When people talk about Bolivia, they often mention Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, and for good reason. Salar de Uyuni was definitely one of the highlights of my 6-month long South America trip. I was completely blown away as I stood on a rock overlooking the Red Lagoon, with hundreds of flamingos just beyond me.
My Bolivia trip was a blast, but it was not just the salt flat that blew me away. It was the combination of everything, from the friendly locals and dramatic high-altitude setting of La Paz, Bolivia's seat of government, to the rich and often dark mining history of Potosí and Cerro Rico, where large-scale silver extraction began under Spanish rule in 1545.
All in all, Bolivia was a complete surprise, and within this itinerary, I will take you through the places that stood out most to me, from Lake Titicaca and La Paz to the mining history of Potosí and the surreal landscapes around Salar de Uyuni. The route takes 8 days from Copacabana to Uyuni, with the option to finish at the Chilean border and continue to San Pedro de Atacama. Without further ado, here is my complete 8-day Bolivia itinerary:
Bolivia One-Week Backpacking Itinerary Map
Quick Summary
| ☀️ Day 1: | Copacabana |
|---|---|
| ☀️ Day 2-3: | La Paz |
| ☀️ Day 4-5: | Potosi |
| ☀️ Day 6-8: | Salar de Uyuni |
One Week Bolivia Itinerary
Day 1: Copacabana (2 nights)
- 📍 Stay: Hotel La Cupula
- 🕐 Time: 2 nights
- 📖 Full Guide: 8 Best Things to Do in Copacabana, Bolivia (via alongsandybeaches.com)
If you are crossing the border from Peru to Bolivia, Copacabana is a natural place to begin this journey. The town sits on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca at about 3,812 meters above sea level, making it a great stop to acclimatize and explore the lake before continuing to La Paz.
Lake Titicaca sits at about 3,812 meters above sea level and is shared by Bolivia and Peru. While Puno on the Peruvian side felt a little touristy to me, Copacabana was a completely different experience, with beautiful lake views, hiking trails, and easy access to Isla del Sol. It is worth slowing down here for a day or two before continuing deeper into Bolivia.
Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna are a must-do when you are here, as you will be able to enjoy the white beach, the fresh air of the lake, and experience the authentic lives of people around the lake. You can either stay on the island overnight or do a one-day trip from Copacabana via a tour agency or through your accommodation.
- 3-Days Tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat and Colored Lagoons +Sunset+Mirror Effect (3 days) 🏅 Top Pick
- Bolivia Discovery (11 days)
- Bolivia Highlights (11 days)
If you are not crossing the border from Peru and are arriving in La Paz, you can also visit Copacabana as a day trip via a guided tour. The tour will take you to Copacabana and Isla del Sol before bringing you back to La Paz in one day which is very convenient. You can book the tour in advance here.
Getting From Copacabana to La Paz
To get from Copacabana to La Paz, you can take one of the many buses that leave for La Paz daily at the Copacabana Bus Terminal. Be sure to get the ticket directly at the bus company's ticket office and not through travel agencies, or you can simply get your bus ticket online here.
The journey will take about 4 hours, and you will have to get off the bus while they ferry the bus across a small portion of Lake Titicaca onto the main road heading towards La Paz. The price of the bus should be around $4 USD.
Day 2 - 3 La Paz (3 nights)
- 📍 Stay: Hostal La Posada De La Abuela
- 🕐 Time: 3 nights
- 📖 Full Guide: 13 Wonderful Things to Do in La Paz, Bolivia (via alongdustyroads.com)
At first glance, La Paz might not seem as attractive as other South American capitals like Lima or Quito. However, the longer you spend in the city, the more you'll fall in love with its unique charms. These hidden gems, like the exceptionally friendly locals, become apparent when you take the time to explore and experience the city.
La Paz sits at roughly 3,650 meters above sea level and serves as Bolivia's seat of government, while Sucre is the country's constitutional capital. Either way, the altitude is no joke. I recommend taking your first day slowly and giving your body time to acclimatize, especially if you have arrived directly from a much lower elevation. Trust me, you are going to feel it the moment you start walking uphill.
You can spend your first day walking around La Paz's Town Square and visiting the Witch's Market to see some truly unusual items for sale. Even if you're not interested in witchcraft, you might find some South American souvenirs here at a cheaper price than in other countries.
In the evening, you can get a taxi and drop by the Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) to enjoy a walk amidst the spectacular maze of rock formations that are as out of this world as any other landscape in Bolivia.
The next day, go on a mountain bike tour to tackle the infamous Death Road. It can feel touristy at times, but I still think the experience is well worth it. Most of the route is downhill, but it is still a rough gravel road with steep drop-offs, blind corners, waterfalls, and changing weather, so choose a reputable operator, wear the supplied safety gear, and ride within your ability rather than treating it as an easy downhill cruise.
The first part of the biking trip is the most photogenic as you descend down a cloudy mountain and the valley reveals itself to you. You will be riding along the gravel road along tall cliffsides with waterfalls hovering over you, it was amazing!
For this tour, you do not have to be the best cyclist in the world to ride the road nor do you have to be physically fit as you will be going downhill most of the time, but you do have to be quite comfortable on a bike as you will have to still keep your bike stead as you descend down a gravel road.
Although a little crowded at times, it is a fun experience and definitely a must-do when you are in La Paz in my opinion. You can book the tour online here. The tour should take the whole day and you can come back to La Paz and prepare for the long journey to Potosi the next morning.
Getting From La Paz to Potosi
From La Paz to Potosi, you will have to take an overnight bus from La Paz bus terminal. The bus runs once per day at around 9 PM or 10 PM, and the journey will take you about 8 hours to reach your destination. The bus ticket should cost around 100 BOB.
I recommend that you go for either the El Dorado or Trans Copacabana buses, as they are considered to be a little more comfortable than the others. You can also book your ticket online here.
Day 4 - 5: Potosi (2 nights)
- 📍 Stay: Hotel Cima Argentum
- 🕐 Time: 2 nights
- 📖 Full Guide: Day 4 - 5: Potosi (external site)
After the overnight journey from La Paz, you should arrive in Potosí in the morning, giving you most of the day to settle in and explore. Potosí is a mining city that may not be of interest to everyone, but for me, it has one of the most fascinating and darkest histories of anywhere I visited in Bolivia.
Potosí sits beneath Cerro Rico, the mountain whose enormous silver deposits transformed the city after Spanish exploitation began in 1545. Silver from Potosí became hugely important to the Spanish colonial economy and global trade, while the mining system relied heavily on coercive Indigenous labor and exposed workers to brutal and dangerous conditions.
Cerro Rico is often called "the mountain that eats men," a name that reflects the enormous human cost of centuries of mining. Colonial mining relied heavily on the mita system of forced Indigenous labor, while enslaved Africans were also brought to Potosí. You will often hear claims that as many as 8 million people died because of the mines, but historians do not have reliable records that support a precise cumulative death toll. What is well documented is that the work was extraordinarily dangerous and that mining, mercury exposure, disease, hunger, and displacement devastated generations of workers and communities.
What surprised me most is that Cerro Rico is not simply a historical site. Mining continues there today, much of it through cooperatives, even after centuries of extraction have left parts of the mountain unstable. UNESCO still lists the City of Potosí as World Heritage in Danger and continues to raise concerns about the preservation and structural stability of Cerro Rico, which is important context to understand before deciding whether to join a mine tour.
Unfortunately, this drives many young people to enter the mine in hopes of striking it rich, like many before them, but as they go deeper and deeper in search of silver, the conditions become increasingly dangerous, leading to numerous accidents and untimely deaths.
If you find the history interesting and you want to see it with your own eyes, I highly recommend you go on a day trip and learn more about the Potosi Mine on a guided tour. You will be able to go inside, see the condition they have to go through and get a glimpse of what life is like down there. They even have several small shrines inside for the locals working there to pray!
If you want to understand this history more closely, guided visits to working areas of Cerro Rico are still offered. Keep in mind that this is an active industrial environment rather than a conventional tourist attraction: conditions can be cramped, dusty, dark, and physically demanding, and mining itself carries serious risks. If you decide to go, choose an established guide, ask exactly which parts of the mine the tour enters, and be prepared to turn back if you are uncomfortable. For me, seeing the working conditions firsthand added a completely different dimension to Potosí's history.
After you are done with the tour, you can spend the rest of the evening exploring Potosi and look out for shops selling coca leaves, 90% alcohol, and dynamite (yes, you read that right!), as they are all legal in Potosi 😅. Retreat for the night and prepare for the trip to Salar de Uyuni the next day.
Getting From Potosi to Uyuni
To get from Potosi to Uyuni, you will have to catch a regular bus from the new Potosi bus terminal. There are three daily buses operated by Expresso 11 de Julio, departing at 9:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 4:30 PM, and 5:30 PM (subject to change).
The road journey to Uyuni usually takes around 4 hours. Fares vary by operator and service type, so compare the current options before booking rather than relying on an old fixed price. You can check available bus options online here.
Day 6 - 8: Salar de Uyuni (2 nights)
- 📍 Stay: Casa de Sal - Salt Hotel
- 🕐 Time: 2 nights
- 📖 Full Guide: 20 Best Places to Visit in South America
And now for the highlight of Bolivia: visiting Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world, spanning more than 4,086 square miles (10,582 sq. km). It is located in the southwestern part of Bolivia and connects with the Atacama Desert in Chile, making it a great final stop before crossing the land border into Chile.
There are many tours that will take you across the salt flat, but I would recommend you go on one that will allow you to stay at least 3 days in the Uyuni like this one: 3-Days Tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat. There are so many awesome places to see that are scattered across the barren land and it would be a shame if you come all the way to Salar de Uyuni and not give it your undivided attention.
There are plenty of ways to visit Salar de Uyuni, from simple day trips to multi-day 4×4 expeditions, but I strongly recommend giving it 3 days if your itinerary allows (I recommend this tour). The longer circuit goes far beyond the main salt flat into the high-altitude landscapes of southwestern Bolivia, including colorful lagoons, volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, and the Eduardo Avaroa reserve. It was this wider landscape, not just the salt itself, that made the experience such a highlight for me.
On many 3-day itineraries, you can either return to Uyuni or arrange in advance to finish near the Chilean border and transfer onward to San Pedro de Atacama. If you want to continue to Chile, tell the operator when you book so they can arrange the correct route and transfer. Border procedures, operating hours, and transfer arrangements can change, so confirm them again before leaving Uyuni.
The first place you will visit during your trip is the photogenic locomotive cemetery where you will find many abandoned vintage train in the middle of the desert. It's only a short stop, so make sure you get the photos you want before the crowds arrive.
As you continue, you'll start to feel like you're cruising on the salt flat, with your surroundings becoming brighter and brighter. The guide will stop several times so you can take as many perspective photos as you want. In fact, I think my guide was even trained in taking perspective photos; he knows all the perfect angles like no one else!
Around the salt flats, you'll also find a cactus "island", which goes to show just how life thrives even in the most remote and inhospitable corners of the world. As the saying goes, "Life always finds a way". The guide will stop at the cactus island to break up the trip, allowing you to hike to the top and enjoy the view of the salt flats from above.
Your first day will be the only day you'll spend on the actual salt flat, so be sure to take as many photos as you can. You'll have a couple of hours on the island, and then you'll head to a different spot to watch the sunset.
Your accommodation while exploring the salt flat is also quite unique, with your first night's hotel made entirely out of salt. Yes, salt! Everything from the ceiling to the walls, and even the tables and bed frames, is made of salt. You'll each have your own room with a built-in bathroom and access to water 24/7, so no need to worry about your sleeping arrangement on the tour. You will be well taken care of.
On the second day, you'll explore a thermally active area of the salt flat, surrounded by volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, and lagoons, making you feel almost like you're on an alien planet. The entire experience is truly mind-blowing, which is one of the reasons I highly recommend opting for a 3-day tour. You won’t be able to experience this part of the salt flat on a day trip from town.
The Red Lagoon is undeniably one of the most beautiful lagoons I have ever seen. Hundreds of flamingos feeding on the red algae, perfecting their pink feathers, and showcasing their elegant features make for quite a sight to behold.
Another of my favorite spots is the Sol de Mañana, a collection of over 80+ geysers with fume coming out of them creating a dreamlike landscape, but with the smell of rotten eggs 😂. Don't worry, everyone will smell like rotten eggs by the end of the day so it kinda balances it out. Haha!
It still amazes me to this day that we can find so many active geological features in such a high-altitude place like this. At this point in time, you would be standing at over 4,000 meters above sea level and you can still feel the heat radiating from the ground. Always blows my mind, thinking about it.
In the evening, you will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to soak in a natural hot spring and relax with your tour mates under the stars, 4,700 meters above sea level. That is not something you can do every day!
On The third day, you will be visiting Green Lake and explore the dreamlike landscapes of the Dali Desert, a place with such an alien feature that some said had inspired Salvador Dali, a famous painter, to create his famous artwork, the Persistence of Memory (1931).
If you are continuing to Chile, the usual 3-day route can finish at the Hito Cajón border area near Laguna Verde, where you complete Bolivian exit formalities and transfer to a separate vehicle for the descent to San Pedro de Atacama. Make sure this transfer is included or arranged when you book, and check the current entry requirements for Chile before setting out. Otherwise, you can return to Uyuni at the end of the tour and continue your journey elsewhere in Bolivia.
Bolivia Travel Video
Why Visit Bolivia?
One of the most diverse countries in South America, Bolivia does not just offer the unique Andean culture for history buffs, but also an unmatched level of wilderness and nature like nothing you have seen anywhere in the world, waiting for you to explore. For collectors and shoppers, Bolivia is one of the cheapest countries to travel to in South America, and if you are looking to buy any souvenirs back home, Bolivia is the place to do it!
When to Visit Bolivia?
For most of this itinerary, the dry season from roughly May to October offers the most reliable weather, with clearer skies and easier overland travel through the highlands. The trade-off is colder nights, especially around Uyuni and the altiplano. The wetter months from roughly December to March bring more rain and occasional travel disruptions, but they are also when Salar de Uyuni can develop its famous mirror effect.
If seeing the mirror effect at Salar de Uyuni is a priority, aim for the rainy season, especially around January to March, but do not plan around February as a guarantee. The effect depends on recent rainfall and having a thin layer of water across the salt crust. Too much water can also make parts of the salar, including access to Incahuasi Island, inaccessible, so the wet season gives you spectacular reflections at the cost of less predictable routing.
How to Get to Bolivia?
If you are coming from abroad, flying into La Paz or Santa Cruz is usually the simplest way to enter Bolivia. I recommend you browse through Skyscanner or Expedia to find a cheap flight from where you live to La Paz.
If you are following this itinerary from Peru, traveling overland from Puno to Copacabana is a natural option and lets you begin at Lake Titicaca before continuing to La Paz. Bolivia's tourist visa rules depend on your nationality, with countries divided into different visa groups, so check the current requirement for your passport and use an official immigration checkpoint when crossing by land.
How To Get Around Bolivia?
In La Paz, taxis and app-based rides are convenient when you have luggage or need to reach somewhere that is awkward by public transport, but do not overlook Mi Teleférico. The city's cable-car network is one of the easiest ways to move between La Paz and El Alto while avoiding the traffic below, and the views alone make it worth using. Local minibuses are cheaper but can be confusing if you do not know the routes or speak much Spanish.
For this itinerary, long-distance buses are the main way to travel between cities. Services range from basic coaches to semi-cama and cama buses with much more comfortable reclining seats. For overnight routes such as La Paz to Potosí, I recommend paying extra for a reputable operator and a better seat rather than simply choosing the cheapest departure.
I prefer El Dorado as my choice of bus company because it is one of the most well-known, and the bus quality is very acceptable.
Which tourist SIM card is best for Bolivia?
Mobile data is easy to arrange in Bolivia's main cities, with Entel and Tigo among the major prepaid options. Coverage is much less reliable once you leave the towns and head deep into the remote Uyuni circuit, so download offline maps, bookings, and anything else you need before starting the 3-day tour.
Alternatively, if your phone supports eSIMs, you can set one up before arriving and have mobile data as soon as you land. You can browse through available eSIMs here.
Tips: To stay connected with people at home, be sure that you have a VPN, such as ProtonVPN, installed before traveling. It's FREE, and you can gain access to services that may be blocked in certain countries.
Daily Budget
This location is less expensive than most countries, but it's not exceedingly cheap. Expect to spend around $30 - $50 USD per day per person, which includes both accommodation and meals.
Please keep in mind that these are suggested daily budgets based on my own style of travel, which leans more towards the budget side of things. If you aim to stick to this budget, anticipate sleeping in dormitories, dining out only occasionally, and being comfortable with the cheapest and most convenient modes of transportation, which often involve a considerable amount of walking.
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2 Comments
Hi Pete! Thank you for this blog. I am planning a trip to Bolivia. I would also love to see the Milky way while there. You mentioned rainy season vs. the dry season. If I did this trip during the rainy season, would I be able to still have the milky way views? Thank you
Hi Becky,
Thank you for the comments! It will really depend on how clear the sky will be that day. Rainy season is beautiful if the sky is clear. You can always look at the weather forecast and plan your trip according to that. Also, you will have to align yourself on the day where there is no moon. Look through a moon calendar and plan your trip when it's pitch dark at night in Bolivia. That way you will see the milky way in its gloriousness.
I hope this helps!