Top Things to Do in Bolivia From Peaks to Caves

October 29, 2026

Advisory as of October 2026. Bolivia has been under a nationwide state of exception since it was decreed in June 2026. Blockades and protests can shut roads at short notice, airport routes included, and fuel is regularly in short supply. Britain’s FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Chapare Province, which includes Villa Tunari, and the US also warns against going there. Look at the FCDO page for Bolivia and US travel advisories before you book anything.

Activities that make the trip

Few countries pack as much into one border. In Bolivia you can ride a cable car over a canyon city, climb a glacier, crawl through a cave and cycle down a cloud-forest road, all within a few days’ travel of each other. The catch is the thin air, so the sensible order is gentle first, hard last.

Adjusting to altitude

Most visitors start in La Paz or El Alto at roughly 3,600 to 4,000 m. Take it slowly for two days, drink plenty of fluids and leave out alcohol. Locals sip coca tea, but it is a custom and not a proven treatment, and nothing you swallow prevents altitude sickness reliably. Speak to a doctor before you travel, and head downhill if symptoms get worse.

Huayna Potosí

This 6,088 m summit in the Cordillera Real is open to fit beginners, but only with crampons, an ice axe and a certified guide. Trips usually take three days, with a base camp near Paso Zongo and a higher camp on the glacier. Only attempt it after several days at altitude and with a licensed operator, and compare quotes since prices vary a lot.

Torotoro caves

Torotoro National Park, a long day’s ride from Cochabamba, has dinosaur footprints, a deep canyon and the Umajalanta cave. Caving is guided, with helmets and headlamps, and takes you through narrow limestone passages. The park ticket is about Bs 100 for four days, and the compulsory community guide costs roughly Bs 120 to 160 per circuit, shared by up to six people.

Death Road by bike

The route drops about 3,450 m in 64 km from the La Cumbre pass to Yolosa, and riders keep to the left. It is a guided activity. Gravity Bolivia and Vertigo Biking are the two established operators, at about US$123 to 142 and US$90 to 120. Cheaper offers around US$35 to 65 skimp on equipment. Several riders have died on the road. Tours get cancelled for landslides and blockades, and in the wet months to March the surface is slick. Look at the bike and brakes, and ask whether the guide carries first aid.

La Paz cable cars and cholita wrestling

Mi Teleférico covers La Paz and El Alto on 10 or more lines. The fare is about Bs 3 on the first line and about Bs 2 more per transfer, so Bs 5 with one change. Evening wrestling with Aymara women fighters in El Alto costs about US$13 for a seat, or about US$18 to 25 with transport. Show times and the venue have changed, so ask your hotel.

Money and paperwork

The boliviano floated in mid-2026 and sat near 12 to the US dollar in late October, so price tours in dollars and treat boliviano fees as approximate. Cash rules, ATMs fail in small towns and cards often add 5 to 10 percent. UK visitors may stay up to 90 days without a visa, while US citizens should ask the Bolivian embassy. Bring a yellow fever certificate for the lowlands.

To compare operators, try Viator Bolivia activities , or visit Gravity Bolivia for the Death Road briefing.