Getting in Bolivia

Most flights from the USA, Europe and neighboring countries land in the airport of La Paz and the city of Santa Cruz. La Paz has the highest airport in the world it is located in what is called “El Alto”, it takes half an hour to descend to city by taxi, I mean literaly descend you go down and see a beautiful scenery; La Paz is sorrounded by mountains.

If you arrive in Santa Cruz which is a tropical area compared to La Paz, it is also nice in both cities you find 3 or 4 star hotels, also more affordable. Taxis are very cheap in La Paz , more expensive in Santa Cruz but one dollar you might go any place in the city. It might take USD 9 dollars to get from the airport to the city of La Paz, still cheap compared to other countries. For more information check Getting Theremy webpage.

The airlines that go Bolivia from the USA are American Airlines and LLoyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB). Both are good lines so far I only used American Airlines because I live in Milwaukee, WI.

Now that political turmoil is over because of the coca plantations normality is ok and tourists can visit Bolivia without any problem, I wrote this paragraph on October 15, 2000; have a good time in Bolivia.

June 15, 2004 addition: Note that although there are flights into La Paz and Sucre, these flights are typically much more expensive than other flights to the continent. If your travels take you to neighboring countries, be sure to check out the airfares through Lima, for example.

Round-trip airfare from Newark, NJ into Quito, Ecuador, and out of Lima were more than USD 200 cheaper than the same trip leaving out of Santa Cruz or La Paz. The overland travel is inexpensive (if uncomfortable), and can often be worked into a terrific itinerary that covers all that you might want of Bolivia.

Activities in Bolivia

An increasing number of local and international tour operators offer customized adventure tours to Bolivia, with a strong focus on trekking, mountaineering, ecotourism, and wildlife and jungle tours. For further information, contact the Viceministerio de Turismo (see General Info section).

Trekking
Bolivia’s large range of geographical regions and climates makes for an exceptional variety of ecosystems, flora and fauna. There are currently 10 national parks and eight protected areas, as well as another dozen or so areas that are being re-evaluated for park or protected area status.

La Paz is the most popular starting point for trekking excursions, many of which follow ancient Inca routes through the Cordillera Real and end up in the Yungas - an area of deep valleys that separates the high Andes from the Amazon basin. Well-known trekking routes include the La Cumbre to Coroico trail (three days); the Taquesi route through the Cordillera Real (two days), also known as the Inca Trail; and the El Camino de Oro route (six days), starting at Sorata and ending at the Rio Tipuani gold fields. Good maps of Bolivia can be obtained from the Instituto Geografico Militar in La Paz and other major cities.

Jungle tours
Most treks to the Amazon jungle start from Rurrenabaque (235km/145 miles northeast of La Paz). Typical jungle trips include a motorized canoe trip up the rivers Beni and Tuichi, with rainforest walks and camping en route. Most tours are led by local guides who have an intimate knowledge of the indigenous plants and wildlife (which includes hundreds of species of tropical birds).

Further popular itineraries for treks in the Amazon region include expeditions to the pampas (good for wildlife viewing); the remote Parque Nacional Noel Kempff; and river trips along the Rio Mamore.

Mountaineering
The best opportunities are in the Cordillera Real, which has several peaks above 5000m (14,500ft). Climbing excursions (complete with mules, porters and guides) can also be booked in Sorata, which is set in a beautiful valley with an abundance of trees and flowers. Mountain bike tours are also available

Skiing
At an altitude of 5486m (18,000ft), Mount Chacaltaya (55km/35 miles from La Paz) is reputedly the world’s highest ski resort.

Visitors should note, however, that lift and accommodation facilities are fairly basic and that low oxygen levels and icy snow often make for difficult conditions. The best time to attempt skiing here is from April to June.

Fishing
Bolivia is reputed to offer some of the best lake fishing in the world, especially for trout.

Bolivia Tourist Attractions

La Paz, the seat of national government, is situated 3632m (11,910ft) above sea level and is the world’s highest capital city. Mount Illimani stands in the background. The city contains many museums and is well provided with modern and comfortable hotels.

Nearby attractions include Lake Titicaca, the Yungas Valleys, the Chacaltaya ski resort and the exceptional rock formations in the Moon Valley. Cochabamba, known as the garden city, is 2558m (8390ft) above sea level and boasts a long tradition of local culture and folklore.

The state of Santa Cruz is rich in natural resources; the city itself, despite considerable modernization, still retains much of its colonial past and is characterized by its ethnic diversity (owing to the large number of immigrants it has attracted in recent years).

Santa Cruz, which shares many historical links with neighboring Argentina and Brazil, is Bolivia’s fastest-growing city, as well as the center of the country’s economic growth. This region around the city is rich in tradition and folklore and the nearby rainforest offers abundant opportunities to lovers of outdoor activities (such as fishing or swimming). The area’s rich cuisine is also to be sampled.

Potosi is known as the imperial city and is situated at the foot of Rich Mountain, famed for its mineral wealth. In early colonial times, Potosi was the most important and populous city on the continent, and is now one of its greatest historical memorials.

The House of Coins is just one example of this. Oruro is a traditional mining center, and preserver of many relics of a colonial past. Every year the town hosts one of the most extraordinary and faithful expressions of folklore in South America during the famous carnival (February/ March).

Bolivia Climate

Bolivia has a temperate climate but with wide differences between day and night. The wettest period is November to March, which, in extreme circumstances, may induce landslides in mountainous areas, and cause certain roads to become impassable.

The northeast slopes of the Andes are semi-tropical. Visitors often find La Paz uncomfortable because of the thin air due to high altitude. The mountain areas can become very cold at night.

Required clothing: Lightweight linens with a raincoat. A light overcoat is necessary at night, particularly in the Altiplano and the Puna.

Food and Dining in Bolivia

Bolivian food is distinctive and is generally good. National dishes include empanada saltena (a mixture of diced meat, chicken, chives, raisins, diced potatoes, hot sauce and pepper baked in dough), lomo montado (fried tender loin steak with two fried eggs on top, rice and fried banana), picante de pollo (southern fried chicken, fried potatoes, rice, tossed salad with hot peppers), chuno (naturally freeze-dried potato used in soup called chairo) and lechon al horno (roast suckling pig served with sweet potato and fried plantains).

Dishes are dominated by meat. Ilajhua (a hot sauce consisting of tomatoes and pepper pods) will often be used to add spice and flavor to dishes. International- and local-style restaurants are available in La Paz and other main towns.

Bolivian beer, especially pacena, is one of the best on the continent. Chicha, made from fermented cereals and corn, is very strong. Mineral water and bottled drinks are available. Local bars are increasing in number and are unrestricted with no licensing hours.

Shopping in Bolivia

Special purchases include woodcarvings, jewelry, llama and alpaca blankets, Indian handicrafts and gold and silver costume jewelry.

Shopping hours
Mon-Fri 0930-1230 and 1500-1930; Sat 1000-1500.

Currency Information:

Currency
1 Boliviano (Bs) = 100 centavos. Notes are in denominations of Bs200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of Bs2 and 1, and 50, 20, and 10 centavos.

The Boliviano is tied to the US Dollar.

Currency exchange
Money can be changed in hotels and casas de cambio.

Credit and debit cards
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa have very limited acceptance. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers cheques
US Dollar travelers cheques are probably the best form of currency to take to Bolivia at present. Sterling cheques can sometimes be exchanged, but only with difficulty.

Currency restrictions
There are no restrictions on the import or the export of either local or foreign currency, subject to declaration.

Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Boliviano against Sterling and the US Dollar

Banking hours
Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1430-1800. Some banks open Sat 0830-1200.

La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, as well as the departmental capital of La Paz Department. As of the 2001 census, the city of La Paz had a population of about one million. La Paz is situated in a chasm below a plateau at an altitude of 3600 meters alongside the La Paz river. Atop the plateau is the city of El Alto, where the international airport is located. The city is located at 16°30′ South, 68°8′ West (-16.5, -68.1333).

Founded in 1548 by Alonso de Mendoza at the site of the Native American settlement called Chuquiago, the full name of the city was originally Nuestra Señora de La Paz (meaning Our Lady of Peace). The name commemorated the restoration of peace following the insurrection of Gonzalo Pizarro and fellow conquistadors two years earlier against Blasco Nuñez Vela, the first viceroy of Peru. In 1825, after the decisive victory of the republicans at Ayacucho over the Spanish army in the course of the South American Wars of Independence, the city’s full name was changed to La Paz de Ayacucho (meaning The Peace of Ayacucho).

In 1898, La Paz was made the de facto seat of the national government, with Sucre remaining the nominal capital only. This change reflected the shift of the Bolivian economy away from the largely exhausted silver mines of Potosi to the exploitation of tin near Oruro, and resulting shifts in the distribution of economic and political power among various national elites.

Music of Bolivia

Out of all the Andean countries, Bolivia remains perhaps the most culturally linked to the indigenous peoples. Like most of its neighbors, Bolivia was long-dominated by Spain and its attendant culture. Even after independence, Bolivian music was largely based on European forms. In 1952, a revolution established nationalistic reforms granting increased social, cultural and political awareness for the Aymara and Quechua natives.

Intellectuals in the country began wearing ponchos and otherwise associating themselves with native cultures, and the new government promoted native folklore by, among other methods, establishing a folklore department in the Ministry of Education.

The trend towards increased cultural awareness of native music, spirituality and art continued into the 1960s. In 1965, Edgar ‘Yayo’ Jofre formed a quartet called Los Jairas in La Paz. With Bolivian folk music gained popularity throughout the country, Jofre, along with Alfredo Dominguez, Ernesto Cavour, Julio Godoy and Gilbert Favre used traditional music in modified forms to appeal to urban-dwellers and Europeans.

Later groups like Wara, Khanata, Paja Brava. Savia Andina and, most especially, Los K’jarkas (of Cochabamba), helped further refine this fusion. Following a close but different path, groups and singers like Luzmila Carpio, Ruphay, Grupo Aymara started touring abroad and gained international praise for their compositions, tunes that have brought indigenous Bolivian culture and history to the world’s attention.

Culture of Bolivia

Bolivian culture has many Inca, Aymara and other indigenous influences in religion, music and clothing, depending upon the region of the country, isolation of the cultures and contact with European (Spanish) culture. The best known fiesta is the UNESCO heritage “El carnaval de Oruro”. Entertainment includes football, which is the national sport, played in many street corners.

Also, zoos are a popular attraction with a diverse population of interesting creatures. Also, Bolivia is full of a variety of festivals, including special dance celebrations, such as the Carnaval de Oruro.

Bolivia is a Latin country in South America located at the Andes mountains. It has a significant Native American population which mixed Spanish cultural elements with their ancestors’ traditions. The Spanish-speaking population mainly follows the Western customs.

Demographics of Bolivia

Bolivia is one of only three countries in Latin America whose largest population segment is comprised of unmixed Amerindians - the other two being Guatemala and Peru. Bolivia’s ethnic distribution is estimated to be 33% Quechua and 30% Aymara Amerindians, 25% Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) and 12% European. The largest of the approximately three-dozen indigenous groups are the Quechua-speaking groups (2.5 million), the Aymara (2 million), Chiquitano (180,000), and Guarani (125,000).

There are small German, Italian, American, Basque, Croatian, Asian (particularly Japanese), Middle Eastern, and other minorities, many of whose members descend from families that have lived in Bolivia for several generations. Also noteworthy is the Afro-Bolivian community that numbers roughly 1% of the population, descended from African slaves that were transported to work in the altiplano and the mines of Potosi. They are mostly concentrated in the Yungas region (Nor Yungas and Sud Yungas provinces) in the department of La Paz, some three hours from La Paz city.

Bolivia is one of the least developed countries in South America. Almost two-thirds of its people, many of whom are subsistence farmers, live in poverty. Population density ranges from less than one person per square kilometer in the southeastern plains to about 10 per square kilometer. (25 per sq. mi.) in the central highlands. The annual population growth rate is about 2.74% (2002).

La Paz is the world’s highest capital city at 3,600 meters (11,800 ft.) above sea level. The adjacent city of El Alto, at 4,200 meters above sea level, is one of the fastest growing in the hemisphere. Santa Cruz, the commercial and industrial hub of the eastern lowlands, also is experiencing rapid population and economic growth.

The great majority of Bolivians are Roman Catholic (the official religion), although Protestant denominations are expanding strongly. Islam is practiced by the descendants of Middle Easterners. There is also a small yet influential Jewish community that is almost all Ashkenazi in origin.

Over 3% of Bolivians practice the Baha’i Faith (giving Bolivia one of the largest percentages of Baha’i practitioners in the world). Due to extensive Mormon missionary efforts there is substantial Mormon demographic; there is even a temple in Cochabamba. There is a colony of Mennonites near Santa Cruz. Many indigenous communities interweave pre-Columbian and Christian symbols in their worship.

About half of the people speak Spanish as their first language, although the Aymara and Quechua languages are also common. Approximately 90% of the children attend primary school but often for a year or less. The literacy rate is low in many rural areas. The cultural development of what is present-day Bolivia is divided into three distinct periods: pre-Columbian, colonial, and republican. Important archaeological ruins, gold and silver ornaments, stone monuments, ceramics, and weavings remain from several important pre-Columbian cultures. Major ruins include Tiwanaku, Samaipata, Incallajta, and Iskanwaya. The country abounds in other sites that are difficult to reach and have seen little archaeological exploration.