Solo Travel Destination: Bolivia

Solo Traveler World
789
Published : Mar, 2020
Entire Country
Sites and attractions | Cultural Activities
Tarabuco | Glorietta | Recoleta | National Park Reserve | La Paz | Natural Hot Springs | Sucre | Flamingo sightings | Cochabamba | Santa Clara monastery | Salar de Uyuni
I visited La Paz, Sucre, Cochabamba, Salar de Uyuni, and Tarabuco while in Bolivia for two months as part of the US Department of State English Language Specialist Program. I started in La Paz for two days before flying on to Sucre. I took the Teleferico up to El Alto and was able to gain a magnificent view of the entire city of La Paz.
Sucre is a hidden gem of a city named after its whitewashed mission style churches and buildings – easily the most beautiful city in Bolivia. It is also considered the best place to learn Spanish because of a clear accent and large number of language schools.
There are plenty of nice hostels, as well as mid-range and fancy hotels. Restaurants also run the gamut and the fried chicken places where you can sit with families out for dinner and watch TV with them in Spanish were awesome and plentiful throughout the city.
Museums and classes abound, things are very walkable, and the local bus system is adequate for visiting surrounding attractions such as the Glorietta and the Recoleta.
Be sure to pay a visit to the delightful nuns at the Santa Clara monastery to see the old frescoes being restored and for a delightful chat – they particularly love to speak with female travelers. Also, take a selfie with Zebras who will help you cross the street!
From Sucre, I took a long weekend trip to Salar de Uyuni, including the lagunas and national parks surrounding the area. Intercity bus travel is difficult and takes longer than would be expected due to road conditions and aging buses. However, the Salar de Uyuni offers multiple outfitters for expeditions out onto the desert. Choose a reputable one – paying a little more is worth it for this – read reviews online, and make sure gas is included in your pricing.
We saw the old train graveyard, took perspective photos on the salt flats, and experienced several interesting landscapes in the national park reserve. There were flamingo sightings, staying in salt hotels, and soaking under the stars in natural hot springs. It was a long and dusty trip, but well worth it.
Sucre is a hidden gem of a city named after its whitewashed mission style churches and buildings – easily the most beautiful city in Bolivia. It is also considered the best place to learn Spanish because of a clear accent and large number of language schools.
There are plenty of nice hostels, as well as mid-range and fancy hotels. Restaurants also run the gamut and the fried chicken places where you can sit with families out for dinner and watch TV with them in Spanish were awesome and plentiful throughout the city.
Museums and classes abound, things are very walkable, and the local bus system is adequate for visiting surrounding attractions such as the Glorietta and the Recoleta.
Be sure to pay a visit to the delightful nuns at the Santa Clara monastery to see the old frescoes being restored and for a delightful chat – they particularly love to speak with female travelers. Also, take a selfie with Zebras who will help you cross the street!
From Sucre, I took a long weekend trip to Salar de Uyuni, including the lagunas and national parks surrounding the area. Intercity bus travel is difficult and takes longer than would be expected due to road conditions and aging buses. However, the Salar de Uyuni offers multiple outfitters for expeditions out onto the desert. Choose a reputable one – paying a little more is worth it for this – read reviews online, and make sure gas is included in your pricing.
We saw the old train graveyard, took perspective photos on the salt flats, and experienced several interesting landscapes in the national park reserve. There were flamingo sightings, staying in salt hotels, and soaking under the stars in natural hot springs. It was a long and dusty trip, but well worth it.