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www.kanootours.com

PAMPAS AND JUNGLE TOURS

Explore the lush Amazon jungle in Madidi National Park and swim with pink river dolphins in the Yacuma River that runs through the pampas wetlands. Visit Serere private reserve  for true eco tourism.

UYUNI SALT FLATS

Blinding white salt deserts, coloured lakes, steaming geysers, surreal Dali-esque rock formations and pink flamingos. Touring the Uyuni salt flats and surrounding area is a memorable experience.

OTHER TOURS & ACTIVITIES

Cycle down the worlds most dangrous road, trek along ancient inca trade routes, climb 6000 metre+ mountains, horse ride through spectacular canyons, visit the ancient site of Tiwanaku and much much more.......
Kanoo Tours - The Most Reomended Agency By Backpackers in Bolivia

Welcome to the Kanoo Tours Web site - Latest News

This last year has been a great success and we have received lots of positive feedback from our customers who appreciate the honest advice that has been given to them. Our aim is to tell people how it really is so they can make informed decisions and not to try to hard sell to people at whatever cost. We know this approach is the best and we are constantly trying to find ways of providing the best advice to our customers so travelling in Bolivia, which is so often problematic, goes as smooth as possilble for them. 

If you are in La Paz you can come and find us inside the two biggest backpacker hostels in Bolivia :

  Kanoo Tours Branch 1

Calle Loayza 420 (Hostel Loki)  La Paz  Bolivia - Tel (591-2) 2204624

  Kanoo Tours Branch 2

Av. Montes 533 (Adventure Brew Hostel)  La Paz  Bolivia - Tel (591-2) 2915074

Please have a look round the web site and  contact us for information should you have any questions. The web site is still evolving so if you cannot find what you are looking then simply send us an email. We are not at present in a position to book via the web site directly but will be soon. In some instances though we can hold spaces for you and you can finalise the booking upon arrival in La Paz (different restrictions apply depending on what booking you wish to hold).

We are happy to answer your emails about  tours and help you out with travel advice about Bolivia 

 
 
Latest Travel News & Info

Updated 31/10/08

It is Safe to Visit Bolivia!

In recent months  there have been  political problems in Bolivia between the Government  and some lowland departments. This caused a number of protest mainly in the areas of Santa Cruz, Pando, Tarija and other lowland departments. These were widely reported in the international press and overall made it seem that it was unsafe to travel in Bolivia. The reality was that most places that tourists visit were and still are perfectly safe to visit.

In recent weeks there have not been any protests, marches or roadblocks in Bolivia  since the government and the opposition came to an agreement over arranging a referendum to approve a new constitution. There will be a referendum on Jan 25th 2009 so hopefully things are going to continue running smoothly for the rest of this year and longer. There is also an presidential election planned for Dec 2009.

Visitors should always keep a close eye on the news , in case their travel plans look like being disrupted due to protests and roadblocks  (good practice at any time in Bolivia / South America). 

Some government web sites are showing travel warnings to Bolivia, Most embassies will eer on the side of caution when giving travel advice but it is usually not a true reflection of the situation in a country.The US for example have withdrawn some non essential personal, all peace corps volunteers and missionaries from Bolivia. This is certainly an over reaction and is more likely a move of retaliation for the expulsion of the US ambassador from Bolivia and the current bad diplomatic situation between Bolivia and the US. Some peace corps have come out in public saying it was an over reaction and a political move and have even come back to Bolivia at there own cost to continuing working individually.

We are here in Bolivia right now and the places tourists usually visit are all perfectly safe and accessible at present.The salt flats, pampas tours,biking the worlds most dangerous road, Copacabana, Potosi Mines and many other places are all being visited daily by tourists with us wthout any problems. As always , in a developing country, things can go wrong and delays do happen but no more than is usual!

Check the latest on road blocks in Bolivia on this government web site that is updated daily which is a very good indication although should not be relied upon 100%.

Road Blocks are an unfortunate part of travelling and living in Bolivia - always try to give yourself some extra days in Bolivia (and other south american countries) in case you should be delayed and need to reschedule your trip a little, especially if you have international flights to catch!
 
Booking Information

 

We Accept Credit Cards

We accept Visa, Mastercard and any other card that our electronic machine will except (cirrus network) in our office  but unfortunately we have to charge 5% on all purchases. We keep this as low as we can so we are just covering our costs.  At present we are not able to except cards over the phone or via the web site - but we are working on it!

Booking In Advance

If you want to make sure you get a seat on a bus or reserve flights for a certain date then the best way is for you to book in advance.Some tours require full payment in  advance in order for us to hold spaces and with some we can reserve seats as long as you pay more than 24 hours in advance.

Unfortunately credit card bookings can only be done in our office so if you wish to pay in advance you can make a bank deposit (in Bolivia) in one of our bank accounts. We use both BCP and BNB (these two preferred) or Prodem (for more rural areas such as Rurrenabaque and Coroico) to offer the most coverage possible.Please email us for out details.

Booking Advice - Rurre Flights, Travel to Uyuni, Gravity Biking

We are not in the high season for tourism in Bolivia so whilst things are less busy and you can often arrange things at short notice  planning ahead is still  a good idea so you definately get places when you need them.

Uyuni - On many routes you are usually ok to buy bus tickets the day before and sometimes directly before boarding but for La Paz to Uyuni (and to return back to La Paz) you should plan ahead at present. Currently there is usually a standard wait of about 2/3 days  for seats on the Todo Turismo Tourist Bus (the best bus on this Route) although sometimes the same day there are a few seats left. Trains from Oruro only run 4 days per week and can often get booked a few days in advance. Plan and book ahead to ensure you can fit Salar trips into your schedule. 

Rurrenabaque - In recent weeks availability has not been a problem to fly to Rurre  and most days it has been possible to book for the next day. This situation can change quickly when there is a rainy spell causing flights to be cancelled and a backlog develops but overall at present your chances are good of getting a flight at short notice.As we are moving into the rainy season though delays and cancellations are becoming more common so you need to although for this in you schedule.

Buses leave daily at 11am and booking the day before should ensure a space.As we go more into the rainy season the travel time for teh bus journey will increase from 18 hours due to bad road coniditions. N.b this is not a good quality bus and the road is a dirt road.

Worlds Most Dangerous Road with Gravity - Busiest day for booking is Monday for rides leaving on Tuesday (usually after people have had a party weekend in La Paz) so try to book as early as possible on this day as it can often sell out before midday. Whilst it is always best to book as early as you can at present most days the ride is available until close of business the day before (approx 5/6 pm) You must pay in full to hold a space and all riders must be there in person to complete a booking (try on helmets, sign waivers etc. The prices with gravity is 600 BS at present for the All Inclusive package with the Budget option currently not available due to the bad condition of the road.