Laguna Verde, Bolivia

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Travel to Bolivia

Flying to Bolivia

The national airline is AeroSur (website: www.aerosur.com).

Flight times:

There are no direct flights from the UK. The main routes involve transit in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires or Miami for connections to La Paz and Santa Cruz. Flight time from London via Buenos Aires and Madrid is 16 hours. From Miami to Santa Cruz is 7 hours.

Air passes:

oneworld Visit South America Pass: valid for unlimited travel to 34 cities in ten countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile (except Easter Island), Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines include American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Iberia (IB) and LAN (LA). The pass must be bought outside South America in the country of residence. A minimum of three flights must be booked, with a maximum of 20; prices depend on the amount of flight zones. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines.

Departure tax:

US$24. Payable in US Dollars for all non-residents. There is also a national passenger tax of Bs169 for international departures.

Travel by rail

There are rail connections from Oruro to La Quiaca and Pocitos (Argentina), and a connection to Corumba (Brazil).

Getting to Bolivia by boat

Steamers cross Lake Titicaca to the Peruvian port of Puno from Guaqui, the most important port on the lake. Situated 90km (56 miles) from La Paz, it is accessible by road but the journey is a rough one.

Cruise ships:

Although it is a member of the International Maritime Organisation, Bolivia is wholly landlocked and not served by cruises. However, it is possible to reach ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru by ship and, from there, there are rail connections to La Paz or Santa Cruz. The nearest seaport is Arica in the extreme north of Chile. There are also crossings at Port Heath on the Madre de Dios river (Peru), the Bermejo or Pilcomayo rivers (Argentina) and from Brasilia to Cobija across to the Acre River and from Guayaramerin across the Heinez river (both in Brazil).