{"id":1721,"date":"2018-11-19T20:28:35","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T20:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeker.io\/?p=1721"},"modified":"2018-11-19T20:28:35","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T20:28:35","slug":"things-to-do-in-bolivia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeker.io\/article\/things-to-do-in-bolivia\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things To Do in Bolivia to Experience the Real South America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Bolivia, progress is more an abstract concept than a reality. That isn\u2019t an insult. It\u2019s a compliment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arriving in Bolivia from almost any other part of South America, whether Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, or Peru, you can feel as though you\u2019ve Marty McFlown back 50 years or more. Everything you\u2019ve been force fed about South America by Nat Geo and BBC over the years can be found right here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grinning kids in colorful knitted hats? Check. Old women leading llamas through the streets? Check. Banged up buses bursting at the seams with locals and livestock? Check. Traditional dress not for the tourists, but because that\u2019s just what you wear? Check and check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, I imagine, is what South American life was like before the age of international travel and the World Wide Web. While other countries seem to have taken tourist culture with tourist dollars, Bolivia, isolated by distance and modest in means, has stayed true to its roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what are the most Bolivian <\/i>of Bolivian experiences? In three months there, these were my highlights \u2014 the five things to do in Bolivia that sum up this beautiful, unique, and often bananas<\/i> country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit the World’s Largest Mirror<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Salt Pans, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Head to Salar de Uyuni if you want to experience a Bob Ross fever dream. The jewel of Bolivia\u2019s tourist crown, these salt pans, and the gloriously barren desert on the other side, are as close to walking on another planet as us modern day humans can get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018What\u2019s so great about a salt pan?\u2019 I hear you ask. In short, everything<\/i>. The biggest in the world, the sheer scale is mind-blowing. They extend further than the eye can see and it\u2019s weirdly humbling – you\u2019re just a speck on an endless white canvas. If you go in wet season (December to March) the pans can turn into a giant mirror, perfectly reflecting every bit of light that hits them. Charge that camera!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the salt pans you\u2019ll find the beginnings of the Atacama Desert. Elevated 3000m or more above sea level, the air is thin and cool, the landscape is beautifully desolate, and birdlife, for whatever reason, is plentiful. While you can book ahead for a four day tour (which will end in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile), I\u2019d recommend traveling to Uyuni and booking a tour in person for a huge<\/em> <\/b>discount. A good number of tours leave every day, so you\u2019re unlikely to have to wait for an opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore the Culture in Sucre<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe, Sucre, Bolivia. Rafal Cichawa \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bolivia\u2019s secondary capital (but don\u2019t say that to a Sucran), Sucre is a stunning city that receives no more than a sprinkling of tourists, who tend to either leave after a night\u2019s rest or stay, like I did, learning Spanish for two months or more. The locals are friendly, the markets are authentic (they use every part of the animal around here), and the festivals are regular and wild. Check out the Virgin of Guadalupe Festival<\/a> in early September, or the 25 de Mayo celebrations (where you\u2019ll find out that Sucre played a crucial role in Latin American independence) to taste the party vibe of this otherwise laid back city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The climate in Sucre is delightfully comfortable all year round, making the ideal time to visit any time<\/i> (although it\u2019s slightly drier from November to February). If weather permits, the surrounding area has some beautiful hikes that you can enjoy with the help of local guides Condor Trekkers<\/a>. The two day trek along an old Inca trail to Maragua Crater is particularly beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the Historic Silver Mines in Potosi<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Potosi, Bolivia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a place where any old character \u2013 including yours truly \u2013 can wander into a shop, buy a stick of dynamite and a bottle of 100% pure (and apparently drinkable) alcohol, and scamper down a hole to loosen some rocks. Finding an organized (I use that term loosely<\/i>) tour of Potosi Mine – found in a hill next to Potosi city –  is simply a matter of enquiring at your accommodation, who will happily hook you up with a local who\u2019s got a connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Established by 16th century Spaniards to fund their conquests and enslave the locals, the silver mine has run continually ever since, and is as fascinating as it is unregulated. Some fun facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n