Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks: What to see in 15 days

This post is also available in: Español Français

Are you already preparing your next trip to Bolivia and need to plan your journey? In this post, we show you a Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks, where you can visit all the places that this country offers.

Preliminary tips before your Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks

The first thing you will have to find out for sure is the airport to which you are traveling. Bolivia has two main international airports, so depending on your connection your itinerary will vary.

Although La Paz is the best-known city and Sucre is the capital of Bolivia, neither of these two cities has the busiest airport.

Sucre is the administrative capital of the country, while La Paz is the one with the most international fame. But the reality is that neither city is the economic engine of the country.

This place is occupied by Santa Cruz, the city that has the most important airport in the country. Despite this, international flights arrive both to this city, as well as to La Paz.

Don’t worry. In our itinerary, you’re going to be able to see them all…

Because of the location of the most attractive places in the country, our recommendation is that you look for a flight that takes you directly to La Paz, and thus leave the visit to Santa Cruz for the last.

In case your flight lands in La Paz, it will be perfect to start your Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks.

If this is not possible, and your flight arrives only in Santa Cruz, you can always do our itinerary in reverse.

Day 1. Arrival in La Paz and city tour

Your visit to Bolivia will start with the most internationally known city, La Paz. It is also one of the most important cities in the world that is located at the highest altitude, at 3,660 meters above sea level.

Despite this fame, the truth is that La Paz is not a city with many activities to do. It is a city with a high population density, where the houses seem to be built one on top of the other.

If you get careless one day, they might have built a house on your terrace…

Basically, La Paz can seem a bit chaotic. However, we recommend visiting the old town, around the Plaza de San Francisco. There you will be amazed by the beauty of the old colonial buildings.

You can not miss also in this city, the ascent to the cable car of La Paz or the visit to the Witches Market. From there you can see the chaos and the immensity of the city from its heights. Undoubtedly, one of the essential activities of this city.

Although you can always extend your stay here, our recommendation is that you do not spend more than one day in this city, as there are other places to see in Bolivia, where you will need to spend more than one day to discover them.

Day 2. Copacabana and visit to Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian side

On the second day in Bolivia, you will have to get up early if you want to make the most of the day.

As you may well know, the Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. In addition, as a curiosity, it is part of the border between Bolivia and Peru, so there are different places to see in Lake Titicaca by country.

Once here, you will be able to enjoy the lake islands. They are some artificial islands, made of totora reeds, a very famous plant in this place. The Uros Islands are a special place, where you can completely disconnect from the world.

Day 3. Return to La Paz and drive to Rurrenabaque

After spending a night in Copacabana or any of the islands of Lake Titicaca, the adventure continues in Rurrenabaque, the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia.

For this, you have different options. On the one hand, there is the cheapest option which is to take a bus, from one place to the other. This trip takes about 12 hours, so if you come rested from Lake Titicaca, you can take advantage of this night to travel and rest on the bus.

Another option is to do it by small plane. It is an expensive trip and without much availability, although you can always adapt to this option. You can also choose to make the outbound trip by plane and the return trip by bus, and vice versa. This will depend on availability, what you want to spend, and the days you have to travel.

Days 4, 5, 6 and 7. Madidi National Park and the Pampas del Yacuma

From Rurrenabaque you will begin your adventure through the Bolivian Amazon rainforest. Our recommendation is that you dedicate several days to this place.

Since they are very close destinations, the best travel idea for this place is visit Madidi National Park, and then visit the Pampas del Yacuma.

These are spectacular places, where nature will take your breath away. As our colleague Paula told in her experience in Rurrenabaque, in the Bolivian Amazon, the biodiversity of this place is incredible.

From caiman navigating the Beni River, giant butterflies, and even howler monkeys. The sheer variety of animals of the Amazon that you can encounter in this area is brutal.

After a few days of immersing yourself in the lung of the world, you probably won’t want to go back to the big cities.

But as we understand that your journey continues, you should return to La Paz to continue exploring Bolivia. As we have said before, you can choose whether to do it by bus or small plane, whichever you are more interested in.

Day 8. From La Paz to Uyuni

On this eighth day, you will start your trip with your last destination in the Uyuni Salt Flat.

It is quite a few hours of travel, more than 10, so you will almost lose the whole day on this journey.

There are two options to get to the Uyuni Salt Flat from La Paz. On the one hand, there is the bus trip, which will depart from La Paz, and will make a stop in Oruro, to finally reach Uyuni.

The second option is a combination of bus and train. You will have to stop also in Oruro, where after arriving by bus, you will take the train that will take you directly to Uyuni.

Days 9, 10 and 11. Uyuni Salt Flat

Here comes the best moment of your trip, the Uyuni Salt Flat Tour. To enjoy this experience, we recommend that you reserve at least 3 days of your trip in Bolivia.

You have to know that the Uyuni Salt Flat is the largest salt flat in the world. In its more than 10,000 square kilometers, you will find everything from an island in the middle of the desert (Incahuasi Island), hot springs, and even the Uyuni Salt Flat Train Cemetery. All this, adorned by the immensity of this salt flat that seems taken from another world.

Seeing the sunrise from the Uyuni Salt Flat is one of the most impressive experiences you’ll take away from this trip. And if you choose well the season to go to the Uyuni Salt Flat, you will find incredible postcards of the mirror effect in the immensity of this salt flat.

We believe that three days will be enough to explore this place, although without a doubt if you can extend your stay here, you will not regret it.

Do not miss the opportunity to take the the most original photos in the Uyuni Salt Flat, where nature will be on your side to be the envy in your social networks. But beware, we warn you that watching the Uyuni Salt Flat Sunset can be addictive… Who wouldn’t like to spend the rest of their life surrounded by these views?

If you finally manage to decide to continue with your trip, your next stop will be Potosí.

Day 13. Potosí

Do you know the expression “worth a potosí”? This means that something is worth a lot. And do you know where this expression comes from? Well yes, it comes from this Bolivian city.

Potosí was known centuries ago for having one of the most important silver mines in the world. Such was its magnitude, that around Cerro Rico, the mountain from which this mineral was extracted, was formed the city that we know today as Potosí.

To get here you will have to take a bus as early as possible in Uyuni. It is about 4 hours drive.

Upon arrival in Potosi, you can enjoy its famous Cerro Rico, as well as the Potosi National Mint. Given its past importance, this city still preserves vestiges of grandeur in its streets and buildings.

Day 14. Sucre and departure to Santa Cruz

On the penultimate day of Bolivia travel in 15 days, you will travel to the capital of Bolivia, Sucre. From Potosi it is about 3 hours drive, so you can spend the night in Potosi and leave early in the morning to Sucre.

Although it is the capital of the country, the truth is that Sucre does not have many tourist attractions, so we do not recommend spending more than a day here.

If there is something to highlight about this city, it is its buildings, most of them in white. This tonality is repeated throughout the city, so it is something very curious and beautiful.

In our itinerary, we suggest taking the last bus of your trip through Bolivia, the one that will take you from Sucre to Santa Cruz. These buses depart in the afternoon-evening and arrive in Santa Cruz the next morning.

Day 15. Santa Cruz

Last day in Bolivia. For this last day, the most important city in the country, Santa Cruz de la Sierra awaits you.

It is the economic engine of Bolivia, and its streets reflect this. This city has a more modern and more advanced air than the rest of the places in Bolivia.

Among the things you must see are its Plaza de Armas, with the Cathedral of Santa Cruz in the background, the Museum of Independence, or the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Extra day. Güembe in Santa Cruz

If you have an extra day we highly recommend visiting the Biocentro Güembé. For this you will need a whole day, so we put it as an extra option. Here you can enjoy a theme park, which at the same time is integrated in a natural park. An unbeatable experience.

As this will be the last place of your Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks, and having the most important airport in the country, it will be easier for you to adapt your trip while waiting for a flight to your next destination.

Are you already looking forward to starting your trip? Have we missed any place that we should include in our Bolivia itinerary in 2 weeks?