Bolivia - the struggles of a flat-lander in the Andes

While I was keen to enter and explore Bolivia, a 3-day-tour ending in Uyuni long booked, my body and mind weren‘t just ready for it. Some symptoms of altitude sickness accompanied by a cold had me postpone the tour three times to take rest and acclimatize in Chile’s San Pedro de Atacama (on 2,500m, but day trips can take you up to 4,700m or higher), the anticipation of three days in a jeep through areas on 3,500-5,000m created a number of worries and fears. Not feeling well physically, worrying and being by myself I had some symptoms of home sickness come up, too. As I didn’t want to succumb to the fear and at least try, eventually I made it; and I can say some of the worries have been quite justified.

The altitude and speed we climbed up is no joke: from San Pedro we went to cross the border, then drive through sandy desert for 12h up to 4,000-5,000m to check out lagoons with flamingos, geysers and hot springs surrounded by snow capped volcanoes. We were with five people in our jeep and everyone had mild or more severe signs of altitude sickness, for me a strong headache wouldn‘t let me enjoy this experience too much; thin air makes it hard to breath and little oxygen felt like my brain wasn‘t allowed to function at full capacity, so not very comforting at all.. Chewing on coca leaves, like literally everyone including the Bolivians, wasn‘t of much consolation but luckily once in Bolivia you can buy some wonder pills OTC - these and the night spend in a „valley“ on 3,500m were a good cure and made for a better second day: lower plains, where we found interesting rock formations, more flamingos and finally plenty of llamas.

The final destination and unrivaled highlight of the tour is the Salar de Uyuni, the salt flats that stretch across 10,000 sqkm of Southern Bolivia. Usually dry to the extreme and all crusty white, the rainy season sets some of the flats under (shallow) water thus creating opportunity for gorgeous mirror images. Prepared with rubber boots we left for sunrise, and after we reached I could no longer be fed up with getting up at 5am and tour guides only showing up almost an hour later - the scenery and atmosphere is so amazing and unique, worth every sleepless night or headache for a day. Some of the classic salt flat photos here: 

While overall the tour still felt like half torture half wonder, I really enjoyed the company of this small group, we truly grew together like a small family looking after each other. No surprise I was trying to stick with this group for a bunch of days and make it to the carnival in Oruro, one of the most famous ones in South America. Listening to my body and energy I decided against it and rather headed straight to La Paz, a good choice for me. 

After a long day on the bus including a flat tire that needed fixing, I arrived on a rainy Friday night in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia and located on a whooping 3,500m above sea level and beautifully molded into the mountains. The next day exploring the city, first on a guided walking tour then by myself, left me impressed, awestruck and (not only due to the high altitude) breathless; especially riding the cable cars that connect the entire city left some memorable vistas. La Paz is an extremely vibrant, colorful and characteristic city, every corner (or stair) paints another picture. 

Whether it‘s the affordable rich (and heavy) cuisine with even available hipster options, the colors of all Bolivia‘s 36 ethnic groups that kind of became nations for itself (2/3 of Bolivia is indigenous), the proud cholitas (see also the wrestling photo), the carnival that went on in the streets, the diverse neighbourhoods, the myths and rumors of the city told by the tour guide.. this city has character for me and represents a lot of Bolivia. You will never go hungry in La Paz, Bolivians love to eat and probably due to the high altitude demanding more carbs from the body stay somewhat slim ;) I learned a lot about Bolivian politics, the superstitions and sacrifices (baby llamas or even humans for larger objects like new builds, although forbidden by now), the multitude of crops that grows just outside of La Paz on all different altitudes, and better understood where corruption, authenticity and also the wide range of misinformation stem from. For instance, I was told so many times about rainy season in Bolivia and how it affects travel, I was made aware and scared of the altitude and it‘s effects, the road conditions and reliability of flights.. in the end it all comes down to making my way over here and seeing for myself; and I found (most) Bolivians to be super honest, kind and genuine people, I was even send to the store next door once by a saleslady because there the product I sought was cheaper.

It‘s true that there is rainy season here in February and March, which used to be a much longer duration but climate change.. and it can affect travel, but not to the extent that it‘s not possible, for the salt flats for example it gave way different offerings, and also for my last step in Bolivia, the Amazon rainforest, the rainy season doesn‘t stop tourism. A 40min flight is the most convenient option to get to Rurrenabaque, here truly the road conditions and crossing the Andes don‘t allow for a quick bus (takes 12-17h) and hence I opted for flying here. As of August this year, roads might have received a bit of an upgrade in this part of Bolivia, as China is keen to get its hands on Bolivia‘s Lithium and now building a paved road through the country connecting Brasil‘s Amazon with the Atlantic coast in Peru.. On my way back the return flight was cancelled though, so I still got to experience of a 10.5h drive over night with a taxi (that the airline half-paid for, thanks to the kind help of our tour guide) across bumpy dirt roads, even some kilometers of the (in)famous death road 😳

This bespoke road used to be the most dangerous road in the world, today - except for a small paved part - it‘s a mere tourist attraction and people bike it down with mountain bikes. Again, this is another example of misinformation: I heard it was extremely dangerous and the bikes provided completely rundown, I heard it was difficult, freezing on the top and under no circumstances go in the rainy season.. I suppose everyone has their own experiences, fears and level of comfort, but also for the Death Road my recommendation is to try and see for yourself, probably not go on a super rainy day or after some days of rain and pick a tour operator with good ratings (not necessarily the dirt cheap ones!). But it was perfectly fine and safe, I wouldn‘t want to miss this wicked experience, totally enjoyed the ride from 4,700m above the clouds down (on a serpentined asphalted road for 20km down to 3,200m) and then the narrow rocky & gravel path further down, the actual camino de la muerte. Due to a recent landslide the lower part of the road is not accessible, but we enjoyed a good hour of narrow passages, at times steep descents and cycling under waterfalls, only a very cloudy day made me miss some good views.

I completed my Bolivia experience with three days in the wetlands (called Pampas) of the Amazon rainforest, a trip on a small boat staying two nights in an EcoLodge and enjoying the noises, colors and views of an abundance of wildlife, 1,433 species of birds among other animals like friendly monkeys, caymans and pink river dolphins, anteaters and much more. And all far away from city noise, on a comfortable altitude and with tropical weather.. and mosquitoes en masse.

I feel like a break from traveling and an actual holiday now, so my next country  will be Colombia - I have booked myself a nice beach island retreat on Providencia where I can process these past two months, gain some energy again to continue exploring and traveling, exercise a bit (not possible whatsoever for me on the high altitude) and scuba dive! Not sure how long I will stay on Providencia, but I have got one month now until I need to be in Ecuador for my flights to Galapagos.

Much love, miss you all,

Seb