Tips and Tricks for Bolivia (As Of 2012)

Uyuni:

Getting There – From Potosi, you can get a bus for 62B including the terminal fee…a cab to the terminal will be around 8B

If coming from La Paz or leaving to La Paz, you can take a bus with Panasur for 90Bs or if your timing is right you can catch the train.

Staying – We paid 116B for a private room with cable TV and a decent breakfast at Hotel Marith but wouldn’t recommend staying here. After the shit we had to deal with on the tour and being lied to about the bus company we were booking with, please do yourselves a favor and DO NOT stay here.

Eating – It can be challenging to find a local place to eat at here, but pizza restaurants are a dime a dozen.

Getting Around – You can easily walk from the bus “terminal” to anywhere in town, you don’t need a tuk tuk. Working up a little sweat is like a blessing.

Salt Flat Tour – For a 3 day, 2 night tour, we paid 700B each plus another 180B in park fees per person. Keep in mind you also will need to pay for little things such as using the toilet during the day, taking a shower that first night if you want one, snacks, water, etc. Although the food we had was decent, for the most part, and the accommodation was what we were expecting, you’re better off paying the extra few hundred B’s and going with Cordillera Traveler from what we’ve heard and NOT Olivo’s Tours.

Sucre:

Getting There – From La Paz we took an overnight bus for 90B each, standard rate. All semi-cama buses are heat and toilet free! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise….we stopped once in 12 hours.

Staying – We highly recommend Forestero Guest House, got a room with cable TV, kitchen use and breakfast included for 100B per night. The guest house is moving to another location, it will be more like a B&B. The price will be going up and you are essentially staying in a big house. There are quite a few other cheap options if you don’t want to pay the inflated price.

Eating – If you’re looking to cook, Sucre has an awesome supermarket! We needed a break from Bolivian food at this point, so we really didn’t eat out much. Also, you can get some really good ice cream for about 10-15B near the main plaza at a place called Frozz.

Getting Around – You’ll end up paying about 10-15B for a taxi into town depending on how many people you have. Once you’re there, Sucre is a very walk-able city with lots of charm.

Potosi:

Getting There – From Sucre a regular bus to Potosi is only about 17B each and run pretty regularly, the ride was painless.

Staying – We stayed at Koala Den in the dorms for 40B each, but this also included a really good breakfast and they have heaters in the rooms, score!

Eating – We found ourselves eating pizza here, with a Coke it cost us 66B total for a large pizza split with another couple. Pizza places are a pretty easy to find right next to the main plaza a couple blocks from Koala. The fried chicken was a cheaper option but the smell alone turned us away.

Getting Around – You can get a taxi from the bus terminal into the center of town for 10B. Most of what you are looking for is within about a 10 minute walk from the plaza.

La Paz:

Getting There – From Copacabana we took another tourist bus for B25 each. We had to pay B1.50 each for the boat across the river. Again, same options as above for the bus. We were dropped off away from the terminal and shared a taxi with our friends to the hostel for B15.

Staying – We stayed at Pirwa Hostel on the recommendation of some other travelers, we enjoyed having the entire place to ourselves for a few nights although it was kind of strange to the be only guests at a big hostel. Our beds were B44 each including breakfast. Again, there are much cheaper places but we needed wifi again with all the debit card issues. We would recommend Adventure Brew if you’re looking for a social place but not party. The all you can eat pancake breakfast and free beer every night are a HUGE selling point. Beds there are B49.

Eating – If you like Indian and want to splash out a little, Star of India has decent food. We ate there a few times. Tia’s which is our chicken joint, near the Lanza market is good and cheap. We highly recommend it for a change of pace from the normal set meals. Lanza market has good fruit shakes, salads and lots of food to choose from. The pizza place we ate at is the Italian place on the map, but the one near the shopping street and witches market on Llampu St.

Getting Around – We only took cabs to get home from going out or if it was pouring rain. You can walk most places, the ‘Radio’ cabs are said to be the safest.

Copacabana:

Getting There – We booked our ticket for the gringo bus that crosses the border from our hostel in Puno. We were feeling slightly shattered and didn’t have a Visa in hand so we decided to take the easy way out. We paid S/. 25 each plus S/. 4 for a taxi to the terminal. There are a few companies to choose from, Tour Peru, Titicaca and Huayruro tours they all charge about the same. The border crossing was easy, just make sure to have a copy of your passport and the $135 in hand if you are American.

Staying – We stayed at Hostal 6 de Agusto for B80 which is WAY more than most other places but we needed to have wifi in the room so we dished out the extra. You can find a bed in a dorm for under B20.

Eating – None this time, sorry.

Getting Around – Easy to walk everywhere here.

Isla Del Sol:

Getting There – The boat to the southern part of Isla (return is the same) costs B20 each plus a B5 park entrance fee. If you do walk the island, there are check points along the way where you have to pay a fee.

Staying – We stayed at the first place on the left, to the far left of the pier. Our room with shared bath was B50.

Eating – On Isla, we ate at one of the pizza places near the lookout point. The food is all pretty much the same, pizza, pasta or local fare.

Getting Around – Your feet are all you need.