Bolivia
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3 days in the Sud Lipez desert (Bolivia)
I usually write my articles “while the iron is hot.” In this case, I’m writing it three months late. Since I didn’t note down the name of each stop and my memory is far less reliable than Anh’s, this article won’t be very precise. Sorry 😀 While we’re in Uyuni, I finally decide to book a 3-day/2-night tour to discover Sud Lipez. I hesitated a bit because Anh, due to her sensitivity to altitude, doesn’t want to do this tour. So I leave her in Uyuni for 3 days. There’s no shortage of tour agencies in Uyuni; they all offer the same tours at a similar price. We chose one…
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Uyuni – Villazon – La Quiaca bus. Crossing the Bolivia/Argentina border
Most buses to Villazon leave at 10 PM or very early in the morning at 6 AM. The trip takes 6 hours, and the 10 PM bus arrives around 5:30 AM in Villazon. Who wants to be woken up at 4 AM to cross the border? Not us! Who wants to get up at 5 AM, walk among stray dogs to catch a 6 AM bus? Definitely not us! We had to go around the bus terminal in Uyuni asking each bus company what time they leave, and we finally find a company called Quechisla. They have buses leaving every day at 8 AM and 10 AM to Villazon. The…
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Back to Uyuni in 2024, One-Day Tour of the Flooded Salt Desert (Bolivia)
Our visit to the Uyuni Salt Flat (Salar de Uyuni) when it was completely flooded remains one of the most extraordinary experiences of our first round-the-world trip. We timed our visit to return exactly mid-January. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal We took the bus between Copacabana and Uyuni (prices and tips here). The travelers we met on Isla del Sol told us they hadn’t seen “a single drop of water” two weeks earlier, which worries me a bit. We arrive at 6 a.m. and indeed, the whole town is completely dry. This time, we arrive at the new bus terminal (https://maps.app.goo.gl/RN8wEtvGYPGvp9rd9), farther from the…
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Copacabana – Uyuni Bus (2024 Fares)
From Copacabana, there are very few comfortable options to get to Uyuni. All buses stop in La Paz. We opted for the company Titicaca. On-site rates are higher than online, so feel free to buy online. We first need to take a bus at 1:45 PM to La Paz. On the way, there’s a unique crossing. The bus crosses on a somewhat worrying boat (which takes forever to cross). Tourists must take a small boat they pay for themselves (2Bs/person). Then you’ll arrive in La Paz around 6 PM, where you have to wait several hours before getting a bus to Uyuni (9:30 PM). We waited several hours in a…
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Yumani, Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca (Bolivia)
In South America, Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Lake Titicaca (and Yumani specifically) are my favorite places. Lake Titicaca is the most extraordinary place on Earth, in my opinion. I thought I’d never go back, but in 2024, we finally made it back! Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Bus from Cusco to Copacabana We chose Transzela (which leaves at 10:30 PM). Online reviews aren’t the most flattering, but we have no complaints. There’s Uber in Cusco, so to get to the bus terminal, we just called an Uber (15 soles). At the bus terminal, you have to pay 1.5 soles per person (terminal fee) and 1…
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Cusco to Copacabana Bus (2024 Prices)
Several buses connect Cusco to Copacabana. I was torn between the different companies. The most luxurious one is Peru Tour, reserved for fragile tourists like me, as they even pump oxygen into the bus (for those suffering from altitude sickness like me). They stop for 3 hours in Puno and offer a tour of the floating islands of Puno during that time. For tourists in a hurry, it can be a good option, but it’s pricey (minimum $50). Since I’ve already visited Puno, I’ll gladly skip that stop. We chose Transzela (departure at 10:30 PM) 90 soles per person. Online reviews aren’t the most flattering, but we have no complaints…
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Prepaid 4G SIM/eSIM in Bolivia: How much does it cost? Where to buy?
Buying an eSIM for Bolivia If you have an eSIM-compatible phone and want to get one for Bolivia, you can go through Holafly (read our article on the topic). See eSIM offers for Bolivia. Don’t hesitate to use the promo code NOMADBENTO Holafly offers unlimited internet plans ranging from €29 to €79 depending on the length of your stay. The rates are more expensive than buying a local SIM card, but that’s the price of convenience. Buying a SIM card at the airport I entered Bolivia overland from Peru, so I didn’t get to see the offers at the airport. If you have any info, feel free to share it in the…
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La Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca: How to get there, where to sleep, guide & tips
Updated September 2019 : Following an economic conflict between the Center and the North of the island, access to the North and Center was blocked / closed for more than a year and a half and tourists could only visit the southern part of Isla del Sol, among the Yumani who remained neutral during the conflict (I see many articles and comments spitting at the southerners, but they did nothing. Many negative comments also come from people who did not do any research before coming, and are offended to pay the entrance fee to the island when it has always been the case) A peace agreement was signed in July…
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5 months in South America & Cuba: Itinerary & Transportation (Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Cuba)
Update May 2017: Here is the latest version of our itinerary in South America, Cuba & the Caribbean. All that lasted 5 months… I found transportation a bit complicated to understand in South America, some border crossings are recently impossible (especially Los Antiguos – Chile Chico), I had to tear out a lot of hair to establish this itinerary. There are many land border crossings, especially between Chile and Argentina, make sure you have enough blank pages in your passport. Click on the button at the top left of the map below to access the list of destinations. CHILE Easter Island(round-the-world ticket) Santiago (round-the-world ticket) Punta Arenas (plane 160€/person) ARGENTINA…
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Bolivia in 20 days: Review, itinerary, guide and advice
That’s it! We have just left Bolivia, a real “coup de coeur ” for us who did not expect much from this country (due to Antoine de Maximy’s report: I’ll sleep at your place). Our itinerary is a little chaotic since we had to go very quickly to visit Machu Picchu to take advantage of the last sunny days before the rainy season. Enough chatting, let’s go to the content. If we had to do it again, we would have visited Peru first and then go back down to Bolivia. Itinerary Uyuni and the salt desert (3 days): 9h bus from Calama in Chile. Visiting the salt desert flooded mid-January…
