Reduced atmospheric pressure and lower oxygen levels at high altitudes cause altitude sickness – known as “soroche” in Bolivia. It can affect anyone who normally lives at low altitude and ascends above 2500m, and thus is a reality across much of Bolivia, including most major cities. You’re most likely to be affected if you fly into La Paz from near sea level – the airport is at over 4000m, and almost everyone feels at least a touch of breathlessness.

Mild symptoms can include headache, insomnia, breathlessness, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, tiredness, rapid heartbeat and vomiting. The best way to avoid this is to ascend slowly, if at all possible, and allow yourself time to acclimatize. Avoiding alcohol and physical exertion and drinking plenty of liquid also help. Bolivians swear by coca tea (mate de coca) as a remedy, and this is available throughout the country; the prescription drug acetazolamide (Diamox) can also help with acclimatization. Normal advice is to ascend no more than 300m a day once over 3000m, so far as possible.

The symptoms of serious altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness, are usually experienced only over 4000m. In this condition, fluid can build up in the lungs or brain, causing high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral oedema; left untreated, severely affected sufferers can lapse into unconsciousness and die within hours. Symptoms include loss of balance, confusion, intense headache, difficulty breathing and coughing up frothy, bloodstained sputum. Prompt and rapid descent is the only treatment, and you should seek immediate medical help.

Source: Rough Guides

• We recommend that you rest for at least 3 hours upon arrival to your hotel; do not eat much, as digesting food might be a bit slow during your first day due to the altitude.
• Also you can drink coca tea (except those who suffer from high blood pressure and heart problems).
• Wear comfortable footwear and clothes.
• Drink water, wear sunglasses, sunscreen and suncap.
• Moisturizing cream, a little backpack for excursions, and photo camera.
• Bring abundant contact lens solution or an additional pair of glasses.

First please look through our website to see what kind of Tour you would like to participate in or what destinations you are interested in exploring.

The website has the tours listed and organized into the following sections so that they are easy to find according to what interests you:

If you want an itinerary more catered to your needs, please select the Design Your Trip page from our top menu and fill out the form:

FAQ: What is the difference between a Private Tour and a Shared Service Tour?

Both types of tours are open-dated and can be organized to adapt to your needs and expectations. The difference between them is that tailor-made Private Tours include optional Private Excursions throughout your trip. Shared Service Tours include optional Small Group Excursions. Please note that all Tours are fully adaptable and if you want to choose between some optional Private Excursions and some optional Small Group Excursions there is no problem at all. Your travel advisor can answer all your questions.

FAQ: How do I book an optional Excursion?

Please contact us at sales@intensebolivia.com and we will take care of everything. If you know of and are interested in excursion opportunities in Bolivia that are not listed in our website, please inform your travel advisor and we will work to arrange things for you.

Most visitors to Bolivia do not need a visa, although the situation does change periodically, so always check with your local embassy or consulate a few weeks before travelling. US citizens require a visa (Bs945/$135); this is available on entry, where it must be paid for in cash, or from a Bolivian embassy or consulate.

On arrival, all travellers are issued with a tourist card (tarjeta de turismo) valid for up to ninety days’ stay for citizens of most EU countries, and up to thirty days for citizens of Australia, Canada and New Zealand; your passport will also be stamped. Make sure you ask for the full ninety days if you need it and are eligible, as border officials sometimes give only thirty days, particularly at remote border crossings. A thirty-day tourist card can be extended to ninety days at the migraciones (immigration offices) in La Paz, Santa Cruz and other major cities; this is free for most nationalities, but costs extra (around Bs175) for Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders; the process usually takes 24 hours.

Source: Rough Guides

We do not provide travel insurance. We strongly recommend you obtain traveler’s insurance coverage for your trip.

We suggest you start by asking your insurance provider at home if you are already covered by their company. Also check with your credit card provider. Some credit cards come with traveler’s insurance programs as part of their service. Some organizations such as the AAA (Automobile Association) also offer insurance services for travelers. There are many well-established insurance companies that specialize in traveler’s insurance services. You can find many of them through the Internet.

We recommend you contact Mondial Assistance (www.mondial-assistance.com) which offers the fastest and best quality service in Peru. In Cusco, they operate with Hampi Land Association which is composed of a team of highly qualified and experienced doctors who speak English among other lenguages.

Explore your options. Make sure that at least you have good emergency medical coverage, especially if you will be participating in extreme sports activities. Other kinds of coverage to look out for areTrip cancellation, interruptions and delays insurance

• Trip cancellation insurance is mostly purchased to recuperate your money if you have to cancel your trip or leave before it is completed. Trip cancellation reasons may include sickness, natural disasters and State Department warnings about the safety of the place to which you are travelling.
• Lost luggage insurance
  Domestic U.S. flights cover checked luggage up to US$ 2,500 per passenger. International flights (including U.S. legs of international flights) cover around US$ 9 per pound, up to around US$ 635 per checked bag. If you will be checking valuables not covered under the standard liability, check with your homeowner’s insurance company for coverage or get additional luggage insurance. Many companies offer comprehensive travel insurance packages.

Travel insurance costs vary greatly: which company you contact, cost and length of the trip, your age and health, kind of trip you are going on, amount of coverage you want, deductibles, etc. http://InsureMyTrip.com helps you get estimates from various providers.

Ask your insurance agent what other kinds of coverage they offer, what the rules are for making use of the coverage, and the amount limits of your coverage plan.

We recommend that you consult with a doctor that specializes in travel medicine. They will be able to judge, given your personal health and vaccination history, what vaccines you may need.

It is also a good idea to start this process early as some vaccines need to be administered over a period of time. If you can, start at least 4 to 6 weeks before your trip starts. If you are traveling sooner than that, still consult with your physician to find out what they recommend.

The meals we provide with our Tours are safe. On those occasions when you decide to venture beyond the Tour’s itinerary and try something new and unique on your own we suggest you exercise common sense precautions. Drink bottled or boiled water. Try to avoid eating from street vendors who clearly do not practice sanitary precautions. Whenever you travel to a new part of the world, microorganisms living in that part of the world will invariably be different from the ones back home and so you will need to let your body adjust to the new conditions. If you are concerned about this ask your doctor about vaccinations against hepatitis, typhoid or cholera, even though these may be extreme measures since a little caution will protect you just as well.

Aside from microorganisms there are other things that will be different from back home: spices, ingredients, salts and mineral content in the water, etc. Some people’s bodies reject the new kinds of foods until they have had a chance to adjust. Never fear, this is not dangerous to you, but it could ruin your enjoyment of your trip. Decide whether your system is able to handle new foods beforehand so that you can exercise caution in your choice of foods.

We assemble and organize our tours as smoothly and efficiently as possible. However, we provide our customers with a 24-hour emergency hotline number prior to the trip. Should any problems arise, please contact us 24 hours a day.

Safety is key to the success of your journey. Stay alert and do not take unnecessary risks in order to prevent unwanted situations. Always carry some form of official ID, like your passport, or at least a photocopy of your passport, when walking around in a city or town.

Common sense and the same precautions that apply back home apply when traveling.

In the cities:

Be alert and take normal precautions to protect yourself from purse-snatchers and pickpockets.
Keep a photocopy of your documents on you. Keep the original documents and valuables in the safety deposit box of your hotel.
Be discreet with your valuables. Do not flash around large amounts of cash or expensive jewelry. Keep an eye, or even better, keep a hand on your luggage or camera.
Do NOT exchange money in the street. Use the banks or exchange bureaus.
It is a good idea to hire taxicabs that belong to a company or consortium (you have to call them by phone), or those that have their permits in order.

What you bring in your luggage will depend on where you are going and the kind of vacation you are planning. Altitude has a marked effect on climate. Normally, the higher you go, the colder it gets. Seasons also determine what kind of gear you need. Remember that there is a seasonal inversion between the northern and the southern hemispheres. That is, when it is summer in the north it is winter in the south.

Carry your valuables, water bottle and documents in a small foldable pouch, duffle bag, daypack or backpack. Bring a light coat to be prepared for temperature changes.

Very little provision is made in Bolivia for the disabled. Public transportation, hotels and public places, such as museums are seldom equipped with ramps, widened doorways or toilets for the disabled. Pavements, where they exist at all, are often narrow and covered with dangerous potholes and other obstructions.

Source: Rough Guides

Like almost everywhere else in the world, Bolivia has seen a huge growth in internet use in recent years and, because few Bolivians have their own computers, this has meant an explosion of internet cafés, especially in places where there are large student populations. Internet cafés tend to charge about Bs3–5 an hour, and sometimes more in remote areas where competition is thin on the ground. The speed of machines and servers usually isn’t very fast, especially outside the main cities.

Increasing numbers of hotels, cafés, restaurants and bars in the more touristy areas offer free wi-fi access.

Source: Rough Guides

The electricity supply in most of Bolivia is 220V/50Hz; in La Paz, however, there are both 110V and 220V supplies, often in the same house, so check carefully before plugging in equipment. Plugs are two-pronged with round pins, but US-style flat-pinned plugs can also usually be used.

Source: Rough Guides

All of our hotels meet international standards according to their category. We ensure that the hotels we work with provide the highest levels of service and comfort at the best values. Select the hotel you feel best suits your needs and expectations for the trip. If you know of a hotel in the vicinity that you prefer but it is not listed in our website please Contact Us and we will make arrangements for you to stay there

For the most part, the hotels we work with offer breakfast every day. We indicate whether lunch or dinner  is provided in the detailed itineraries. We carefully screen restaurants included in our tours  in order to give our customers the best dining experience possible. Nevertheless, we feel that your trip should have some flexibility and that dining out is a way for you to experience Bolivia’s wonders firsthand. We are more than happy to provide you with a list of all of our favorite restaurants in the different locations you will be travelling in if you so desire.