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VISA
EU citizens staying less than 90 days
don't require anything more than their passport. It'll
be stamped with a medium size colored stamp.
MONEY
The currency is the Bolivian Pesos;
the official change rate.
(1€= 10BOB Aug 2011). The pesos is very volatile
versus the euros, being more aligned to USD
GUIDE
BOOK
I had Footprint (Peru- Bolivia- Ecuador)
and LP (7th April 2010 in Italian) both very useful
as usual.
HEALTH
I had the usual vaccinations: ephatite
A, B, typhus and tetanus; given the season and the
low temperature there's no need for no risk for Malaria.
What should be your concern is the Altitude, in particular
if you land directly in La Paz (4.000m) you may feel
it. I had a strong headache for few days and there's
nothing you can really do against it beside avoid
doing any effort and getting some pill (Moment) for
the headache. The obvious suggestion is to come from
low altitude (i.e. from Lima) and getting slowly acquainted;
surely landing directly La Paz (as we did) is the
worst you can do.
GENERAL
TIPS
- Bed-seats for night buses
Night travel buses can be tiring like hell, that's
why my suggestion is to invest sometihng more
to get a 1st class (semibed) place: seats are
wider, you can tilt them till 150deg (even if
not completely horizontal), fewer people, so chances
to sleep are higher. Still it'll be cold due to
the A/C but the bus company usually provides a
warm blanket.
-
Safety in La Paz
La Paz is a nice place where to spend a day,
but extreme attention is needed to the several
tricks used to robbed tourists. Don't panic,
there is nothing violent in the robbing: the
common scam is to shoot some water inside your
ear, and when you turn to understand what's
happening they empty your pocket on the opposite
side.
SALAR DE UYUNI
In the high season (July-
Aug) popping up in Uyuni and entering in
any agency will almost guarantee you the
chance to leave the next day, so don't worry
about booking in advance. Different issue
is to understand the right agency to rely
on.
Few internet researches in the forum (i.e.:Lonely
Planet Thorn Tree) or asking in Uyuni to
the guys back from their trip is always
the best approach.
The standard 3 days tour is departs (10.00am)
and arrives (6.00pm) in Uyuni visiting:
day 1- Train cemetery, Salar De Uyuni, Isla
Del Pescado
day 2- Laguna Colorada
day 3- Hot Springs, Laguna Verde, border
with Chile
The agency will provide:
- jeep with driver and a cooker shared among
6 people
- accomodation (in very basic and cooold
guesthouses)
- food
What's extra:
- park entrance fee
- drinks at the guesthouse
The agency we used has been :'Alkaya
Expedeciones'
(Av Arce 346, tel/fax (591) 2-6932164, cel
72422140- 72427821, email: exp-alkaya@hotmail.com)
We paid roughly 75€ pp for the whole
3 days, at the end we were satisfied with
the sevice so I reccomend them.
Pay attention to:
- not having a jeep shared with 7 people
- having warm clothes and a sleeping bag
(you can rent in Uyuni)
- if you are a couple you might be asked
to put all your stuffs in one bag
- carry your swimming suit if you feel to
enjoy hot springs
- have a flash lamp
- have your own music if you are an easy-boring
person spending hours and hours in a jeep
- book the night bus/train to La Paz well
in advance or you won't be able to leave
Uyuni once back from the tour
- the driver and the cooker are not touristic
guides and don't expect they'll spent more
than few words about what's around you,
regardless the language you speak
- don't expect a deluxe trip; breakdowns
and punctures are frequent (we punctured
5 times and got a break down). Be patient
- avoid getting the cheapest solution ever,
since margins are low also for them and
for sure during the trip you'll figure out
where the savings come from.
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