Bolivia: Exploring the South Lipez by Self-Drive (page 3 of 21)

I console myself about our setbacks (and our fears) by being glad we decided to leave France on October 15th and not the following weekend. Indeed, it allowed us to have a real week of vacation, whereas if we had left a few days later, we would have been stuck for almost our entire trip...

Not sure, Jean-Louis left Sucre on the 22nd toward the end of the day. They didn’t have any trouble reaching Tupiza and enjoyed the South Lipez to the fullest. However, the return to Sucre was complicated (though less so than for you), and they barely caught their flight. It seems the situation really worsened starting October 23rd. We had dinner together on October 21st—it was still pretty calm in Sucre. Well, the electoral tribunal was on fire🏴‍☠️, and we heard lots of firecrackers.

I had planned for us to spend the night of Saturday, October 19th camping at Laguna Celeste, known for its beauty, to fully enjoy it the next day and avoid driving on Sunday. The night was terrible despite our sleeping bags (comfort rated for 3°C, extreme -20°C) because of the cold and relentless wind.

Yeah, I can imagine—the nights were really cold. We had sleeping bags rated for -10°C comfort and didn’t regret it.

Looking back, when we see how our "vacation" ended, we’re really glad we didn’t "waste" that day (plus, like you, we dealt with the cancellation of our flight to Santa Cruz on the way there; the American Airlines flight was delayed a day from Miami and moved up a day on the return, so two days less overall. Okay, on the way back, we were just happy to get home 😉)

Losing two days is so frustrating. Luckily, it was only a few hours for us.

Like you and your husband, we saw quite a few people at Hotel Los Flamencos. But no one at Chalviri—we passed through on Sunday, October 20th 😎

Being in the middle of the desert on election day was ideal. We couldn’t do that—the 20th fell toward the end of our trip, so we were either in Tupiza or Uyuni. We chose to do the tour in the other direction, so we were in Tupiza for the elections.

Clearly, it's really better to avoid Bolivia during election periods, right?

At least in the cities and villages. In the desert, you won't risk anything.😉 Still, you’ve got to keep things in perspective—Jean-François was in Bolivia during the presidential elections and didn’t even notice.

Hey Carmen, Just one day I don’t check my "travel journal" notifications to look out for your journal, and boom—I miss it. I haven’t read anything yet, but I can already see I’m the last one to hop on board 😕 or almost... Now I’m kicking myself... 😏 Gonna savor all this at lunchtime 😉

Hi Carmen, What a rough start to your trip... 😕 Biz also allows picking up the car directly in La Paz or Santa Cruz for an extra fee. Did you look into that option, and what was the extra cost? Either way, the package of only 1100 km/week, and especially the cost per extra km, means you have to plan your route carefully and should probably start from Sucre rather than La Paz despite the flight complications...

Having a French-speaking contact at Biz is a real plus. However, I didn’t quite understand how the pick-up worked. The truck bed was open, and you had them fill 60+75 L of jerry cans? No risk of theft 😮? Thanks

PS: Completely agree about only using reasonably edited photos that match what the eye actually sees. The over-saturated photos flooding the internet and social media can only lead to (somewhat relative) disappointment once you're there.

Hi Guillaume,

Biz also allows picking up the car directly in La Paz or Santa Cruz, for an extra fee. Did you look into that option, and what was the extra cost?

Yes, they can also pick up the car in Uyuni, and you can take a flight from that city. However, I prefer picking up the car in the city where the rental agency is located. That way, you can ask for extras—like the three jerry cans for us—and we also got help with the SIM card. Most importantly, you can inspect the car on the spot.

No, I don’t know the price from La Paz or Santa Cruz. Flights from Switzerland to La Paz were too expensive, and the schedules weren’t great. Santa Cruz isn’t a very nice city, and the drive from Santa Cruz to the South Lipez is super long. For us, no regrets—we loved Sucre.

In any case, the package with only 1,100 km/week, and especially the cost per extra km, means you have to plan your route carefully. It also makes starting from Sucre better than La Paz, despite the flight complications...

If you’re mainly doing the South Lipez and not rushing (over 10 days or more), the included kilometers are enough. If I remember correctly, we paid around fifty dollars extra for the kilometers. But starting from Santa Cruz would mean a lot more kilometers.

Having a French-speaking contact at Biz is a real plus.

Yes, especially when you don’t speak Spanish. Renting is one thing, but if there’s a breakdown or other issue, not knowing the language can get complicated fast. That said, Bolivians are friendly—they always took the time to try to understand us. We also put Google Translate on Benoît’s iPhone. The app works offline, which was really useful on this trip.

I didn’t quite understand how the pickup worked. The bed was open, and you had 60+75 L of jerry cans filled? No risk of theft? 😮

Yes, the bed was open. We had a large 60-liter jerry can in the bed, behind the metal trunk, along with one of the spare tires and the shovel. The three smaller 25-liter jerry cans were in the metal trunk. Normally, they don’t provide these cans because, according to them, the extra 60 liters are enough.

Since we were in Bolivia during election season, I was worried about problems like *bloqueos*. If there’s a *bloqueo* lasting several days, it’s not certain you’d be able to buy gas from locals. Long story short, I preferred to be cautious, and as mentioned in the intro, we were right to adjust our itinerary to avoid issues.

That said, with five people, you can’t take extra jerry cans (aside from the 60 L one). Your luggage will fill the trunk.

As for the risk of theft, I wondered the same thing, but we had no issues. Alejandra told us there wasn’t any risk, and in cities, you should stay at a hotel with a secure parking lot. That’s often not possible in villages, but you don’t have much choice.

PS: Fully agree about only posting reasonably edited photos that match what the eye sees. The over-saturated photos flooding the internet and social media can only lead to (relative) disappointment on the ground.

Anyway, the colors of the lagoons are stunning—you don’t need to saturate the photo to get beautiful colors, and I’m not even talking about the colors of Tunupa. That volcano is truly incredible. But when you take photos in JPEG, the camera does the work for you. Benoît’s iPhone photos were sometimes way too saturated, but that’s fixable...😉

Just a quick note about the lagoon colors. Depending on the time of day, whether there’s wind or not, the colors can vary a lot. For us, the best example was Laguna Colorada. Incredible colors in the afternoon, but the next day, the orange had almost disappeared.

Carmen

Will you tell us about it? Apparently, it's really best to avoid Bolivia during election periods, right?

Hi Marie-Do, When we left Bolivia, it was unthinkable for me to write a travel journal because the end of our vacation was so ruined. Beyond those lost last days, what really stuck with us was the fear. At a roadblock, we were surrounded by a group of over twenty men armed with iron bars who threatened to smash the car; they threw rocks at the car and slashed a tire. After spending a night in the car because of the blockades, the next day was psychologically draining again. As I told Carmen in my previous message, the bitterness remains even though we got home in early November.

Maybe one day I’ll share our vacation story (well, mostly the first week 🙂) but for now, I’m just not in that headspace 😕

Hi Anne,

I totally get that you don’t feel like talking about it. I’m so sorry it went so badly. I feel for you both from the bottom of my heart.

Take your time to recover, you and your husband. Time heals emotional wounds. You just have to wait and talk about it if you need to, to let it out, to express it. Maybe writing could help—putting words to your emotions, to the events, like people who write biographies to create distance from what happened to them.

Some trips are more challenging than others; they say those are the ones that make you grow. So, it seems that once you’ve overcome the stress you’ve endured, you’ll be stronger!!!

Big hugs.

Hi Carmen,

Off to a great start! 😛

So if there’s still room in the truck bed, I’m in!

Hi Carmen, Oh, the travel journal has finally started—I’m already savoring it in advance. Thanks, and good luck with the writing! Marie

Hi Anne, I understand you were traumatized—anyone would be! I’d also considered Bolivia but ultimately chose Chile instead (that was last November) because I’d already read quite a few stories about *bloqueos* in Bolivia, which are already a form of aggression. I’m always wary of group dynamics—you never know how far things might go... You didn’t have much luck, but it could’ve ended worse. And it’s great that you’re sharing your experience, even if it was unpleasant... because I’m sure Carmen’s travel journal will inspire some 😇 ideas, and a well-informed traveler is worth two! Marie

08.10. Sucre – Salar de Uyuni, Colchani, Hotel De Sal Luna Salada

Felix, the trusted driver from the Guest House, picks us up at 8:15 AM and drops us off at the SAS supermarket near Biz. We do our shopping—water jugs, food for our picnics, a pot, cutlery, and three Tupperware containers that will also serve as plates. Then, Felix drops us off at Biz. We inspect the car; apart from a few scratches and small dents, everything is in order. When Alejandra arrives, we fill out the last paperwork and explain that we couldn’t buy a SIM card for our phone. Alejandra calls Entel and learns that foreigners can no longer purchase SIM cards. She sends a worker to buy one for us, which will be registered under an employee’s name at Biz.

We leave Biz at 11:15 AM. Maps.me is perfect and gets us out of the city quickly. Alejandra had warned us that the car loses about 10% of its power per 1,000 meters of elevation gain. Sure enough, we notice it right away at the first pass. Between Sucre and Potosí, we go through two tolls. The woman at the first toll mentions "bloqueos" (roadblocks) in Potosí starting tomorrow morning. Phew, we narrowly missed them!





There’s a lot of traffic in Potosí, several trucks are stopped, and we move very slowly. Cerro Rico and its silver mine come into view—this city has a special vibe. We follow the road to Uyuni when we’re suddenly blocked by men who’ve stretched a rope across the road. 🏴‍☠️ We have to turn around. Maps.me suggests another route, but a little further on, we’re blocked again. The "bloqueos" announced for tomorrow are already in place, and it’s simply impossible to get through.

We get a bit lost in the miners' neighborhood with its very narrow streets. We ask a police officer for help, and he points us to another route. Between one-way streets, heavy traffic, and the blockades, I start to get seriously worried.

The route the officer suggested is also blocked. 🙁 A small van right in front of us quickly turns around. We decide to follow it, and after a while, we manage to get out of the city. Despite ourselves, we’ve "explored" part of the city.





The road between Potosí and Uyuni is very mountainous but really beautiful. We climb a pass and arrive on a vast plateau where many llamas are peacefully grazing. The landscapes are stunning—we’re loving it.





A little further on, the scenery reminds us of the American West. It’s gorgeous, especially with the sun starting to set.









After many stops to take photos, we arrive in Uyuni as the sun is setting. We still have a few kilometers to go to reach Hotel De Sal Luna Salada in Colchani. In Sucre, Maps.me estimated 4 hours and 30 minutes for 370 km, but it ultimately took us eight hours to cover 400 km. The "bloqueos" in Potosí and our many photo stops are partly to blame, but Maps.me was still way too optimistic.

We didn’t make a reservation, but we can choose between two room categories. Ours is under the roof—it’s spacious, and the window overlooks the Salar. The furniture and walls are made of salt, the bathroom is well-equipped, and we’re happy with our choice. The room is heated, and there’s hot water. The decor in the hotel’s hallways is lovely, and the dining room is also very nice. We head straight to eat. The buffet is well-stocked, and the food is good.

The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=9892190;a=9892190

A few photos from the hotel.







The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=9893249;a=9893249

Hi Nathalie,

Well, if there’s still room in the back, I’m in!

We’ll definitely find a little spot between the gas can, the spare tire, and the shovel. 😉

Hi Marie,

Hi Carmen, Oh, the travel journal has finally started—I can’t wait to dive in! Thanks, and good luck with the writing! Marie

Thanks for your message.

Carmen

Looking at the hotel photos, it’s a far cry from the dorms without hot showers I’ve known! 😅😂

Well, wow! This hotel is absolutely amazing 😊—only Bruno would end up in youth hostels 😄

Looking at the hotel photos, it’s a far cry from the no-shower dorms I’ve known!! 🤨😉

It’ll be a change, you’ll see... Though no dorms for us. I’m not sharing our room.😛

Wow, nice! That hotel is really amazing 😊, only Bruno would end up in youth hostels 😄

Yeah, it's a great hotel—the room was spotless, hot water, heating, what more could you want?🙂

The hotel must have changed owners. 🙂 When I stayed there, the rooms were freezing (7°C in the morning), hot water was almost nonexistent (1 hour in 48 hours), and cold water was scarce, just like the buffet. At $140 for bed and breakfast, I found it... 🤪

I remember your disappointment—you weren’t the only one, by the way. But since then, we’ve seen more positive reviews, and Alex (Delhenry)’s take after spending two nights at this hotel last August convinced me to stay here.