Why Bolivia?

"Variety and uniqueness - the culture, geography, biodiversity. Andes, Altiplano, Amazon basin. Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flat in the world.  

From the outpost town of Rurrenabaque along the Beni River into the Amazon rainforest and Madidi National Park. Unique history - the last days of Che Guevara, the final days (?) of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  

Last, but not least, one of South America's best overland journeys across the Uyuni Salt Flats and the high altiplano to the Atacama Desert in northern Chile."

ANDREW GILCHRIST FOUNDER, LOST WORLD ADVENTURES

Land-locked since 1884, this remote Andean country is so off the beaten tourist path, it still feels like terra incognita. Those intrepid enough to go, though, will discover a treasure-trove of culture and mind-blowing landscapes.

It starts with the dream-like, swirlingly colored expanses of the Bolivian Altiplano, and extends to the chaotic capital city of La Paz (flanked by not one, but four snow-capped mountain ranges). Along the way, Bolivia’s terrain spans everything from grassy plains to steamy jungles and colonial cities frozen in time—as well as some of the most remote and inhospitable terrain on earth.

Here are some of the wonders awaiting you on your personalized Bolivian adventure:

•  “The salt moon”: such is the local nickname for the Salar de Uyuni. And indeed, this surreal expanse of salt flats looks exactly like a lunar landscape when dry. Wet, it morphs into an infinite mirror, reflecting the heavens all the way to the horizon.
•  Lake Titicaca was considered the birthplace of Andean civilization. There, you’ll find the Isla del Sol, a sacred island rising from its sparkling blue waters, as well as the famous Sun Gate, portal to the mysterious ruined city of Tiwanaku.
•  For centuries, the Cerro de Potosí boasted the greatest silver mine on earth, producing some 60 percent of the world’s supply of the precious metal. Today, you can still enter its tunnels—and see the shrines to the devil erected by the miners.
•  Believe in witches? Bolivians do, and the infamous witches’ market in La Paz testifies to the Andes’ continued belief in the supernatural. Llama fetuses anyone?
•  The Parque Nacional Madidi is one of the most bio-diverse spots on the planet. Almost half of all the mammals in the Americas, as well as 1,000 species of birds, live in this seldom-visited preserve.