Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Adventure
Every second of every day is an adventure in Bolivia. Just finding your way from summit
to city can be a challenge in itself. Then there are the peaks, the rivers, the treks, the
jungles, the gut-bursting mountain-bike descents, and the vast, impenetrable and remote
expanses that tug you ever further into the wild. It's a place that calls for a boldness and
braveness of spirit, the kind of drive that took early explorers to the next rise on the hori-
zon and the next turn on the river. For climbers, the steep mountain peaks offer a life-
time's worth of adventure. Plunging from the Andes down to the edge of the Amazon,
multiday journeys follow ancient Inca paving, making this one of the world's top trekking
destinations, while trips along rivers deep in the heart of the Amazon take you past the ri-
otous barks of monkeys and a thriving mass of biodiversity that will leave you awestruck.
Culture
The cultural, historical and spiritual depths and richness of Latin America's most indigen-
ous nation are astounding. Officially declared a Plurinational State, Bolivia is a place to
visit, learn from and experience a diverse mix of peoples. There are at-risk cultures and
languages that could disappear within our lifetime, and traditions and beliefs that reach
back to the days of the Inca kings and Tiwanaku cosmologist priests. There are pastoral-
ists and independent miners in the highlands whose marked pride in Quechua, Aymará
and Uru roots is displayed in their ongoing patchwork of cultural traditions. In the fores-
ted depths and low-lying plains, you'll find a laid-back attitude in remote Guaraní com-
munities which are slowly changing and adapting with the arrival of Quechua-speaking
and mestizo settlers. In the cities, culture can change quickly - or purposefully slowly - as
you move through a remarkably stratified society that includes both rich and poor, edu-
cated and underprivileged. At every corner a new snapshot, a new understanding will dis-
rupt every stereotype, paradigm and truism you ever had.
Nature
Bolivia is a wild place and nature lovers, aesthetes and poets alike will find landscapes,
views, and nature-born experiences not seen in many other places on the planet. The sheer
amount of geographic, topographic, climatic and biological diversity will astound you.
Then there are the playful bands of monkeys, the elegant and reclusive herds of vicuña
and more than 1000 unique bird species to entertain, inspire and elevate you to a new
proximity to the natural world.
