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Getting Around by Air
Internal flights are operated by AeroSur (website: www.aerosur.com). Because of the country's topography and tropical regions, air travel is the fastest, but not cheapest, method of transport, although delays, cancellations and unreliability are common. La Paz (El Alto), which is the highest airport in the world, and Santa Cruz (Viru Viru) are the principal domestic air hubs.
Departure Tax
Bs15.
Getting Around by Water
Double-decker passenger boats operate between the various small islands on Lake Titicaca with regular departures from Copacabana. Motorised canoes traverse the many rivers of the Amazon basin with the most regular departures from Rurrenabaque.
Getting Around by Rail
Bolivia has two separate and unconnected networks - Eastern and Western. The Eastern network's hub is Santa Cruz from where Ferroviaria Oriental (website: www.ferroviariaoriental.com) runs trains to the Brazilian borders, the latter known locally as 'the death train'. The Western line, running from Oruro via Uyuni and Tupiza to Villazon for trains to Argentina, is run by Empresa Ferroviaria Andina (FCA) (website: www.fca.com.bo). Trains have three to four classes and restaurant cars. Buy tickets in advance from the offices in Santa Cruz and La Paz respectively.
Getting Around by Road
Most major roads are paved, but B roads can be made of gravel or dirt in country areas. Traffic drives on the right.
Bus: Long bus trips off the main routes can be erratic. Regular long-distance bus departures between major cities are often overnight services.
Taxi: Taxis generally have fixed rates and sharing taxis is common. Tipping is not necessary.
Car hire: There are international and local companies in La Paz and Santa Cruz.
Regulations: The national speed limit is 90kph (55mph). The use of seat belts is not enforced.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. This can be issued by Federación Inter-Americana de Touring y Automóvil on production of a national licence, but it is wiser to obtain the International Permit before departure.
Bus: Long bus trips off the main routes can be erratic. Regular long-distance bus departures between major cities are often overnight services.
Taxi: Taxis generally have fixed rates and sharing taxis is common. Tipping is not necessary.
Car hire: There are international and local companies in La Paz and Santa Cruz.
Regulations: The national speed limit is 90kph (55mph). The use of seat belts is not enforced.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. This can be issued by Federación Inter-Americana de Touring y Automóvil on production of a national licence, but it is wiser to obtain the International Permit before departure.
Getting Around Towns and Cities
Bus services in La Paz are operated by a confederation of owner-operators. There are some fixed-route taxis, known as ‘Trufis', which show coloured flags for particular routes. Fares are regulated. In rural areas, catching a 'truck' is a cheap but rough form of transport.
Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times from La Paz (in hours and minutes) to other major cities/towns in Bolivia.
Note: Visitors should heed the dangers of altitude sickness, especially in the Altiplano.
| Air | Road | Rail | |
| Cochabamba | 0.30 | 6.00 | - |
| Santa Cruz | 1.00 | 24.00 | - |
| Sucre | 1.00 | 16.00 | - |
| Uyuni | - | 12.00 | 7.00 |