Speaking of Bolivia, will certainly have to use a bunch of adjectives in an excellent degree ."The most-most" - this is not the advertising move of the travel agent and not the fruit of the imagination of the delighted tourist, but the true truth of life .To begin with, Bolivia is the highest mountain, the most isolated from the rest of the world and the most multinational country in the Southern Hemisphere - 37 official languages! Among other things, there are the driest, wettest and most salty areas of the earth's surface .In addition, it is one of the richest in terms of natural resources and, alas, one of the poorest countries in the world .By the way, in Bolivia there was the greatest number of coups and counter-coups: from 1825 - more than 200 !Arriving in Bolivia, you can enjoy the view of the Cordillera hovering in the clouds of the peaks, exploring the lost city of the Incas in the middle of the emerald plateau, plunge into the contemplation of the silent Uyuni salt desert, almost wither from the chirping of exotic birds in the humid jungles of the Amazon basin ... and then stroll along the cozy colonial streets of Sucre and, what's there to hide, try the coca leaves (only in the context of getting to know the ancestor of Coca-Cola, do not think what !) And in order not to get cold in snowy Russia, you should definitely buy a pair of fluffy socks from alpaca wool! The

The official capital is Sucre, the actual center of the country and the location of government offices - La Paz.

The main cities are Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba, El Alto.

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How to get to Bolivia

There are no direct flights from Russian and CIS cities to Bolivia, there will be two flights, often by different airlines. The most popular "surrounding" transplants are in Chile and Peru. The most convenient docking options can be found in Iberia airlines (via Madrid and Lima), Air France (via Paris and Caracas), Lufthansa (with transfer in Frankfurt and Lima) and Alitalia (via Rome or Milan and Caracas). In any case, the road will have to spend more than a day - from 27 hours taking into account the connections.

Visa to Bolivia

Citizens of Russia and the CIS countries need a visa to visit Bolivia. The visa can be issued in advance, in the consular section of the Embassy of Bolivia (preferably) or directly at the border.

Customs office

In Bolivia, you can duty-free import 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 g of tobacco and 5 liters of spirits of any strength. There are no restrictions on import and export of foreign and national currency. Drugs and medicines not certified in the country, food products of animal origin, fruits and seeds are prohibited for importation. It is forbidden to export objects of historical and cultural value, living wild animals and birds, as well as coca leaves.

Money and currency exchange

In Bolivia, it is better to take US dollars or EUR, and the former are accepted for exchange more willingly .You can exchange currency at the airport upon arrival, at bank branches, specialized casas de cambio exchange offices, some travel agencies and large tourist-oriented shops .The rate is approximately the same everywhere, but at the airport exchange points is traditionally the least beneficial .Only a few "exchangers" in La Paz and Santa Cruz are working late, so it's best not to leave the exchange transactions for the evening .In extreme cases, you can use the services of "kambistov" - street changers, and then only a small amount .The

In large and medium-sized cities, you can withdraw cash from a plastic card at ATMs (cajero automatico). Banknotes in the 50th and 100th BER and in some cases US dollars are issued. The opportunity to see an ATM in provincial towns is reduced to almost zero.

Traveler's checks can be cashed only in the major cities of Bolivia. The usual commission is 5%.

Useful phone numbers

Embassy of Bolivia in Moscow: Serpukhov Val, 8, Apt. 135-137; tel .: (495) 954-06-30, 958-08-55; website

Embassy of Russia in La Paz: Avenida Walter Guevara Arce, 8129, casilla 5494; tel .: (2) 278-64-19; website

Telephone codes of some cities: La Paz - 2, Sucre - 64, Santa Cruz - 3, Cochabamba - 42.

Safety of tourists

Bolivia is considered a safe country for tourists .Recently, there has been some increase in the level of crime against foreigners - but in these cases, the case usually does not go beyond fraud and extortion .Often come across all sorts of "falsh friends" - from "certified" guides to fake tourist policemen, supposedly caring about the tranquility of guests .Attempts to lure you to the "only today's" authentic festival is to be stopped by a decisive "No! »In the evening taxi is better to call by phone .In crowded areas, you must follow standard precautions: keep things to yourself and keep track of the wallet .Water can only drink mineral, it is also recommended to wash fruit and brush your teeth .Photographing local residents can only with their permission .In large cities should be more cautious to cross the street - the movement there is extremely chaotic, and brakes Bolivians rarely use .The

Transport

The most popular means of transport in Bolivia - airplane and bus .Air communication in the country is developed very well (due to the inaccessibility of many areas for land transport), the airport is available in almost every more or less inhabited town .Domestic flights are performed by several national carriers: Aerosur - the largest, Aerocon, Amaszonas, BoA, TAM and GOL .Tariffs are low: from La Paz to Santa Cruz, for example, on the wings Aerosur can be reached for 120 USD after spending 1 hour on the road .Flights Bolivian airlines also fly to neighboring countries, the most popular destinations - Peru, Venezuela and Argentina .The

Bus communication links both major cities and the humble villages of Bolivia .Buses mostly go during daylight hours, after 6 pm activity is significantly reduced .Transport belongs to a variety of private companies, so that it does not have a single standard of comfort: how can you spend a pleasant journey in a modern bus with air conditioning and sanitation, and shake in prehistoric waggons along the country roads .When planning a bus trip, it's better to come to the bus station in person and make sure of a decent condition of transport .The state of roads in the country is mostly good .Prices are more than acceptable: from La Paz to Cochabamba can be reached for 4-7 USD depending on the bus class .On average, it is worthwhile to focus on 1-2 USD per hour trip .In addition to buses, the expanses of Bolivia plow long-distance minibuses - the cost of travel is even less, comfort is almost non-existent, but departures on popular routes are very frequent .The

Railway communication in the country is not too popular, but there are several routes that are of interest to tourists. These include the Oruro-Uyuni branch, laid along an extremely picturesque landscape and passing in the literal sense of the word through the high-mountain Andean lake. In cities it is possible to travel by municipal buses and taxis, which is preferable - it is inexpensive and much more convenient.

View of the Andes

Bright colors of Bolivia

Desert of Uyuni

Rent a car

In order to rent a car, you need to have an international driver's license issued not later than 2 years ago, a credit card (or cash for a mortgage - usually about 1000 USD) and be older than 25 years .The rental price starts from 40 USD per day .In addition to this, every paid kilometer is paid - about 0, 20 USD .Rent a car for a week can be for 350-450 USD .Given the chaotic actions of other drivers and not the most convenient roads for driving, especially in rural mountainous areas, it may be more reasonable to agree on a "purchase" for a taxi driver's day with a car or use a transfer on a fixed route, for example, from La Paz to Potosi (about 50 USD) or Estancia-Uno (about 120 USD) .The

Bolivia Hotels

In Bolivia, there are two types of hotels - local and international chains. The former, as a rule, tend to undeservedly "attribute" to themselves an extra star, the level of the second completely corresponds to the claimed. For those who are bored with standard hotel rooms, there is a unique opportunity to spend your vacation in an unusual hotel of salt, which is located on the dry lake in the south of the Altiplano Plain. Many guests even taste the objects, wanting to make sure of the authenticity of the material.

Climate of Bolivia

Bolivia does not have a single climatic zone, as the diversity of heights and landscapes is quite significant .In general, on the plains there is a tropical and subequatorial climate, in the mountainous regions - sharply continental .On the eastern tropical plains in summer (and it is in Bolivia directly opposite to Russia and lasts from September to February), the thermometer shows +32 .The 34 ° C, often heavy rains .In winter, a comfortable temperature of +20 .The 22 ° C .On the plateau Altiplano, in the west of the country, the temperature ranges from +13 to +20 ° C .In winter there are extremely strong temperature differences: during the day it can be very hot, and at night it is noticeably cold. .In high-altitude cities such as La Paz, the thermometer column shows +5 .The 11 ° C throughout the year .The

The most comfortable time for trips around Bolivia is from May to October, and the most "flooded" by foreign and local tourists a month is August.

See also the current weather forecast in the cities of Bolivia.

Shopping and souvenirs

Shops work from 8-8: 30 until 19:00 with a lunch break, which each owner sets independently. Tourist shops are open until late in the evening, and some supermarkets in both capitals work around the clock.

For every three Bolivians are accounted for by the llama, so there is no shortage of wool in the country .It's no wonder that products from the llama wool and its closest relative alpacas are available for every taste - from pretty socks with Indian motifs to coats, rugs and carpets .Buy them better in the highlands, as they say, "from the machine" .In general, there are a lot of souvenirs - each of the national cultures of the numerous nationalities of Bolivia creates its own authentic things. .It is worth paying attention to products made of wood, ceramics, textiles, tablecloths, knitted bags over the shoulder - all exceptionally bright colors .The

In addition, lovers of tracking bring from Bolivia high-quality and inexpensive uniforms of famous brands and brands simpler. The choice here is very large.

Kitchen and Restaurants

Bolivian cuisine - a huge number of national Indian dishes with tangible Spanish influences .Three of its main pillars - meat, potatoes (cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Spaniards) and corn .Bolivians eat beef, pork, alpaca and poultry meat .There are also dishes from river fish, and the population of the remote area with pleasure absorbs rabbits and guinea pigs (!) .The most popular way of cooking is frying in a frying pan with an abundance of butter or on a grill .By the way, here is very common shish kebab .Dishes are invariably served with hot sauces "lyahua" or "lokotos" .From national dishes it is worth trying "pique-a-lo-macho" - grilled meat with potatoes and tomato-onion sauce, "silpancho" - steak with scrambled eggs on a "substrate" of rice and potatoes, "antikucho" - roast beef heart with potatoes and corn sauce, "salchhipapa" - cut sausages with potatoes .To those who were horrified by the description of this completely unhealthy food, we recommend that you pay attention to the fruit salad "Ensalada de Frutas": pieces of juicy fruit drowned in a bowl with fresh yogurt with honey or nuts added .The

The traditional alcoholic drink of Bolivia - corn vodka "chicha", which is customary to drink from shallow bowls with a sloping base (so that it was impossible to deliver without drinking to the bottom). The grape liquor of "Singhani" is also popular - on its basis Bolivians make a variety of cocktails. Fans of low-alcohol drinks will be offered local beer - a national "Pasenya", a better "Huari" and a very feeble "El-Inca".

You can eat lunch in street eateries without fear - the food is cooked clean (although, of course, no one has yet abolished common sense). High-class restaurants can be found in the major cities of the country. For tea it is recommended to leave the standard 10% of the invoice amount.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions in Bolivia

Bolivia is happily rich in a variety of attractions. In short, these are monuments of the pre-Columbian civilization, Spanish colonial architecture and breathtaking natural beauty. In addition to the interestingness can not be attributed the authentic life of numerous nationalities of the Indians of Bolivia - homes, places of worship, holidays and festivals.

On the territory of the country today there are 6 objects of the UNESCO List. These include: the city of Potosi - the capital of silver production, the Jesuit missions on the territories of the Chiquitos Indians - the settlements of missionaries of the 17th and 18th centuries who came to convert the natives into the "right" faith, the historical center of Sucre, remarkable for its colonial buildings, the archaeological parks of Tiahuanaco and El- Fuerte - centers of pre-Hispanic Indian cultures, Noel-Kempff-Merkado National Park.

Lake Titicaca, which Bolivia shares with Peru, is another place visited by tourists. Located at an altitude of 3800 m above sea level, the lake is surrounded by emerald hills and mountains with snowy peaks. In addition, this is the highest mountainous shipping lake of the planet. There are several picturesque islands on the lake, each of which is somewhat famous: Uros, for example, is famous for the floating islands that served as a prototype of the boats of Tour Heyerdahl, and the island of Incas is believed to be connected by underground tunnels to the capital of this civilization, Cusco.

The salt desert of Uyuni is one of the most unusual landscapes of the planet. The desert stretches for 12 thousand square meters. km, the thickness of the salt cover reaches 10 m. It is crazy beautiful and absolute silence reigns, and the sunset shadows seem to stretch for a kilometer.

Sucre and La Paz are magnificent examples of colonial development. Fine facades of strict Spanish style alternate here with snow-white buildings with majestic colonnades and flying domes.

Photo of Bolivia (21)