful waterfalls, crazy rock formations and an overall mystic surrounding with endless mountain panoramas. If you can, take the extra time to go to Torotoro. You ask yourself how and what to expect in detail? Find the answers here.
Day 18 – 20: La Paz, one different kind of city
La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world when it comes to altitude. It is located at more than 3.500 metres above sea level. Once there you get a surprising high amount of activity possibilities. These include to join a free walker tour, to bike the Death Road, shop at the numerous markets, go on the cable car, check out the view points and the many delicious restaurants. You can read the full activity guide for La Paz here.
Day 21 – 24: Beautiful Titicaca lake & Isla de Sol
A perfect ending to recap your tour through Bolivia is a stop at the beautiful Titicaca lake. It is situated between Peru and Bolivia and is the largest freshwater lake of South America. Its size is almost 16 time the size of the Bodensee! Besides it is the world’s highest lake, located at an altitude of more than 3.800 metres above sea level.
The most common destination at the lake is Copacabana, where you will also meet a lot of Bolivian tourists. It is nice to spend a night or two, but even nicer to escape the crowds and catch a boat to the Isla de Sol. The boat ride takes only an hour and brings you yet to a completely different kind of place with a special vibe and stunning views across the lake. Prices are still on Bolivian level, hence allowing you a spoiled stay, for which you’d pay a fortune elsewhere. Read more here.
From Copacabana you can hop on a bus for your onward journey to Peru. Other option, which we chose, is taking the bus back to La Paz, from where you can catch numerous international buses or flights.
If you plan to go to Bolivia, also check out some useful travel tips and information about traveling the country in general here.
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