14 Days in Bolivia
Trip Overview
Fourteen days thread Bolivia's three geographic worlds together: the thin-air drama of La Paz and Lake Titicaca, the silver-lined colonial grid of Potosí, the blinding white void of Salar de Uyuni, and the sweat-dripping green arteries of the Amazon basin outside Rurrenabaque. Days trade city wanderings, high-altitude drives, and slow river drifts, leaving space to acclimatize and drink in every landscape. Expect adobe villages bleached by sun, pink river dolphins surfacing beside your canoe, and salt-crusted horizons that feel lunar.
Pace
Active
Daily Budget
$90-130 per day
Best Seasons
May to October (dry season)
Ideal For
First-time visitors, Photographers, Wildlife enthusiasts, Slow travelers, Altitude-acclimatized adventurers
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Arrival & Witches Market Whirl
Land in the world's highest capital and plunge straight into the sensory riot of its indigenous markets.
Morning
Witches Market browse
Thread through alleys piled with dried llama fetuses, coca leaves in fragrant pyramids, and matchbox stalls where apothecaries pulverize neon herbs. Eucalyptus incense wrestles with diesel in the air.
Lunch
Café del Mundo
Afternoon
Mi Teleférico cable car circuit
Ride the red and yellow lines for sweeping views over brick-red rooftops and the snow-capped Illimani massif. The metallic clack of cables rings above the canyon.
Buy a rechargeable card at the station
Evening
Dinner and peña music
At Peña Huari, share anticuchos while panpipe sets bounce off stone walls.
Where to Stay Tonight
Sopocachi (Casa Grande Hotel)
Central to cable car stations and uphill walking streets
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Chew coca candy on arrival to offset the 3,640 m altitude.
Day 1 Budget: $35
2
Moon Valleys & Sky Bikes
Escape the city for lunar landscapes and ride a bicycle across thin air.
Morning
Valle de la Luna hike
Trails snake between eroded clay spires glowing ochre under the fierce sun. Salt crystals crunch underfoot, a sharp counterpoint to distant city traffic.
Lunch
Vienna Café
Afternoon
Chacaltaya sky bike
Transfer to 5,300 m Chacaltaya for a gravity-defying zip on cables stretched across glacial valleys. The wind slices and the view runs all the way to Chile.
Pre-book with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking
Evening
Calle Jaén cocktail crawl
Start at Diesel Nacional for singani sours amid vintage motorbike parts.
Where to Stay Tonight
Sopocachi (Casa Grande Hotel)
Same base to keep unpacking minimal
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Layer up; Chacaltaya often has snow even when La Paz is sunny.
Day 2 Budget: $70
3
Tiwanaku Stones & Copacabana Shores
Drive to Lake Titicaca via pre-Inca ruins, then unwind beside the blue expanse.
Morning
Tiwanaku archaeological site
Walk among megalithic sandstone blocks carved with snarling faces. Guides break down the Akapana pyramid's engineering and invite you to lay hands on the magnetic Sun Gate.
Hire the official on-site guides. Private tours inflate costs
Lunch
Restaurant Kantutas
Afternoon
Scenic bus to Copacabana
Three hours skirting the lake while reeds shift to gold and Aymara women herd sheep across the altiplano.
Book Trans Copacabana front seats for views
Evening
Sunset over the lake
Sip api morado while boats painted cobalt and scarlet bob at the pier.
Where to Stay Tonight
Lakefront (Hotel Rosario del Lago)
Stone-heated rooms and private balconies over the water
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Buy coca leaves from the market before boarding. Chewing helps the 3-hour ride.
Day 3 Budget: $55
4
Isla del Sol Pilgrimage
Cruise to the birthplace of the Inca sun god and hike ridge trails.
Morning
Boat to Isla del Sol
A motorboat slips through reeds. Wet totora mingles with diesel on the breeze. The snow-capped Cordillera Real towers ahead.
Buy tickets the evening before to secure seats
Lunch
Las Velas
Afternoon
North-to-South hike
Follow Inca staircases between villages, past stone corrals where pigs grunt. The trail clings to cliffs with 400 m drops to turquoise water.
Evening
Stargazing in Yumani
No electricity means Milky Way brilliance over adobe roofs.
Where to Stay Tonight
Yumani village (Hostal Puerta del Sol)
Terrace hammocks face due west for sunset
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Bring cash. No ATMs on the island.
Day 4 Budget: $30
5
Bus to the Silver City
Potosí
Descend from Titicaca into the mining mountains of colonial Potosí.
Morning
Return boat and bus south
Six-hour ride across ochre plains, llama herds, and roadside stalls selling salty quesillo cheese.
Popeye Tours has semi-cama seats and blankets
Lunch
Roadside empanada stand
Afternoon
Casa de la Moneda tour
Walk beneath vaulted ceilings where silver coins were hammered by enslaved Africans. Wooden presses still reek of grease.
English tours at 09:30 and 15:00
Evening
Café Mirador sundowner
Pisco sours while the city's red-tile roofs glow under Cerro Rico.
Where to Stay Tonight
Historic center (Hotel Colonial)
Original 18th-century courtyards inside
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Potosí sits at 4,090 m; drink coca tea before bed.
Day 5 Budget: $45
6
Cerro Rico Mine Descent
Potosí
Enter the mountain that bankrolled the Spanish Empire.
Morning
Mine tour with ex-miners
Suit up, crawl through narrow tunnels, feel the 40 °C heat. Offer coca leaves and pure alcohol to Tío, the horned mine devil.
Choose Koala Tours. Proceeds fund miners' families
Lunch
Miners' cooperative café at the portal
Afternoon
Convento de San Lorenzo
Gilded baroque altar and catacombs smelling of cedar. Climb the tower for panoramas over the mountain.
Evening
Pulpería La Casona
Order api and buñuelos while musicians strung with charangos play huayno.
Where to Stay Tonight
Historic center (Hotel Colonial)
Same base; luggage stays
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Bring old clothes to donate at the mine entrance.
Day 6 Budget: $60
7
Uyuni Salt Express
Uyuni
Board the overnight train to the edge of the world's largest salt flat.
Morning
Bus to Uyuni
Four hours south through quinoa fields and vicuña sightings. The air thins further.
Trans 11 de Julio has the fewest breakdowns
Lunch
Minuteman Pizza
Afternoon
Train Cemetery exploration
Scramble over rusted steam engines abandoned by British engineers in the 1940s. Metal moans in the wind.
Mototaxi drivers wait at the plaza
Evening
Tour briefing & llama steak dinner
Red Planet Expeditions office followed by dinner at Tika.
Where to Stay Tonight
Uyuni town (Hotel Jardines de Uyuni)
Hot showers and oxygen-enriched rooms
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Withdraw cash now; ATMs in the desert are unreliable.
Day 7 Budget: $40
8
Salar de Uyuni Sunrise
Enter the blinding white mirror of the world.
Morning
4×4 onto the salt flat
Drive past pyramids of harvested salt into a horizon that bends like glass. Kick off shoes. Crust crunches like brittle meringue.
Lunch
Picnic on Isla Incahuasi
Afternoon
Perspective photos and sunset
Pose for optical-illusion shots, then watch the sky turn flamingo-pink reflected a thousand times.
Bring toy dinosaurs for fun shots
Evening
Stargazing salt hostel
Salt-block Hotel de Sal Luna Salada with ceiling skylights.
Where to Stay Tonight
Salt hostel at edge of salar (Hotel de Sal Luna Salada)
Walls, beds, and tables are carved from salt blocks
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Sunglasses are mandatory. The glare is brutal even on cloudy days.
Day 8 Budget: $80 (tour day)
9
Eduardo Avaroa Desert Loop
Southwest Circuit
From salt to colored lagoons and erupting geysers.
Morning
Laguna Colorada flamingos
Thousands of pink birds sift algae from blood-red water. The wind carries sulfur and salt.
Lunch
Pack-lunch at Polques hot springs
Afternoon
Sol de Mañana geysers
Walk wooden planks between steaming vents that hiss and roar at 4,900 m. Earth smells like hard-boiled eggs.
Evening
Laguna Verde reflections
Watch the green water turn turquoise under Licancabur volcano.
Where to Stay Tonight
Refugio near Laguna Colorada (Basic refuge dorm)
Only shelter for 200 km
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Charge all devices overnight. No electricity ahead.
Day 9 Budget: $85
10
Return to Civilization
Uyuni
Bump back across the desert and catch a flight to the lowlands.
Morning
Desert drive back to Uyuni
Rock formations called the Dalí Desert shimmer like melted clocks. Cold wind lashes across 4,500 m passes.
Lunch
Roadside quinoa soup stand
Afternoon
Evening flight to La Paz
90-minute hop drops 3 km in altitude. Ears pop as clouds pile over the canyon.
Book with Boliviana de Aviación online
Where to Stay Tonight
Sopocachi (Casa Grande Hotel)
Same hotel to collect stored luggage
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Check in online to skip the chaotic airport queues.
Day 10 Budget: $135
11
Flight to the Amazon Gateway
Descend from the Andes into humid jungle air.
Morning
La Paz to Rurrenabaque flight
Tiny 19-seat plane threads between cloud forest ridges. Below, the Beni River snakes like molten bronze.
TAM Military flights are cheaper but time-flexible
Lunch
Swiss Bakery
Afternoon
Town orientation and mosquito net shopping
Stroll the muddy main street smelling of diesel and ripe mango. Buy repellent and rubber boots.
Evening
Sunset over the Beni
Beers at La Perla del Beni overlooking dugout canoes.
Where to Stay Tonight
Rurrenabaque center (Hotel Takana)
Pool and ceiling fans combat humidity
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Pack a dry bag. River transfers get wet.
Day 11 Budget: $125
12
Pampas Wildlife Safari
Head into the seasonally flooded grasslands for capybaras and caimans.
Morning
Boat up the Yacuma River
Three-hour ride past giant lily pads and snail kites. Pink river dolphins surface beside the canoe, exhaling wet plumes.
Lunch
Carrot and rice at eco-lodge
Afternoon
Piranha fishing and anaconda search
Cast lines into brown water. Piranhas tug fiercely. Wade through thigh-deep mud to spot yellow anacondas coiled under brush.
Evening
Caiman spotting by torchlight
Red eyes glow in the dark water from the lodge dock.
Where to Stay Tonight
Pampas eco-lodge (Dormitory with mosquito nets)
Only option inside the reserve
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Sleep in long sleeves; no-see-ums bite through nets.
Day 12 Budget: $90
13
Jungle River Return
Swap grasslands for dense rainforest canopy.
Morning
Transfer to Madidi by boat
Navigate narrow channels where howler monkeys roar overhead. Orchid perfume thickens the air.
Lunch
Palm heart salad at jungle lodge
Afternoon
Guided jungle trek
Spot capuchins swinging through strangler figs. Taste tangy wild cacao. Guides demonstrate termite antiseptic.
Evening
Night canoe for caimans
Silent paddling under fireflies and Southern Cross.
Where to Stay Tonight
Madidi ecolodge (Thatch-roof bungalow)
Raised on stilts above floodwaters
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Charge power banks during generator hours (18:00-22:00).
Day 13 Budget: $95
14
Farewell Flight
Return to altitude and prepare for departure.
Morning
Boat back to Rurrenabaque
Last chance to photograph giant otters fishing in golden light. Sticky humidity still clings to skin.
Lunch
Mango smoothie at airport kiosk
Afternoon
Fly to La Paz and souvenir sprint
Land at 4 p.m.; head straight to Sagarnaga street for alpaca scarves and ceramic toads.
Book evening international connections after 21:00
Evening
Airport departure
Last empanadas at El Alto departures lounge.
Where to Stay Tonight
Airport vicinity (Day-use room at Hotel El Alto)
Shower before red-eye flights
See all Bolivia accommodation options →Keep boarding passes. Domestic tax refund at immigration.
Day 14 Budget: $145
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Domestic flights link La Paz, Uyuni, and Rurrenabaque. Long-distance buses like Trans Copacabana and Todo Turismo semi-camas cover the altiplano routes. In towns, trufis (shared minivans) and cable cars are cheap and efficient.
Book Ahead
Uyuni 3-day jeep tours, Madidi/Pampas lodges, and all domestic flights should be booked 2-3 weeks ahead, during July-August high season.
Packing Essentials
Sunblock, wide-brim hat, refillable water bottle, layers for 0 °C to 30 °C swings, rain jacket for Amazon, headlamp for power-cut nights, and strong insect repellent.
Total Budget
$1,580, $2,100 for 14 days excluding international flights
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Use overnight buses instead of flights, eat market lunches, stay in hostels, and join 3-day salt-flat tours that depart from Uyuni directly. Total drops to roughly $1,100.
Luxury Upgrade
Upgrade to Hotel Rosario on Titicaca, Luna Salada salt palace, and boutique jungle lodges like Chalalán. Private drivers and chartered flights cut travel time. Budget climbs to around $3,000.
Family-Friendly
Shorten the mine tour to a surface visit, book private jeep for salt flats with car seats, choose Madidi lodge with family cabins, and add a rest day in Copacabana. Budget remains similar but days feel less rushed.
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