Travel to Bolivia

There are no direct flights to Bolivia from the UK, but airlines such as LAN, Iberia and American Airlines offer indirect services to La Paz and Santa Cruz. You can also fly to Cochabamba, Sucre and Trinidad from the UK, but these flights tend to be nearly twice as expensive.

If you plan on travelling around during your Bolivia holiday, long-distance tourist buses are affordable, reliable and comfortable and offer a great way to see the stunning scenery although some of the roads aren't in great condition so it can sometimes be a bit of a bumpy ride! Train travel is also an option, but is more expensive than the bus and some routes, especially outside of peak season, stop operating. Domestic flights are fairly affordable with AeroSur, TAM and BOA offering the best value internal flights.

Bolivia is a very affordable country so it's easy to find cheap hotels in Bolivia whether you are in La Paz, Puno or Santa Cruz. In fact, wherever you travel within Bolivia you'll be able to pick up cheap accommodation and could even get a four star hotel for less than £30 a night if you bargain hard.

You can easily eat out for less than £5 a head during a holiday in Bolivia as long as you avoid the obvious tourist-centric restaurants. Look out for national specialities such as pique a lo macho, a dish of grilled meat in a slightly spicy sauce and potatoes, and silpancho, a meal of beef, rice, potatoes and a fried egg. The national drink is called chichi (made from fermented corn), and while some people hate it, others love it so is well worth a try during your Bolivia holiday. Just remember to do as the locals do and spill a little on the ground before and after as an offering to the Gods!

Prices are never really fixed in Bolivia, so it's worth haggling for everything from accommodation and tours to souvenirs and local handicrafts.