Hostels in Bolivia

Landlocked Bolivia, is a great place for hostel travel if you are looking for beautiful and unique landscapes, indigenous culture, shopping, and something a little different. Bolivia is also a great place to visit if you are travelling on a budget.

La Paz is the capital of Bolivia, as well as being the highest altitude capital city, and is home to the highest altitude airport in the world. The city is situated over 4000 meters above sea level. If arriving by air into La Paz, altitude sickness is a huge risk. The airport has oxygen tanks available and emergency staff on duty. If you do start being sick, then you must seek emergency attention immediately. Most people that do arrive into Bolivia, do so by land, or have visited other high altitude places, so they have had enough time to acclimatise. La Paz is a great city for shopping, with loads of interesting markets, both tourist and local markets, dotted around the city. So you'll probably get your first Bolivian hostel in La Paz, and then arrange trips to other nearby attractions.

Protests are common in Bolivia, especially in La Paz. Usually they are peaceful protests, however they can result in highways and roads shutting down. This can be annoying if travelling by bus to your next destination, so make sure you pack a good book or music for the trip.

From La Paz you can arrange a day trip to cycle down the world's most dangerous road, known as "the death road," or even a hiking trip to the world's easiest 6000m mountain climb. You can even arrange trips to the Amazon from La Paz.

Lake Titicaca is a beautiful destination. The world's highest altitude navigable lake at 3805 meters above sea level.

Salar de Uyuni is a must see when visiting Bolivia. The landscapes along the largest salt flats in the world, provide loads of photo opportunities, with old abandoned villages and railway lines, salt block houses, flamingos, volcanoes and geysers. Visitors have the option of hiring a car, or joining a 4 day trip across the salt flats.

In touristy areas and the big cities, all types of restaurants can be found. Italian and Mexican are the most popular, and vary in quality. If you want to try some local dishes, then guinea pig (cuy) and rabbit (conejo) are traditional meats, especially in the rural areas. If you want to try something a little less adventurous, then chicken, llama and beef are also popular meats. Potatoes or rice is served with almost everything. Empanadas (pastries filled with various fillings) are also popular.

Hostels and guesthouses are the most common types of accommodation in Bolivia. Budget hotels and luxury hotels can be found in larger cities, especially touristy cities, such as La Paz or Tupiza. In La Paz, most hostels are "party hostels." If you are looking for a quiet place to stay, then make sure you read up on the reviews before booking. If you are looking for people to party with all night, then La Paz hostels are definitely for you. Whether you decided to stay in a guesthouse, hotel or hostel, accommodation is cheap, as is the food and drink.

Handwritten by local expert for Bolivia hostels Kelly Sheldrick