15 things you should know before travelling to Bolivia

Bolivia is hands down one of the best countries I’ve ever travelled to. It’s beautiful and varied, and has a new sight at each turn. But at the same time it’s so different to its neighbouring countries: a change I really wasn’t prepared for before travelling into the country.

If you’re thinking of visiting this vibrant country, it’s important for you to have an idea of what to expect. Therefore, I’ve compiled this list of things I think you should know before you arrive. I hope it gives you some more insight into Bolivia!

1. Expect a lot of catcalling (if you’re female)

Plenty of countries in South America and the rest of the world are rife with catcalling, and Bolivia, unfortunately, is no exception. In certain areas – particularly during Carnaval – this made me quite uncomfortable.

As Bolivia is less visited than other countries in the region and has such distinctive dress and customs, it’s difficult not to stand out as a foreigner. However, dressing conservatively can help. For example, in Sucre almost all the local women kept their legs covered; we found that following their dress style helped, and we attracted less attention.

2. Markets are in; supermarkets are out

The guide on our walking tour told us there are only 15 supermarkets in the whole of La Paz (population: 2 million). The reason? No Bolivians shop there!

Markets are where the action is, and as soon as you’ve headed into one, it’s easy to see why. There’s so much variety, even just in terms of their daily shopping.

Our favourite market in Bolivia was the market at Campo Ferial Bicentennial in La Paz. It’s a local’s market which we stumbled upon by chance when leaving the Prado teleférico station, and is the location of the famous annual Alasitas Fair. There’s a lot of stalls with games, and amongst the stalls you’ll find all sorts of weird knick knacks, toys, jewellery and other items. This is the perfect place to while away an evening!

3. Taxis aren’t metered

It’s easy to get scammed by a taxi driver in Bolivia. As taxis aren’t metered, there are no set prices for journeys.

To make sure you’re not scammed, always agree on a cost before you get in the taxi, and make sure that’s what you pay at the end (a few drivers increased the price whilst we were paying).

It’s worth asking your hostel what the going price for your journey is so you know what to aim for. Also, taking a radio taxi – a taxi working within an official taxi company – is more likely to get you a fair price; your hotel should be able to call one of these for you for longer journeys.

4. Cash is king

You can pay by card in some establishments, but don’t ever expect it to be an option. So many places only take cash! If nothing else, you’ll need cash for markets, local restaurants, buses and taxis.

A peculiarity in Bolivia is that some ATMs and card readers only take Visa. Mastercard holders may struggle! For us, this was most concerning in Torotoro, where there was only one ATM in town – which only accepted Visa.

To save yourself some stress, make sure you always have some Bolivianos on you. It’s annoying as almost all ATMs in Bolivia charge fees, but it’s better than not being able to buy anything.

5. Getting out of the country by plane is super annoying

I visited Bolivia at the end of Peru’s crisis at the start of 2023, so we decided to fly out of the country to continue our travels instead of taking the bus into Peru.

Now, it turns out that getting in and out of the country is painful. There aren’t many international connections – almost everyone we met flew out via Bogota at 3 am, and the only other options are to fly to Santiago or Lima.

We also had to go through multiple drug searches to exit the country, which was the weirdest security experience of my life!

6. Showers are often cold

Our first hostel in Bolivia (Backpackers in Uyuni) had the most amazing showers: dependable, consistent hot water. So I had high hopes for Bolivia’s shower temperature.

Unfortunately not; after this, my warm showers almost entirely disappeared. We got warm water at a couple of hostels, but for the most part they were cold.

The sad thing about this is that much of Bolivia, in the Andes, is cold. A cold shower in a warm country, I can get behind, but a cold shower in a cold country is just miserable.

7. The tap water isn’t drinkable

The water from the tap is just bad. Do not drink it.

If you’ve got access to a kitchen, you can do as the locals do and boil the water before drinking it. Otherwise, bottled water is your friend.

You can also bring and use a water filter – we use the Grayl Geopress and, although pricey, we found it useful and convenient. However, we should say that in a couple of places the water upset our stomachs, even with the filter, so we had to abandon Grayl to buy bottled water.

8. The roads are awful

Main roads in Bolivia can look like access tracks in other countries. They can be bumpy, gravelly, unpaved and hair-raising (to say the least).

Driving standards, too, can be quite… well… poor. No one wears seatbelts, and weaving in and out of traffic is perfectly acceptable. The drive from our hostel to La Paz Airport at 1 am, with crazy speeds and swerving, was probably the scariest of my life!

But don’t worry too much! The locals are used to it. Sure, the roads are awful, but you’ll (probably) be fine.

9. There are some concerns about bus safety – but we were fine

Given the state of the roads and the poor driving exhibited by many people, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of blogs warning you about the safety of the buses. If you follow the reasoning of some articles, there’s only a couple of safe bus companies and all others will bring you an imminent death, not to mention petty theft.

Our experience was not at all like this. We didn’t travel on any of the ‘top’ bus companies, but we never felt like we were in danger.

The only problem was when a driver took a speed bump too fast and I (and half the bus) flew into the headboard, leading to some aching heads… but that can happen in any country, right?

10. Bolivia is a deeply traditional country

Over 40% of the population of Bolivia has indigenous roots according to the 2012 census, making it have one of the highest proportions of indigenous people in South America. Therefore, it’s not surprising the country is full of traditions, customs and festivals which are uniquely Bolivian, on top of those it shares with the rest of Latin America.

As such, whilst Bolivia is majority Catholic, local spiritual traditions play an important part of life. This is clearest at churches, some of which have incorporated Andean symbols, and markets, where traditional offerings are on sale.

Traditional clothing is also very common in Bolivia. Walking around, you’ll see a lot of women in traditional dress, known as cholitas. The male equivalent is less common but equally striking.

11. Most people do not speak English

Most people in Bolivia speak Spanish. Many also speak a local indigenous language, such as Quechua – so when you’re walking around and are doubting your Spanish skills, it may be another language that you’re hearing in reality! This is particularly obvious in Potosí, the south-westernmost region of the country.

However, in my experience, English is not widely spoken. Outside of tourist settings, we could only communicate in broken Spanish.

Before coming, it’s worth brushing up on your Spanish so you have some of the basics, like ordering food and getting a taxi.

12. Much of Bolivia is off the beaten rack

Many people come into Bolivia just to see La Paz and Salar de Uyuni, which makes a convenient route for moving overland between Chile and Peru. In many cases, they won’t see anything else in the country.

I adore Bolivia and think it’s a waste not to explore anywhere else. Why not check out the white-washed city of Sucre, the Amazon in the north, or the rock formations of Torotoro? These are places really worth exploring.

13. You might get food poisoning

Almost everyone we met got food poisoning at some point during their trip through Bolivia. Holly’s World Trip and Double-Barrelled Travel are good accounts of the food poisoning experienced by many travellers!

It pays to be cautious with what and where you eat. That means avoiding food at markets you haven’t seen cooked, making sure salad items haven’t been washed in tap water, and eating at places you know have cooked the food fresh. We were warned that many market stalls reuse the food if it doesn’t sell at the end of the day.

If you’re concerned about the food quality, don’t eat it!

14. Prepare for the altitude

Much of Bolivia (and many of the top attractions) is located at altitude. This includes La Paz, the highest capital in the world at 3640 m, Salar de Uyuni, at 3600 m, and Potosí, one of the highest cities in the world at 4000 m.

It’s normal to feel out of breath in the altitude, even once you’ve adjusted. Don’t expect to be running any marathons during your visits! Some people may also suffer from altitude sickness.

When travelling around Bolivia, give yourself enough time to adjust to the altitude, take it easy for the first few days, and keep hydrated.

Also, you’ll see many locals chewing on coca leaves, which is anecdotally thought to reduce the possible effects of altitude. This isn’t scientifically proven and is illegal in most countries, but you’ll find it at most markets. I can’t say it had any effect on me, but maybe it will on you!

15. People will sell food on buses

Something I find really peculiar about Bolivia and South America in general is how people come onto buses to sell you things.

Literally, a bus will pull up on the side of a main road and a seller will pop on. For five minutes, they’ll walk up and down with their wares, then get out at the next stop. We had full sales pitches a couple of times as well (because who doesn’t want to buy nutritional supplements on the way to Sucre?).

It can be quite useful, actually, if you’re hungry and on a long bus ride. But when you aren’t hungry, it can get very annoying!

Conclusion

Bolivia is unique – there’s no doubt about it. I loved my visit to the country!

If you visit Bolivia, I wish you the best and hope you enjoy your travels there. I hope this list of things you should know helps you to prepare for your trip.

Is there anything you want to know about Bolivia – or think other visitors to Bolivia should know about? Let me know in the comments.