Box - Footprint focus guide bolivia

Like its luminescent sky, Bolivia remains largely unpolluted and, in an age of rampant Disneyfication, stands out for its authenticity. There are over 17 million hectares of protected natural areas, but isolation is what best protects the intense and often bizarre beauty of Bolivia's landscapes. For the same reason, the cultural integrity of its peoples remains intact. Even though Evo Morales government is bringing municipalities closer together, paving roads and building communal facilities, it takes time and patience to travel from one place to the next.

We (the authors) have travelled the length and breadth of Bolivia between us, but just when we might think that we have figured it out, it will catch us off guard. Some amazing new experience leaves us humbled and in awe of this remarkable country. Some of our favourites include a guide playing his charango in a cathedral-like cave near Torotoro; listening to the choir practise baroque music in San Jos de Chiquitos; walking all day without ever reaching the mirage-like shore of Lago Poop; bathing in hot springs at Laguna Blanca and not wanting to get out because the air is almost zero; gliding down the River Yacuma being watched by countless caiman and cackled at by family after family of prehistoric hoatzin.

From the shores of Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, to the 'Lost World' table-lands of Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, following the footsteps of dinosaurs, bandits and revolutionaries, there are endless opportunities for off-the-beaten path exploration. Along the way are rest-stop cities and towns where travellers can indulge in creature comforts as well as tall tales of their adventures.

Ben Box, Robert & Daisy Kunstaetter

top things to do and see

La Paz

The capital city is building up its 21st-century credentials, but it still has its market streets where you can shop in the countless stores for multicoloured textiles and musical instruments, or head higher up into the indigenous area for produce and traditional items..

Tiwanaku

Just a short ride from La Paz, Tiwanaku contains the remnants and artefacts of one of the most important pre-Inca civilizations in South America..

Lake Titicaca

The crystal-clear waters of the highest navigable lake in the world and, above, cloudless skies make this an essential place to visit. Dont stick to the shore, sail out to the Isla del Sol, birthplace of the Inca creation myth..

Sorata

Just three hours from La Paz, this town has a beautiful setting and is an ideal centre for trekking in the Cordillera Real and for cycling in the mountains or down to the river ports which will take you to Rurrenabaque..

The 'worlds most dangerous road'

The most famous downhill adrenalin rush on two wheels in the country from the heights near La Paz past waterfalls and dizzying drops to Coroico in the Yungas..

Salar de Uyuni

This is a vast white salt plain interspersed with the occasional cactus-covered island. Tours from either Uyuni or Tupiza visit lakes of unimaginable colours, volcanic horizons and vast stretches of awe-inspiring emptiness..

Potos

Silver from Potos bankrolled the Spanish Empire. What remains in the highest city in the world is a fascinating mix of colonial opulence and the workings of poor miners gleaning what they can from the tunnels in the silver mountain..

Sucre

This attractive whitewashed colonial city is the seat of the republics judiciary and a lively student culture. Take the Sauromvil to see some of the 5000 dinosaur footprints at nearby Cal Orcko, or explore the traditional textiles of the Jalqa communities..

Tarija

In the far south, Tarija is the centre of the Bolivian wine trade, as well as other fruits and vegetables. Away from the main tourist path it may be, but its a charming small city and on a good route to or from neighbouring Argentina..

Torotoro National Park

In Potos department, but most easily reached from Cochabamba by a road whose views change every 30 minutes, Torotoro is a geologists paradise, with magnificent rock formations, fossils from the ocean bed and dinosaur tracks..