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Bolivia Transportation

LAURENA LA GEANTE - Bolivia
LAURENA LA GEANTE
by Aurelien5480
Tips for getting around Bolivia posted by real travelers and Bolivia locals.
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Bolivia TransportationTips 1 - 10 of 59  
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Bolivian Travel in General
  • Tip Rating:
    • AlbuqRay
  • Updated By AlbuqRay on August 19, 2007
  • Bolivia Page by AlbuqRay
    • La Paz Bus Station - Bolivia
    La Paz Bus Station
    by AlbuqRay
    Bolivia is a large country (like Texas and California combined) and the logistics of getting around can take large amounts of time. For example, the bus from La Paz to Oruro takes 3 hours and the train from Oruro to Uyuni takes 7 hours. The 4WD trip from Laguna Verde back to Uyuni takes 7 hours. The bus from Uyuni to Potosi (25 Bs.) takes 6 hours with only one 30 minute break for lunch. Share a collective taxi from Potosi to Sucre for 30 Bs. and save an hour (bus ride is 3 hours).

    In general, all buses, trains and flights left pretty much on time. Bus seats are numbered and you buy a ticket for a specific seat. No bus I was on had a bathroom. The bathroom on the train was very clean.

    Flying was the best way to cover the large distances; however, it's expensive compared to the buses and trains and there are a limited number of flights each day. The Bolivian airline, LAB, was modern and efficient, but was having financial problems (operations were suspended in Apr 07). While I was there, the La Paz airport was closed part of the time due to political demonstrations.

    The La Paz bus station was designed by Eiffel (of French tower fame). Radio taxis in downtown La Paz charge 7 Bs. for a trip in that area.

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  • Theme: Bus
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    Typical Bolivian Bus
  • Tip Rating:
    • AlbuqRay
  • By AlbuqRay on November 22, 2003
  • Bolivia Page by AlbuqRay
    • Lunch Stop in Pella - Bolivia
    Lunch Stop in Pella
    by AlbuqRay
    The bus from Uyuni to Potosi (25 Bs.) takes 6 hours with only one 30 minute break for lunch and to use the "bathroom;" actually you had to find a bush (hard to do on the Altiplano) or a building if you wanted a little privacy. There may have been a banos but I didn't find it. The sopa in the restaurant was pretty good (2 Bs.).

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  • Theme: Bus
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    Bolivian buses
  • Tip Rating:
    • lemondrop
  • Updated By lemondrop on June 26, 2006
  • Bolivia Page by lemondrop
    • Selling snacks to the bus passengers - Bolivia
    Selling snacks to the bus
    passengers
    by lemondrop,
    1 more photos
    Riding on the buses in Bolivia can be a great part of your travel experience. One big plus is that the scenery is fantastic, and the bus is a nice way to enjoy that while getting from point A to point B. The buses are also very cheap. If there is one minus it has to be that the buses will pack in as many people as possible. Even if your bus starts out from it's destination with a light passenger load and plenty of space, it doesn't mean that it will stay that way. People wave down passing buses from anywhere along the road. You might see a group of 15 people board from out in the middle of nowhere. The buses tend to be at least half full of Cholas (indigenous women usually wearing bowler hats) at any given time. These ladies are usually rather rotund and take up a lot of space...and this is coming from a resident of the U.S., the fat capital of the world. Another piece of advice is to know the fare, as the ticket sellers might try to overcharge gringos.

  • Theme: Bus
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    Trinidad : Avoid the small buses - Pas de minibus
  • Tip Rating:
    • Maillekeul
  • Updated By Maillekeul on March 22, 2004
  • Bolivia Page by Maillekeul
    • You have to cross the river ! Il faudra passer ! - Bolivia
    You have to cross the river !
    Il faudra passer !
    by Maillekeul
    There are big buses leaving Trinidad : take them, and avoid the small ones, if you want to travel with a bit more confort and without being treated like a sucker by the companies (selling more places than there actually are, giving you a wrong departure time...)

    Il y a des gros bus qui partent depuis Trinidad. Dans la mesure du possible, prenez les et evitez les minibus, si vous voulez un minimum de confort et ne pas etre considere comme un con par les compagnies (qui vendent plus de places qu'il n'y en a et vous filent de mauvais horaires de depart).

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  • Theme: Bus
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    bolivian roads
  • Tip Rating:
    • utttz
  • Updated By utttz on February 26, 2004
  • Bolivia Page by utttz
    • potosi to uyuni - Bolivia
    potosi to uyuni
    by utttz
    what can you find after a turn?
    a road
    a hole
    no road at all
    a dog
    a generic cattle
    a lama
    a cow
    a sheep
    a goat
    a cow
    a llama or other camelides
    a kicking donkey (luckyly it slipped)
    a broken car
    rompimuellas
    a police post
    a dead horse with vultures
    an incoming truck
    a breathtaking view (at least this is not dangerous)

    I'm sure the more you drive the more you find but this is what I found.

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  • Theme: Motorcycle
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    Flying High
  • Tip Rating:
    • andal13
  • Updated By andal13 on October 14, 2003
  • Bolivia Page by andal13
    • Plane - Bolivia
    Plane
    by andal13
    Probably the best way to arrive in Bolivia is the plane, although you can go by car, bus or even ship (from neighbour countries, of course!). Bolivia has two international airports: El Alto, close to La Paz, and Viru-Viru in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Lloyd Aereo Boliviano is the national airline.

    Probablemente la mejor forma de llegar a Bolivia sea por avión, aunque pueden ir en auto, bus o incluso barco (desde países vecinos ¡por supuesto!). Bolivia cuenta con dos aeropuertos internacionales: El Alto cerca de La Paz, y Viru-Viru en Santa Cruz de la Sierra. El Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano es la aerolínea nacional.

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  • Theme: Airplane
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    trains
  • Tip Rating:
    • utttz
  • Updated By utttz on September 2, 2003
  • Bolivia Page by utttz
    • science train - Bolivia
    science train
    by utttz
    trains unfortunately has been almost abandoned in bolivia; there's still something around uyuni but it's just a "once upon a time" trip.
    They speaks a lot about development but they seems to forget that train is still the most effective and compatible medium distance carrier....

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  • Theme: Train
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    Flotas to other departments
  • Tip Rating:
    • Chicha15
  • Updated By Chicha15 on November 10, 2005
  • Bolivia Page by Chicha15
    • If you are traveling by Flota, you will notice that there are lots of what seems to be unplanned stops. I got nervous about the constant loading and unloading of luggage. My cousin who lost his luggage on a previous trip told me that its good practice to tip the luggage handler to look after your belongings. I tipped 5 Bolivianos before and after my arrival on all my trips, it was worth the peace of mind and the cost equals about a dollar!

  • Theme: Bus
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    Motorcycle
  • Tip Rating:
    • asgottl
  • By asgottl on February 28, 2003
  • Bolivia Page by asgottl
    • Learning to ride - Bolivia
    Learning to ride
    by asgottl
    In order to conduct epidemiological surveillance in my intervention community, it was necessary for me to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I loved the motorbike, but I had a difficult time dealing with the dogs....who always seemed to attack!

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  • Theme: Motorcycle
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    El Micro
  • Tip Rating:
    • Chicha15
  • Updated By Chicha15 on September 1, 2005
  • Bolivia Page by Chicha15
    • El Micro - Bolivia
    El Micro
    by Chicha15
    When at all possible...Walk! its safer! No lie, i got in a cab and the whole inside was refurbished...the steering wheel that used to be on the right handside is now on the left...and the seat was a lawn chair, tied down by wires!! I felt like getting out immeditely but we were off so fast, i just held on and laughed! The Micros are not any better, i avoided them totally on this trip. No mode of transportation is up to code and you really take a chance when you ride in any of them. The rides are very cheap though! Things are a bit different when traveling to another department. If you want to see the country take a Flota. They arent too bad and its worth to always buy a first class ticket. In some departments there are no airports so this will be your only mode of trans unless you hire a private driver, but my advise is the flota, you get to see all of the interesting stops and customs. I ate dried llama in a bag at one stop! i was so hungry! and i couldnt believe i could make such a purchase! use caution when eating such items, i have a stomach made of steel:)

  • Theme: Other
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    More Bolivia Tips
    Overview
         		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 63 - Photos: 64
    Things To Do
    Tips: 284 - Photos: 391    		Nightlife
    Tips: 23 - Photos: 6
    Transportation
    Tips: 59 - Photos: 46    		Restaurants
    Tips: 58 - Photos: 34
    Shopping
    Tips: 11 - Photos: 11    		Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 57 - Photos: 65
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 18 - Photos: 6    		Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 56 - Photos: 30
    Local Customs
    Tips: 66 - Photos: 58    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 18 - Photos: 11
    Sports Travel
    Tips: 9 - Photos: 15    		General Tips
    Tips: 138 - Photos: 151
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