Bolivia is often overlooked as a travel destination in South America. Tucked away in between Peru, Chile, Brazil and Argentina, Bolivia is landlocked and harder to get to. But, when I did research on where to go on my trip to South America, Bolivia had to be part of it. I arrived in the financial capital city of La Paz, an enormous metropolis located in a valley surrounded by volcanoes. La Paz is a mix old meets new, and I was pleasantly surprised by its atmosphere. It is also a good base if you want to explore some of the unique rock formations in the area, such as the Valle de las Animas and the Valle de la Luna. Rocks have eroded here over time due to the weather, resulting in different shapes and sizes.
Further south lies Sucre, also known as the capital city where the government houses. Sucre has more of a village feel and features countless colonial white houses and churches and charming squares. The city has very chill vibes and feels the complete opposite from busy La Paz.
The real star of the show in Bolivia however is the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flats. Once connected to Lake Titicaca, the lake dried up and all there’s left is a massive salt desert. With a surface of over 10.000km2, it takes hours to cover this salt pan from one end to the other. Everywhere you look you see white salt. In the middle of the salt pan of Uyuni lie several islands in various sizes. The most iconic one of them is Isla Incahuasi, which means home of the Inca in the Quechua language. On this island you are surrounded by thousands of cacti in different sizes and shapes, some measuring up to 10 meters. If you know they only grow half a centimeter per year, imagine how old they must be.
As I left the salt pans, we picked up in altitude and reached up to 5000 meters above sea level. In this area, called Lipez Sur, you are surrounded by beautiful lagoons ranging from dark red to white, depending on the algae in the water. If you happen to be there during the right season, you will get to see thousands of Flamingos around the lagoons of Hedionda, Colorada and Verde. Further down south, closer to Chile, the landscape changes yet again as you pass by the Siloli desert, the highest desert in the world. This desert is also known as the Salvador Dali desert because of the many different colors and shapes of the rocks. To my surprise, there were even geysers in this vast desert. My time in Bolivia had come to an end and it was time to cross into the Atacama desert of Chile to continue my South American journey.
Bolivia was truly a highlight of my trip. From the friendly people, the good food and the unique landscapes, this place is undervalued. It was hard to make a selection of my best travel photography of Bolivia, so I hope you enjoy them!
Travel photography Bolivia | South America travel photographer | Salar de Uyuni travel photography
