Tourism 101: Lonely Planet’s Bolivia: South America’s diverse and intriguing jewel

More than 40-thousand dancers and musicians take part in the annual Festival of the Feast of the Lord of Power through the streets of Bolivia’s capital each May.

Superlative in its natural beauty, rugged, vexing, complex and slightly nerve-racking, Bolivia is one of South America’s most diverse and intriguing nations.

ADVENTURE

Bolivia is not for the faint of heart: rattling down the “World’s Most Dangerous Road” into sultry Yungas; soaring breathless above verdant La Paz valleys in a paraglider; jumping on a horse for a Wild West adventure near Tupiza; pulling a catfish that outweighs you out of an Amazon river (and maybe cooking it for dinner!).

Whether your tools are crampons and an ice axe for scaling 6000m Andean peaks, or a helmet and bravado for jumping into the abyss on a glider, Bolivia’s rocks, rivers and ravines will challenge – nay, provoke – you into pushing your own personal limits.

CULTURE

Isla del Sol plays host to traditional dance performances.

Bolivians love a parade and hardly a month passes without a procession of brightly costumed celebrants honouring an important historical date or deity. You’ll hear them from blocks away before the brass bands and whirligigging dancers approach and envelop you (you may even get to join in).

Learn about the history and culture of the country’s indigenous peoples at excellent museums and through the continued presence of traditions and customs in everyday life. Bolivia has South America’s largest percentage of indigenous people – get to know them better by participating in community-based tourism and hiring local guides.

NATURE

The Scarlet macaw is one of Bolivia’s dozen different macaw species.

Bolivia is so biodiverse that unique species are being discovered to this day.

Tiptoe into caves of tube-lipped nectar bats, their tongues probing the darkness. Tread lightly on the terrain of the poisonous annellated coral snake, deadly in look and effect. Listen for the cackling call and response of a dozen different macaw species (among 1000 bird species), including the world’s rarest, the bluebeard, which can only be found here. Multi-hued butterflies and moths flit at your feet in the jungle; lithe alpacas and vicuñas stand out in the stark altiplano. Deep in the forest live jaguars, pumas and bears.

FOOD & DRINK

Ever had a llama tenderloin? Here’s your chance, maybe with a glass of Tarija wine.

Bolivia’s food is as diverse as its peoples and you’ll find new delicacies to sample in every town. Markets are a good place to start, though the steaming pots of unfamiliar concoctions might test your nerve. Freshly blended fruit juices will no doubt become a daily habit and Yungas coffee can be found in a number of new cafes that are popping up around Bolivia. La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz have thriving restaurant scenes where you can sample contemporary takes on traditional local dishes.

BOLIVIA’S TOP FIVE

The vastness, austerity and crystalline perfection of the Salar de Uyuni salt flat will inspire you.

1. Salar de Uyuni

Who knew feeling this cold could feel so good? While a three- to four-day jeep tour through the world’s largest salt flat will leave your bones chattering, it could quite possibly be the defining experience of your Bolivian adventure.

The vastness, austerity and crystalline perfection of the salt flat will inspire you. An early-morning exploration of rock gardens, geyser fields and piping-hot springs along with the camaraderie of three days on the road with your fellow “Salterians” will create a lasting memory.

2. Parque Nacional Madidi

Perhaps the most biodiverse area on the planet, Parque Nacional Madidi encompasses a spellbinding range of habitats, from Andean mountains to steamy lowland rainforests, home to an astonishing array of wildlife.

Take it all in on guided rainforest walks and boat trips on the river before bedding down for the night at one of several community-run ecolodges. Here the cinematic beauty of the surroundings is enhanced by a soundtrack of birdsong at dawn, the buzzing of insects, the call of the howler monkey and the croaking of frogs.

Treks through the Cordillera Real are no small undertaking, but worth every step.

3. Trekking in the Cordillera Real

Walk in the path of the Incas along the many trekking routes that weave their way from the Andes into the Amazon Basin, through the remarkable skywardbound wilderness of the Cordillera Real.

These four- to 14-day treks are no small undertaking, but it will be worth every step, every drop of sweat and every blister. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to dine with locals, cool off beside cascading waterfalls and connect with Pachamama (Mother Earth) deep within her potent green realm.

4. Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca

Plopped onto sprawling Lake Titicaca like the cherry on an ice-cream sundae, Isla del Sol is considered the birthplace of Andean civilisation. You can easily spend four days here, tracking down forgotten Inca roads to small archaeological sites, remote coves and intact indigenous communities.

At the end of the day, take in the sunset with a cerveza (beer) from your ridgetop lodge. The lake itself has a magnetism, power and energy unique to this world – no wonder many claim the ancient civilisation of Atlantis was found here.

Isla del Sol is considered the birthplace of Andean civilisation.

5. La Paz Markets

The whirling engine that feeds and fuels a nation, the markets of La Paz are so crazy, so disjointed, so colourful and mad and stinky and remarkable that you’ll end up spending at least a few afternoons wandering from stall to stall.

There are sections for food, sections for sorcery, sections where you can buy back your stolen camera, sections for pipes and Styrofoam – in every shape and form imaginable – and sections packed with fruits, flowers and rotting fish that will push you to olfactory overload.

This is an edited extract from the 10th edition of Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook, researched and written by Isabel Albiston, Michael Grosberg & Mark Johanson; © 2019. RRP: NZD $39.99; lonelyplanet.com