10-Day Itinerary
Are you planning on visiting the often overlooked South American country, Bolivia? We've created this
perfect 10-day travel itinerary which should give you an idea of what to see and do in this beautiful
country. This ten days itinerary includes the sacred Lake Titicaca, La Paz, capital city Sucre, Tupiza and
the ultimate jeep adventure in Salar de Uyuni. Get inspired.
Bolivia is a captivating country full of contrasts. It was the fourth country we visited in South
America, and although we thought there is nothing that can take us by surprise in Bolivia, the
opposite was true.
Jungles, bustling cities, indigenous communities, volcanoes, lakes, flamingos, snow-capped
mountains, rushing rivers, salt flats, colonial architecture, rural villages, that and more you can see in
Bolivia in a span of a couple of weeks. To understand the ethnically-diverse culture, you would have
needed months or years though.
Bolivia is a perfect destination for holiday-makers, long-term travelers, adventure seekers or history
and culture lovers.
It is also one of the poorest countries we've ever visited, so we think there is nothing better than to
travel in Bolivia - it is enriching for your mind and body, and you will help the local economy as well.
A win-win situation.
We've created this itinerary to help you out with the planning of your Bolivia adventure.
You can follow it step by step (we actually traveled exactly the same route), or use it as an inspiration
and a base for your own, shorter or longer, perfect itinerary.
We crossed borders to Bolivia from Peru and then traveled onwards to Chile across Salar de Uyuni,
but you can use this itinerary even when your first destination will be La Paz. La Paz is the
transportation hub of Bolivia, and it is easy to get from here to Lake Titicaca, spend here a couple of
days and then travel via La Paz to Sucre.
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DAY 1 - 2 LAKE TITICACA
Lake Titicaca is the mysterious lake located on the borders between Peru and Bolivia high on the
South American Altiplano.
If you are traveling to Bolivia from Peru, either from Arequipa or Cusco, or you already spent a
couple of days in La Paz, you should be well-acclimatized, but if Copacabana (the base for visiting
Lake Titicaca) is your first destination, you should take it slowly, because the lake lies 3841 meters
above sea level!
Lake Titicaca is an important water source for Bolivia as it is South America's largest lake and also the
world's highest navigable lake. From the 19th century, Lake Titicaca substitutes sea which Bolivia lost
in the war with Peru, and since then it is one of two unlucky countries on the continent without sea
access.
In the whole Bolivia, you probably won't find a more important natural site than Lake Titicaca. In
Andean belief, Lake Titicaca is the birthplace of the Sun and one of many theories about the famous
Inca Empire says, that Inca's came from Bolivia and Lake Titicaca to be precise.
When staying in Copacabana, a town on Lake Titicaca's shore, you have several options on how to
spend two days here.
The first day we arrived in Copacabana we hiked from the village to Yampupata - it was a picturesque
trail with splendid views of the lake, and later in the afternoon, we climbed to Cerro Calvario for one
of the best sunsets we'd seen in South America. The second day we took a boat to Isla del Sol alias
Island of the Sun where we found several hiking trails leading to splendid viewpoints, Inca ruins, and
local communities.
Where to Stay | Copacabana | Budget: Hostal Puerto Alegre | Mid-range: Hotel La
Cupula | Luxury: Hotel Rosario Lago Titicaca
It is also possible to stay overnight right on the Isla del Sol, where you can find several guesthouses.
Where to Stay | Isla del Sol | Budget: Hostal Palacio del Inca | Mid-range: Hostal Wara
Uta | Luxury: Hostal Phaxsi
DAY 3 - 4 LA PAZ
La Paz is often considered the world's highest capital, but the right term for perfectionists would
probably be the world's highest government seat. Either way, La Paz is another must-visit stop on
your itinerary.
Travelers often say that La Paz is that kind of city you can either love or hate, but honestly, we did not
develop any overly hearty relationship with La Paz, on the other hand, we for sure did not hate it. La
Paz is an intense city, to say the least, and the atmosphere, traffic, and smells altogether with the
altitude will attack all your senses, but you will get used to it after some time, and we believe you will
start enjoying the chaos.
Although La Paz lacks the must-see attractions, there are still many places you can discover during
one day in the city - ride the cable car to get bird's eye views over the city, visit famous Cholita
wrestling show, go to the cemetery and wander around the city and its markets.
On the second day, you can either continue to explore less known parts of La Paz, or you can take a
one day trip to either Tiwanaku Ruins, Valle de la Luna, or you can bike down the world's most
dangerous road alias Death Road.
Where to Stay | La Paz | Budget: The Adventure Brew Downtown Hostel | Mid-range: Qantu
Hotel | Luxury: Atix Hotel
DAY 5 - 6 SUCRE
Sucre is the capital of Bolivia and thanks to whitewashed colonial buildings is nicknamed the White
City.
Traveling in Bolivia can be quite challenging because of the altitude and long overnight buses, so you
can take the first day in Sucre slowly, and simply enjoy the UNESCO-listed city's peaceful atmosphere
where it is so easy to lose track of time.
Despite the fact, Sucre is one of Bolivia's largest cities the historic city center has a small town’s vibe,
so it is a perfect place, to take a break. The main reason why to travel to Sucre is to admire white
colonial buildings, white churches, high bell towers, romantic courtyards inviting to relax, red-tiled
rooftop terraces, and picturesque hills surrounding the city.
If you feel more adventurous, you can hire a local guide who can take you outside the city to show
you the countryside and hills surrounding Sucre, or you can take a short trip out of the city to visit Cal
Orcko Parque Cretacico where it is possible to spot hundreds of dinosaur footprints.
Where to Stay | Sucre | Budget: Family Hostel | Mid-range: Mi Pueblo Samary Hotel
Boutique | Luxury: Roles Hotel
DAY 7 - TUPIZA
Tupiza is a small quiet town in the south of Bolivia, but in the past few years, it's been slowly gaining
traveler's attention.
The scenery around Tupiza is incredible, and we had all the time feeling we were not in Bolivia but in
a western movie.
The main reason we wanted to visit Tupiza was to hike among the unique red rock formations and
cactus plants. The town is 3000 meters above sea level, so you won't have a chance to take a break
from suffocating hights and heat.
You can either do a self-guided hike as we did from Tupiza via Canon del Duende, Valle de Los
Machos, Puerta del Diablo and Canon del Inca - it is a loop which will take you several hours, and in
the evening you can climb a small hill above the town to watch the sunset, or you can try another
popular activity, horseback riding tour instead.
Tupiza is also a place from where you can visit Salar de Uyuni, but the classic tour is one day longer,
and cost a bit more, so we decided to take the tour from Uyuni.
Where to Stay | Tupiza | Budget: Anexo Mitru | Mid-range | Hotal La Torre | Luxury | El Grano de
Oro Hotel
DAY 8 - 10 SALAR DE UYUNI
The insurmountable highlight of our time spent in Bolivia was unquestionably the three days jeep
tour across the world's largest salt plain, around high volcanoes and colorful lakes with thousands of
flamingos.
No matter for how long are you traveling to Bolivia, Salar de Uyuni must be on your travel itinerary,
end of story.
The most popular three days tour will take you through one of the most unique landscapes we've
ever seen, but if you cannot spend that much time here, there is also one-day or two-day option, or
even sunset and sunrise tour.
Except for large Salt Flats where you can take those funny photos when playing with the perspective,
you will during the next three days see Train Cemetery, salt harvesting village, Dakar Monument,
Incahuasi Island, many photogenic lagoons and volcanoes or Geyser Sol de Manana.
We stayed the first night in a hotel made of salt, which was also an exceptional experience.
There is a large number of travel agencies in Uyuni town, so you can shop around and choose the
one you like the best.
It is possible the last day of the tour return to Uyuni and from here travel overnight to La Paz, or the
agency can arrange your transport to San Pedro de Atacama, in case you want to cross borders to
Chile.
