Plan your trip to Bolivia

Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America, surrounded by Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Peru. The country reaches from the Andes Mountains in the west to the lowland Amazon Basin in the northeast. Thanks to the Andes, the country boasts the highest capital city in the world, La Paz (11,800 feet). Sometime around the 2nd century B.C. until A.D. 1200, the Tiwanakan people flourished near Lake Titicaca with advanced architectural and agricultural methods. Around 1450, the Incan Empire spread to the area until Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1525. Independence from Spanish colonial rule came in 1809, though 16 years of conflict occurred before the republic was named for independence fighter Simón Bolívar.

In one of the least developed countries in South America, many Bolivians live in poverty, thanks in part to an almost continuous struggle for stability. Nearly 200 coups and countercoups have occurred since independence. Despite this political turmoil, a rich culture has developed in the country. “Mestizo Baroque” architecture, painting and sculpture arose from the introduction of Spanish traditions to local artisans and builders. Another tradition, the Carnaval de Oruro, was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The celebration integrates the festival of Ito and the folklore of the Uru people into carnaval, with hundreds of “devil dancers” filling the streets.