Top Things to Do in Bolivia

Bolivia is South America's most geographically and culturally extreme destination -- a landlocked country where the world's largest salt flat stretches to a white horizon at 3,656 meters, the Amazon basin's wildest rivers carve through primary rainforest in the lowland east, and La Paz operates as the world's highest de facto capital from a canyon at 3,640 meters where cable cars serve as public transit above a sea of terracotta rooftops. The country's indigenous majority -- primarily Quechua and Aymara peoples -- maintains traditions, languages, and worldviews that predate the Inca Empire, and this continuity gives Bolivia a cultural gravity that more touristically developed neighbors often lack. First-time visitors should prepare for altitude. Most international arrivals land in La Paz or fly to Uyuni for the salt flats, and both destinations sit above 3,500 meters. Altitude sickness is not a possibility but a probability for unacclimatized travelers, and the first 24-48 hours should be spent resting, hydrating, and chewing coca leaves -- the traditional and effective Andean remedy. Beyond the altitude, Bolivia rewards travelers who embrace its unpredictability: bus schedules are approximate, road conditions outside major cities are adventurous, and the landscapes between destinations are often as extraordinary as the destinations themselves.