Bolivia

This is the Amazon Basin chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

The Amazon Basin is one of Bolivia’s largest and most mesmerizing regions. The rainforest is raucous with wildlife and spending a few days roaming the sweaty jungle is an experience you’re unlikely to forget.

• boat into the world’s most biodiverse park, Parque Nacional Madidi
• maps
• probe the nearby pampas for caiman, capybara and frighteningly large anaconda in Rurrenabaque
• transport
• party with locals at the Amazon’s best village fiesta, San Ignacio de Moxos
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Chapare Region, Villa Tunari, Parque Nacional Car-rasco, Puerto Villarroel, Western Bolivian Amazon, Rurrenabaque, Parque Nacional Madidi, San Borja, Reserva de la Biosfera y Estación Biológica del Beni, San Ignacio de Moxos, Eastern Bo-livian Amazon, Trinidad, Northern Bolivian Amazon, Santa Ana de Yacuma, Barba Azul Reserve, Guayaramerín, Riberalta & Around, Cobija & Around.

This is the Central Highlands chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guide-book.

Geographically – and some would say metaphorically – the heart and soul of the country, the Central Highlands are a mix of lively urban centers and vast pastoral and mountainous regions dotted with remote villages.

• view the whitewashed, red-roofed colonial panorama of Sucre from high above in La Recoleta
• maps
• spelunk and climb where the dinosaurs once were in the Parque Nacional Torotoro
• transport
• trek the mountainous Cordillera de los Frailes, with its one-of-a-kind geology and intriguing Jal’qa communities
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Cochabamba & Around, Parque Nacional Tunari, Eastern Cochabamba Valley, Tarata & Huayculli, Incallajta, Totora, Mizque, Parque Nacional To-rotoro, Sucre & Around, Tarabuco, Cordillera de los Frailes, Potosí.

This is the La Paz & Around chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

A mad carnival of jostling pedestrians, honking, diesel-spewing minivans, street marches and cavalcades of vendors, La Paz surrounds you: you’ll love it, you’ll hate it, but you can’t ignore it.

• glide above the city on the world’s longest cable-car system, Mi Teleférico
• maps
• buy aphrodisiacs as you have your fortune told at Mercado de las Brujas
• transport
• get cultured while strolling down the city’s most atmospheric street, Calle Jaén Muse-ums
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: La Paz, History, Sights, Activities, Courses, Tours, Festivals & Events, Sleeping, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Shopping, Around La Paz.

This is the Lake Titicaca chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

Everything – and everyone – that sits beside this impressive body of water, from the traditional Aymará villages to the glacier-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real, seems to fall into the back-ground in contrast with the shimmering opal jewel set into the spare altiplano earth.

• explore the Isla del Sol on foot, hiking from shore to hilltop for stunning vistas of distant mountains
• maps
• discover vestiges of the Inca culture in Copacabana, check out a baptism (or even a vehi-cle blessing!) at the cathedral and watch the sunset from the top of Cerro Calvario
• transport
• travel between Copacabana and Yampupata, taking a spin in a reed boat and eating fresh grilled trout on a (faux) floating island
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Copacabana & Around, Yampupata, Isla del Sol, Isla de la Luna, Huatajata, Islas de Wiñaymarka, Isla Kalahuta, Isla Pariti, Isla Suriqui.

This chapter contains the Bolivia, Welcome to Bolivia, Bolivia’s Top 12, Need to Know, First Time Bolivia, If You Like..., Month by Month, Itineraries, Bolivia Outdoors, Eat & Drink Like a Lo-cal, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

Your journey to Bolivia starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your adventure: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on travel with children.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about outdoor activities
• user-friendly country overview ensures you won’t miss a thing

Coverage includes: Bolivia, Welcome to Bolivia, Bolivia’s Top 12, Need to Know, First Time Bolivia, If You Like: Adventure Sports, History, Wildlife Watching, Trekking, Ar-tisan Crafts, Art, Month by Month, Itineraries, Bolivia Outdoors, Eat & Drink Like a Local, Travel with Children, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

The Bolivian Oriente is not what you generally see in Bolivian tourist brochures. This tropical region, the country’s most prosperous, has a palpable desire to differentiate itself from Bolivia’s traditional highland image.

• traverse dusty roads and explore beautifully restored churches on the Jesuit Mission Cir-cuit
• maps
• follow in the footsteps of a legendary revolutionary on the Che Trail around Valle-grande
• transport
• savor the international cuisine in Santa Cruz, a modern city with a small-town feel
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Santa Cruz & Around, Buena Vista, Parque Nacional & Área de Uso Múltiple Amboró, Samaipata, Vallegrande, La Higuera, Gran Chiquitania, Jesuit Mission Circuit.

This is the South Central Bolivia & the Chaco chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

Famed for its dances, wines and Mediterranean feel, Tarija especially is worth a visit in its own right. Only a short distance from its charming, tightly packed, colonial center are vineyards, waterfalls and hiking trails in high alpine country.

• sleep under the stars and wake to condors soaring overhead in the Valle de los Con-dores
• maps
• sample some of the world’s highest-grown wines in El Valle de la Concepción
• transport
• stroll Tarija’s tranquil colonial streets and people-watch at a plaza cafe
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: South Central Bolivia, Tarija, El Valle de la Concep-ción, Reserva Biológica Cordillera de Sama, Padcaya & Chaguaya, The Chaco, Villamontes.

This is the Southern Altiplano chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guide-book.

Stretching southwards from La Paz, this high-plains wilderness is framed by majestic volcanic peaks, endless kilometers of treeless stubble and the white emptiness of the salt deserts. At night the stargazing is spectacular, but it’s as cold as you could ever imagine.

• strap on some sunglasses and pose for photos with a plastic dinosaur on the salty expanse of Salar de Uyuni
• maps
• traverse Los Lípez’s Dalí-esque landscapes and gaze out at colorful lakes populated with flamingos in the country’s far southwest
• transport
• whistle the theme from your favorite Western as you guide your horse up the narrow gullies around Tupiza
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Oruro & the North, Oruro & Around, Curahuara de Carangas, Parque Nacional Sajama, Uyuni & the Southwest Circuit, Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni, Los Lípez, Tupiza & Around.

This is the Cordilleras & Yungas chapter from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guide-book.

Caught between the Andes and the Amazon, this rugged region has just about everything you could ask for from your Bolivian adventure. Pick from glacier-capped 6000m peaks, cloud forests, treks along preserved Inca trails, and wildlife-watching opportunities aplenty.

• get dusty as you cheat death on a mountain-bike descent of nearly 3600m on the World’s Most Dangerous Road
• maps
• treat yourself to a few days of warm weather, a hammock and a poolside drink in Coroi-co
• transport
• embrace your adventurous spirit while climbing, hiking and mountain biking in the hills around Sorata
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Cordillera Real, Huayna Potosí, Condoriri Massif, Ancohuma, Illimani, Chachacomani, The Yungas, Coroico & Yolosa, El Choro Trek, Takesi Trek, Yunga Cruz Trek, Chulumani & Around, Guanay, El Camino del Oro, Sorata, Aucapata & Iskan-waya, Cordillera Apolobamba, Charazani, Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Nacional Apolo-bamba, Cordillera Quimsa Cruz.

This chapter contains the Bolivia Today, History, Life in Bolivia, Indigenous Culture, Music in Bolivia, The Natural World, Directory A–Z, Transportation, Health, and Language chapters from Lonely Planet’s Bolivia guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, Indigenous culture and music to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet... you name it. Get tips for women travellers, gay and lesbian travellers, travellers with disabilities, and travellers with kids. And get the most out of your conversations with a handy language guide and glossary.

• a rundown on modern life in Bolivia
• info on Bolivia’s natural world, from arid mountain peaks to steamy jungle
• full coverage of the country’s history and politics, from pre-colonial times to the new con-stitution
• details on the traditions, language, cultures and challenges of Bolivia’s Indigenous groups

Coverage includes: Bolivia Today, History, Life in Bolivia, Indigenous Culture, Music in Bolivia, The Natural World, Directory A–Z, Transportation, Health, and Lan-guagep>