see bolivia to believe it
If your Top 10 includes the world’s best off-the-beaten-track destinations, then you’ll understand why Southern Adventure – La Paz to Rio has made Intrepid’s list. As Intrepid Express reader Paul McMahon explains, Bolivia is one of those seeing-is-believing experiences…
“An enjoyable tingly feeling rises through my body as we begin to ascend above 3000m, altitude sickness can’t be that bad? Soon before us are the plains of the Uyuni salt lake and before I know it the landscape begins to distort size and matter. It is not until the random appearance of a small island filled with cacti that images are re-established on this bumpy ride.
The world here feels ancient, almost untouched, only one other small tourist bus is in sight. We stop for coca tea and discover our home for the evening. It is simple and amazing, the people warm and the landscape stunning. We are not looking at the Andes anymore, we have become part of the Andes. At our door lies a red sediment lake teeming with pelican and topped by a beautiful mountain, a world so baron yet alive.
That evening, as the altitude sickness kicks in and I begin to continuously vomit in this remote outpost, far from running water, I look up and see a trillion stars. They emanate beauty unlike I’ve ever seen. In a moment of severe vulnerability I am awoken by a moment of complete bliss, the bliss of wild, untouched and beautiful Bolivia.”
Tour Bolivia with Intrepid on trips like these great small group adventures:
Southern Adventure – La Paz to Rio – 26 days
Altiplano Discovery – 20 days
* photo by Sam Thomas – Intrepid Photography Competition
