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We are just setting up this information and frequently asked questions (FAQ). In the meantime you can send us your questions using the contact form by clicking on the Contact Us link above.

Please let us know if you have any requests to be added to this FAQ list.

As per most other countries there are departure taxes to pay in the airports that are not usually included with your flight tickets.

The current International departure tax is 24us$ and national flight departure tax is 13bs. These must be paid in cash in the airports after checking inwith your airline and before passing through the boarding gate.

La Paz and Santa cruz airports have ATM cash machines.

San Pedro Prison tours are not possible. We have never arranged these tours as they are not legal. Tours used to be possible to arrange through some sources but after a series of news reports , both national and international, the officials that ran the prision were removed from their posts and security tightened. Tours are definately not possible any more and turning up outside the prision will just end up in you being refused. Beware of people that tell you that they can get you in as it is a scam.

The cities in Bolivia and most large towns have ATMS that will work with international bank cards. Smaller towns however usually do not although you can usually get a cash advance on credit cards in a local bank such as Prodem.Visa is more commonly excepted than mastercard although the latter can still be used in many places.American Express is rarely excepted.

The Boliviano is the national currency but often larger value items are quoted in US$ which are also readily accepted. Euros are becoming increasing easier to change in the cities but not for general use.

The amount you can withdraw will vary depending on the actual bank and your bank but you can usually get up to 2000 in Bolivianos and up to 500/700 US$ dollars. The largest banks such as BCP, BNB and Mercantil Santa Cruz are the best ones to try if available.

Travellers Cheques are not commonly accepted and you should cash them in cities when you can. There will often be quite an expensive commission for changing them so they are not recommended for travelling with in Bolivia.

You can change money in banks and exchange houses (Casa de Cambios) but we advise you to avoid using the street money changers as these can sometimes try to short change you, give you fakes or run some other scam. You should make yourself aware of the exchange rate before arriving in Bolivia so you can be sure you are getting a fare rate.

The best place to go to buy cameras and/or electronic goods in La Paz is the street/area called Eloy Salmon. This is located about 7 blocks up (west) from Plaza San Francisco and most people decide to take a taxi there as the walk is all uphill!. There is a good selection of digital cameras although only a few SLR style cameras. The area also sells lots of other electronic goods such as MP3 players, laptops, cel phones and other domestic  items. Prices vary as import taxes are high on electronics in Bolivia but often the items have been smuggled into the country without paying taxes so can be reasonbly priced.

Always ask if guarnantees are international guarantees and before of fake goods. There are many fake TVs, DVD players and MP3 players on offer , although cameras are harder to fake so this is much less common. Always haggle and compare prices and you will soon get an idea of what the going rate for a product is.Check everything is working before leavig the shop as it is hard to get refunds afterwards.

There are some stores on the main street ¨Prado¨but these tend to have less choice and are more expensive.

Mountain biking trips down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road / Death Road get back usually around 7/8pm. This can very depending on the company you go with , the speed of your group, traffiic and road conditions etc - it can be a bit earlier or it can be later. Buses to Uyuni leave at 7pm or most buses and 9pm for the tourist bus so we recommended you dont try to catch a bus the same day as for most buses you would miss it and for the tourist bus it is a risk.

Yes it is ´possible´ but it is probably not an option for most people. There are some expensive package tour catamarans that run this service but they need to be booked in advance as part of a pre arranged group tour and are usually way out of the backpackers budget. There is no standard / public services that go by boat or ferry between Puno (Peru) and Copacabana (Bolivia)

There are no direct buses from Uyuni to Salta. You will first need to travel to the Border town of Villazon and then, after crossing the border, you can catch buses to Salta. Bus leave quite often and the journey from La Quiaca(the Argentinain border town) takes around 6 to 7 hours.

Buses from Uyuni to Villazon (via Tuipiza) take around 9/10 hours and leave in the early morning. You cannot finish a salt flats tour and then catch a bus to Villazon/Tupiza that night. The only options for travelling at night are taking the train at around 11pm on Tuesday and Friday or around 3am on Thursday and Monday, or there are ´sometimes´  4x4 jeeps / landcruisers leaving around 6/7pm for Tupiza.

No, you cannot - there are no direct roads going from Rurrenabaque to Copacabana - there are lots of mountains and jungle in the way!. You must first come back to La Paz and then travel to Copacabana from there. The journey to Copacabana is around 4 hours from La Paz.

No we cannot - because we dont and cannot know. Road blocks and protests are a part of life in Bolivia and South America. They happen for various reasons - political statement, in protest to a change or lack of change, to make point etc. They can start very quickly and they can go on until the issue is resolved. This can be hours, days, weeks  or months and there is no way of us knowing when this will be. From time to time we get information about when one ´might´ stop but we can never know for sure. Also - they are not our fault so please dont complain to us! They effect us year round and we dont like them either!

It depends what country you are from. Many nationaliities can simply arrive and are given a 30 day entry upon arrival (which can be extended to 90 days  free of charge at immigration in any departmental capital). Some countries are required to obtain a visa prior to arriving in the country , some can apply for a visa on the border (US citizens can apply on the border)

You can check what the requirement are for your nationality below

What days can I fly to Cusco from la Paz and to La Paz from Cusco?

Direct flights only go on Thursday and Sundays at around 8am in the morning and the cost is usually around 100 to 120us$ (or more during busy periods - check with us  for the current scheduled times and prices). The flight takes around 1 hour and there is a 24us$ international departure tax payable in Bolivia for all international flights.

Most people go by bus and another common option is to go by bus/train combination.

There are bus options daily that leave in the EVENINGS - there are not diect buses to Uyuni in the daytime although you can can travel to Oruro then catch connecting buses a fewof times per day to Uyuni although these are low quality bus services.

The train and bus combos only leave on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

BUS OPTION INFO

Buses take 10 to 12 hours normally.

Tourist Bus (with Todo Turismo) – the highest quality option leaves every night at 9pm from La Paz to Uyuni EXCEPT on Wednesdays and Sundays

Semi Cama bus – leaves several evenings per week at 7pm (the days change so you need to check if available). Semi cama means the seats recline and are more comfy than normal buses. These buses often have toilet and heating.

Normal Bus   leaves every evening at 7pm – these buses usually DON’T  have toilet, reclining seats and  often no heating.

TRAIN / BUS COMBOS INFO

The trains leave from the City of Oruro which is about 3.5 to 4 hours away from La Paz by bus. There are often buses that are scheduled to leave and go to the train station in Oruro to arrive in time to catch the train. There are lots of normal buses to Oruro bus station (every 30 mins or so). The train from Oruro to Uyuni takes around 7 hours and it also continues onto Tupiza and Villazon (the Argentina / Bolivia border town).

We have more info on schedules/services  and you can book online here BUSES TRAINS FLIGHTS and ther sames options plus info on salt flats tours can be found under SALT FLATS TOURS BUDGET

Rurrenabaque (or Rurre for short) is the principle gateway to the Amazon in Bolivia for tourism and is one of the most popular destinations for tourists. It is accessible by plane, road or by boat trips.

THERE IS NO ATM IN RURRENABAQUE!!!! You can get cash advances on credit card from Prodem bank and from some local businesses such as the Mosqito Bar. Take more than enough money with you as it is possible to get stuck due to flight delays.

Flights from La Paz to Rurre take around 50mins and are scheduled to leave daily (see the Flights to Rurrenabaque FAQ entry for details about possible issues with these flights)

Buses to Rurre leave from La Paz daily at around 11am and the journey can take anywhere from 17 hours upwards. In the rainy season when conditions on the road are bad this travel times in hours can be in the high 20s!

Jeeps can do the La Paz to Rurre trip in around 12 to 15 hours (more in bad conditions) and can be arranged in La Paz  (ask us for details) and usually take groups of around  6 people.

The vast majority of tourists to Bolivia have no need to take malaria tablets as they will not be travelling to a malaria zone. There is some malaria in lowland areas of Bolivia but this is mostly towards the border of Brazil and Paraguay in remote areas that tourists seldom visit.

There has not been any reported cases of malaria in Rurrenabaque for over a decade.It is a personal decision if you take malaria tablets or not but the risk of catching the disease in the area is very low. There are plenty of mosquitoes in the area though and they can carry other diseases such as dengue fever so you should cover up and take good insect repellent.