Bolivia’s tourism reputation is generally as a rugged backpacker destination with a few otherworldly gems for more sophisticated travelers—namely the Uyuni Salt Flats and La Paz’s buzzy culinary scene. But as my kids and I recently discovered on a multi-city road trip in the western part of the country, Bolivia has a diversity of landscapes (caves, deserts, and meteor-crash sites), distinct urban centers (silver mining towns and white-washed World Heritage cities), and colorful boutique hotels.
For travelers who have the time to explore Bolivia by road, the Andean landscapes are worth it. Along this itinerary from the lush Cochabamba valley through varied mountain terrain—high altitude deserts and a rainbow of earth tones due to the variety of minerals—we ultimately arrived at the expanses of the mystically white Uyuni Salt Flats having already seen a variety of natural grandeur.
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Choosing to go by car
On the following itinerary with a three-year-old and nine-year-old in tow, I chose to spend three nights in each location, which gave us time to savor each place (if you’re short on time, you could cut out a night or two of your choosing). For first-timers to Bolivia, this itinerary works particularly well because you progressively gain altitude—minimizing altitude sickness and ensuring that you’ll be adjusted by the time you get to Uyuni’s mind boggling, high-altitude salt flats.
The roads between the cities were surprisingly manageable, although usually only one lane in each direction. Where things get trickier is driving within a city (there’s a local debate about whether Google Maps or Waze is more accurate, with one-way streets and street closures commonplace). If you’re not used to driving manual transmission, steep streets and lots of stopping and starting is probably not where you want a trial by (back)fire.
The starting line: Cochabamba
At 2,500 meters, Cochabamba is a good place to start a Bolivian road trip because it’s quite flat, which means the streets generally follow a grid with some big diagonal avenues. A vibrant modern city, it also has plenty of outdoor spaces—for example, the Patiño Foundation whose properties include the Granja Modelo (or “gentleman’s farm”) and the Casa Albina, a local version of a Newport mansion. This description is not hyperbole considering the fact that Simon I. Patiño was the international King of Tin in the 1910s and 1920s, putting him on par with the Rockefellers. Aside from its opulent interior design, the gardens cover 16 hectares, inspired by both European and Japanese garden design.
For kid-friendly kitsch, the Sacaba Dinosaur Park has life-size models of dinosaurs plus all kinds of dino slides and climbing structures. During the day, the Parque de la Familia is an urban park with many fountains and splash pads, and at night they are illuminated. The main fountain has an impressive sound and light show, rivaling North American and European displays.
