Bolivia has a cultural, historical and spiritual depth that’s hard to find elsewhere. It is obvious in the towns, cities and tiny villages you might visit, whether in the urban capital of Santa Cruz, the freezing cold highlands or the hot and humid rainforests. Some travellers begin their adventure by crossing Lake Titicaca – South America’s largest lake, shared with Peru – and stay on one of its hilly islands. Isla del Sol is considered to be the birthplace of Andean civilisation, with its Sacred Rock and labyrinth-like Inca ruins. At its mountainous heart, La Paz has a chaotic, if a little vexing crossroads, but the city’s location, beneath the colossal mass of 5,000-metre-high Illimani Mountain, is breathtaking. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Whether it’s island-hopping on Lake Titicaca, discovering the world’s largest salt desert, descending into Potosí’s silver mines, following in the footsteps of the Incas in the Amazon basin or rattling down the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Road’, there’s an off-road adventure waiting around every corner in Bolivia. Accommodation options in all top Bolivian destinations vary from hotels to B&Bs and private rentals.
