Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks

Bolivia isn’t one of the largest countries in South America, and in addition, during its turbulent history the sea access was taken away from the Andean country. Nevertheless, in this relatively small country you will find some of the most spectacular natural wonders of the whole Latin American content. In Bolivia you will also have the chance to get to know the most multiethnic country of South America, where the indigenous population is over 50%. Considering all beautiful landmarks and picturesque colonial cities, it’s hard to squeeze all the things to see in Bolivia into a 2-week itinerary. If you have more time available, we recommend you to extend your stay in each of the places included in the itinerary.

In order to help you with the preparation of your trip, we prepared you a 2-week itinerary including the most important things to see and do in Bolivia.  

What to see in Bolivia in 2 weeks

Day 1. Arrival in La Paz, and direct trip to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca

Day 2-4. Lake Titicaca and the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol)

Day 5-7. La Paz and the surroundings

Day 8-9. Sucre, the capital of Bolivia

Day 10-11. Potosí and visit to its infamous mines

Day 12-14. Tour in the Salar de Uyuni

Day 15. Return to La Paz, end of the trip

Day 1-4. Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is one of the main natural wonders to see in Bolivia. It’s the highest navigable lake in the world (3800 m above sea level), and is divided between Bolivia and Peru. On Lake Titicaca you will find one of the most mythical places of the Inca culture, the Island of the Sun, where according to legends the Inca empire was born. The island is quite big and deserves a whole day excursion. The touristic city located on the lake shore, where most accommodations are found, is called Copacabana, just like the famous beach in Rio de Janeiro. Apart from the pleasant atmosphere, in Copacabana you will have the chance to watch some of the greatest sunsets of Bolivia.

Day 5-7. La Paz and its surroundings

Many people think that since La Paz is the biggest city in Bolivia, it’s also the capital, while in reality the capital is Sucre. Nevertheless, La Paz is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, where houses seem to have been built on top of each other. The old town of the capital is situated around the nice square of Plaza San Francisco, where it’s worth taking a stroll between the picturesque colonial buildings. Not very far from La Paz you will have the chance to live one of the greatest adventures in the country, a down-hill ride by bicycle on the famous Carretera de la Muerte (Death Road). Prepare yourself, as you will descend almost 3600 meters on pretty steep slopes, and on one side of the road you will look down at an almost 1000 meter deep rift. You have to be very careful.

Day 8-9. Sucre

If there’s one city to see in Bolivia, it’s Sucre, the capital and undoubtedly the most pleasant city in the country. In fact, together with Salta in Argentina, Sucre seemed us to be one of those delightful and calm cities, where we even could imagine living one day. Sucre is situated much lower than La Paz or Potosí, and the climate there is much milder than in the other emblematic cities of the country. Sucre is a nice colonial city, where the white color dominates the façades of the buildings. The old town was declared UNESCO World Heritage site, and it’s worth staying at least a couple of days to get to know some of the most important colonial buildings such as the Casa de la Libertad (The House of Freedom) and the San Felipe Nery Convent. To enjoy the most amazing views of Sucre, we recommend you to climb the hill where the La Recoleta Monastery is found.

Day 10-11. Potosí and visit to the mines

Potosí, another lovely colonial town in Bolivia, lives in the shadow of the majestic Cerro Rico mountain. Potosí is one of the most important colonial cities to visit in Bolivia with several beautiful baroque style churches and the Casa Nacional de la Moneda (The National House of Currency), where you can get to see how they minted coins using the silver extracted from the surrounding mines. In the Cerro Rico mountain probably the most important mine of the whole South American continent is located. Many slaves worked in these mines, and huge quantities of silver were extracted to provide for the greedy needs of the Spanish Empire. Nowadays, the mine is still active, but not much silver is left, and miners basically look for zinc there. One of the unmissable things to see in Bolivia is to descend to one of these mines in Potosí. During your visit to the mines, you will have the chance to see and feel from close range the extreme conditions miners have to tolerate every day. You will feel claustrophobic down under, but it’s a unique experience. 

Day 12-14. Tour to the Salar de Uyuni

There’s no doubt about that, if there’s one place to see in Bolivia, it’s the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world. This landscape will amaze you completely. In this immense salt desert, all perspectives get lost and you will feel yourself on another planet. 

The Salar de Uyuni can be visited from the town of Uyuni. We recommend you to take a 3-day tour in which you will not only visit the salt flat, but you will also get to see the lunar landscapes of the Bolivian Altiplano in the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve. In this natural park you will see snowy mountains, lagoons of all sorts of colors, geysers, spectacular rock formations, flamingos that group together to cope with the hostile climate and many other landscapes. The tour, in which you will travel in a 4WD cars, departs from Uyuni and returns back there or continues till the other side of the Chilean border to San Pedro de Atacama.

We really hope that this 2-week itinerary with the most important things to see and do in Bolivia will help you to prepare your trip.