Tips and travel information

Important: we’ve collected all this information according to many years of experience, but of course we guarantee them to be correct.
Hostelling International Bolivia has set up a network of 20 HI-hostels in all important and scenic places of the country, like in La Paz, Sucre, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Uyuni, Tupiza and Copacabana out on the shore of lake Titicaca.
Most of our Hostels can be booked on this site and via hihostels.com

About our Hostels

Guests

All ages, Individual, Groups and Families are welcome (kids under 5 years are free) – HI-Membership Card offers a 10 % discount. The passport is need for registration.

Open Times

All HI centers are open all year, 24 h a day reception – at night, knock or ring on closed door, somebody is waiting for you!

Meals

All HI-hostel serve breakfast (some included in price) – check individual services at each hostel for members kitchen, lunch or dinner in their own restaurant.

Discounts

HI-Members Discounts available – each HI-hostel will inform you about a lot of excellent opportunities – get a HI-Card, valued worldwide and running for a full year.

General information on travelling in Bolivia

Languages and communication

You should have at least some basic Spanish knowledge if you don’t want to get lost. Very few Bolivians know English.
Besides Spanish the indigenous languages Aymara und Quechua play in important role in everyday life in the country.

Electricity

Voltage is 220 Volts, in La Paz both 110 and 220 V. Due to frequent voltage swings electronic devices should only be used if there’s a stabilizer.

Security

Bolivia generally is regarded as a safe country, but you should always consult your foreign ministry. From time to time there are some sociopolitical problems in the Chapare and the Amazonas region. None of our tours takes you to these places.
Leaving the HI centers you can leave your valuables at the reception. At markets, the bus terminals and narrow streets you should always be aware of pickpockets!
Be careful with police and security; always let them show you their official identity card. If there’s any problem: only accept solving it at the police station. Do not go with them by taxi or any other car.
Going by taxi in general is safe, but of course you should be attentive. Always choose your taxi in an “active” way. Always talk about the pay before entering. Leave the taxi, if there are other people inside.
At night you should only go by licensed radio taxis. In all of our HI Hostels we can order one for you at any time.

Passport and Visa

When travelling anywhere in Latin America you should carry your passport or a copy of it with you all the times. Store photocopies of all essential documents in a separate location.

upon entering Bolivia the citizens of all EU countries (Switzerland included) and Israel get a free 90-day tourist visa.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Asian countries only for 30 days.
for other nationalities (including the US) you have to consult the Bolivian embassy in your country

On leaving the country by plane you always have to pay an airport tax of 25 US $ (you can pay it with Bolivianos as well according to the official exchange rate).

Health

We highly recommend a health insurance for abroad!
Tap water should not be drunk; boil water for at least three minutes or buy mineral water from the bottle (2 l for about 4 Bs). (You can use tap water to brush your teeth.)
Especially at the beginning of your stay you should not consume food from street cooking.
La Paz, Potosí and the Altiplano / Lake Titicaca / Salar de Uyuni are about 3,500 m (11,500 feet) to 4,500 m (14,800 feet) above sea level. Therefore you probably need to become acclimatized. Avoid exertion and alcohol, take a rest from time to time, drink much, for example the natural coca tea (“mate de coca”).
If you feel (slightly) ill you can also take “soroiji” pills, available at any pharmacy, a mixture of aspirin and coca.
For a usual (backpacker) journey you don’t need malaria prophylaxis.
Dengue (course is similar to the flu) after mosquito bites is only relevant in the sub-tropical lowlands at rainy season.

You should have a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate.

No Malaria or Yellow Fever treatment is required unless you are travelling in the “Oriente”-East and the Amazon Region. (But leaving Bolivia for Brazil there is a Health inspection, which requires certificate of YF-Vacc.)

Banking and Money

Bolivianos (05/10: about 7.00 Bs for 1 US $ / about 9.00 to the Euro) is the quite stable national currency.
To pay buses and taxis you should always carry some coins as change is rare.
If you’re told that there’s no change, don’t round up immediately. It happens quite often that some change appears.
You can pay all the services in HI centers, most hostels, restaurants, shops etc. also in Dollars or change them at banks or “Casa de Cambio”.
Nobody here likes to accept bills that are old or torn!
Credit Cards are accepted in the main cities, where you also will find a good network of cash machines (“cajero” or “cajero automatico” for withdrawing in Bolivianos and often also in US Dollar.

Telecommunication

In the cities you can find internet cafés, some have quite speedy connections, others don’t. Using a PC / internet for one hour usually is about 2 to 4 Bs.
Often computers are equipped with headsets and Skype, sometimes they even have webcams. If you intend to “skype” you better ask if the headset are working and if Skype is installed.
Telephoning in Bolivia is quite complicated, therefore you should not hesitate to ask, if you have to use dialing codes and if yes which.
The international code of Bolivia is +591

Postal service

There are no mailboxes in Bolivia. Postcards, letters and parcels have to handed over at the Post Office which is usually located in the center of the city / town.

Shopping

Usually people go shopping on markets. Supermarkets can only be found in the cities.
Shops, markets (and offices) are opened from 8:30 to 12:30 h and 14:30 to 19:00 h, on Saturdays from 8:00 to 16:00 h. Especially small, independent shops usually take it really flexible.

Travelling around

Plane

Bolivia has two international airports: Santa Cruz de la Sierra (“Viru Viru Internacional”, VVI) and La Paz (“El Alto”, LPB). Both are being operated several times a day.
The cities and the capitals of the nine departamentos have daily connections with flights by LAB, Aero Sur, SAVE and TAM.
Departing from Bolivian airports there’s a fee of currently 15 Bs, for international flights it’s 25 US $.

Bus

Bolivia has a quit reliable, comfortable and economic long-distance, privately operate bus-network. Travelling by bus is the most common way for the big majority of the Bolivian people. It’s much cheaper than travelling by plane.
Because distances are huge and many roads are still not paved you have to expect journeys of nine to fifteen hours, most at night.

Rail

Bolivia has two private train operators: In the “Oriente” from Santa Cruz to travel to Brazil and to Argentina. (three to five trains per week in both directions) and on the Altiplano from Oruro to Uyuni and crossing over either to Chile (the desert of Atacama) or into Argentina. (three trains per week in both directions). The services are in three classes and have improved over the last years after privatization. (Ticket reservation with passport number required)

Car

Minimum age is 21 years (not 18!). To rent a car, you need a credit card and an international driving license that is at least two years old. For every kind of expedition you need four-wheel drive and a fully comprehensive insurance.
This costs between 50 and 100 US $ / day.

Climate

The climate varies greatly depending on the regions due to the big differences in altitude. Highland nights can be freezing, but the lowlands are sub-tropical, in the north tropical.
Rainfalls and thunderstorms only take place in rainy season from Christmas to end of March.

Packing

On a typical journey in Bolivia, you get to know: subtropical weather of the lowlands, mild and agreeable weather and cold nights in the highlands, possibly some days in the jungle.
Therefore you should take with you something of everything: t-shirts (you’ll need them the most), pullovers, a warm jacket, shorts and trousers (jeans / trekking trousers), sandals / flip-flops and sturdy shoes. In the cities you’ll probably wear the same style of clothes like in your native country. Only women of the cities in the lowlands (Santa Cruz, Camiri, …) wear tops.
If there’s still some space in your backback / suitcase it’s no bad idea to include some clothes to go out in the cities.
For cool nights in the valleys and the Altiplano you should pack warm clothes and perhaps a warming sleeping bag.
Very important are sun protection (sun blocker, sunglasses, hat/cap), especially for tours on the Salar de Uyuni but also rain stuff for the sub-tropical, very warm (28 to 40 °C / 82 to 104 °F).
A good repellent is recommended if you want to visit the jungle.
For the first day, you should carry enough US dollars.

Perfect Time to Travel

Basically you can visit Bolivia all year, even so from November to March there’s a greater chance of some rain showers and thunderstorms. This might cause road interruptions and cancelling of domestic flights, but also the countryside shows greener.
So, if you have only little time to travel, you better come to Bolivia in dry season.