Buenos días
BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs
Good morning, hello
Greeting someone in the morning, until about noon
Travel guide
Learn Bolivia before you go
The world's largest salt flat, silver cities high in the Andes, Lake Titicaca and a slice of the Amazon, in the heart of South America.
CapitalSucre
CurrencyBolivian boliviano (BOB)
Official languageSpanish and 36 Indigenous languages named in the 2009 constitution. The most widely spoken are Quechua, Aymara and Guaraní
Drives on theRight
Calling code+591
10 phrases to learn
In Spanish (Bolivian). Capital letters show the stressed part. Tap the heart to practise a phrase later.
Buenas tardes
BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs
Good afternoon
Greeting someone from about noon until it gets dark
Buenas noches
BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs
Good evening, good night
Greeting someone after dark, or saying goodnight
Mucho gusto
MOO-choh GOOS-toh
Nice to meet you
Meeting someone for the first time
¿Cómo está?
KOH-moh ehs-TAH
How are you?
Asking politely how someone is
Muchas gracias
MOO-chahs GRAH-syahs
Thank you very much
Thanking someone warmly
De nada
deh NAH-dah
You're welcome
Answering when someone thanks you
Disculpe
dees-KOOL-peh
Excuse me, sorry
Getting someone's attention or saying sorry
Con permiso
kohn pehr-MEE-soh
Excuse me, may I pass?
Squeezing past people in a bus or market
¿Cuánto cuesta?
KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah
How much is it?
Asking the price at a market stall
At the table
- Lunch, el almuerzo, is the main meal of the day, with a soup first and then a main course. Many shops and offices close from about 12 to 2 pm.
- Salteñas are a morning food, sold until about noon. Bite carefully, because they are full of juice.
- In the late afternoon, many Bolivians stop for tea or coffee with pastries, just like an English teatime.
- Llajwa, the fresh chilli sauce served with many dishes, can be very hot. Taste a little before you spoon it over your food.
- Before you start, or when you pass people who are eating, it is polite to say '¡Buen provecho!', which means 'enjoy your meal'.
Local tips
Take it slowly at altitude
La Paz lies at about 3,650 m, El Alto at about 4,000 m, and the Salar de Uyuni at 3,656 m. Altitude sickness is a real risk there. Rest on your first day, walk slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol. If you have heart or breathing problems, talk to your doctor before you go.
Coca tea stays in Bolivia
Coca tea (mate de coca) is legal in Bolivia and is often offered against altitude sickness, though there is little proof that it works. It is illegal in the United States unless the cocaine has been removed, so do not take coca leaves or tea bags home.
Check for protests and roadblocks
As of September 2026, UK travel advice warns of a state of emergency, protests and road blockades, as well as fuel shortages that can disrupt buses. Keep away from protests, never try to cross a roadblock, and leave extra time for every journey. UK advice also warns against all but essential travel to the Chapare region of Cochabamba Department, including Villa Tunari and the main highways 4 and 24 through it, because of drug-related violent crime.
Use radio taxis
Robberies in taxis have been reported in La Paz, Santa Cruz and Rurrenabaque. Order a radio taxi by phone or ask your hotel to call one, look for the company name and number on the roof, and do not get into a taxi that already has other passengers.
Get your passport stamped
Make sure you get an entry stamp when you arrive, or you may have to pay a fine when you leave. If you cross by land, get an exit stamp from the country you leave and an entry stamp on the Bolivian side. At the Argentine border Bolivia no longer stamps passports, so register your exit with the Argentine officials there.
Yellow fever in the lowlands
The US CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for travellers going to the lowlands east of the Andes, such as Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando, but not for trips only to high places like La Paz and Sucre. Bolivia may ask for a yellow fever vaccination certificate when you arrive, and official advice differs on who needs one, so check the current entry rules with your airline and the Bolivian embassy before you travel.
Bring all your medicines
As of September 2026, some medicines are in short supply in Bolivia. Bring enough for your whole stay, with your prescription.
Choose tours with care
There are no official minimum standards for tour operators. For salt flat tours and mountain biking on the Death Road, use a reputable company, check the bikes and safety equipment, and make sure your travel insurance covers the activity.
Dishes to try
- Salteña: Bolivia's favourite mid-morning snack: a baked pastry with a slightly sweet crust, filled with beef, pork or chicken, potato and a juicy, mildly spicy stew. The stew is solid when the pastry is filled and melts in the oven, so eat it carefully so as not to spill the juice.
- Peanut soup (Sopa de maní): A creamy soup made from ground peanuts in a meat broth, with vegetables, often with pasta or rice, and topped with fried potato sticks and parsley. It is a classic first course of the Bolivian lunch.
- Pique macho: A mountain of chips topped with pieces of beef, sliced sausage, onion, tomato, green pepper and hot locoto pepper, with boiled egg, mustard and mayonnaise. One plate is big enough for two or more, and most people share.
- Silpancho (Sillp'anchu): Layers on one big plate: white rice, sliced fried potatoes, a very thin breaded beef steak that covers almost the whole plate, one or two fried eggs, and a fresh salad of tomato, onion and hot locoto on top.
- Chairo: A thick, warming highland soup with chuño (freeze-dried potato), potatoes, broad beans, hominy corn, lamb or beef and dried meat. It is served very hot, a warming meal in the cold highlands.
- Plato paceño: A simple, generous plate of the Andes: corn on the cob, broad beans and potatoes boiled in their skins, and a slice of fried cheese, often with fried beef and always with llajwa.
- Fricasé: A spicy soup of large pieces of pork, or sometimes chicken, with hominy corn and chuño or potatoes, flavoured with onion, garlic, pepper and sometimes ají. It is often eaten in the morning.
- Chola sandwich (Sándwich de chola): A crusty marraqueta roll filled with slices of slow-roasted pork leg, pickled vegetables, hot llajwa sauce, tomato and a piece of crackling on top.
Cities to see
- La Paz: The Palacio Quemado, the presidential palace, on Plaza Murillo, The Witches' Market, with herbs and remedies used in Aymara traditions, Mi Teleférico, a city network of cable cars.
- El Alto: Colourful Neo-Andean buildings, The huge 16 de Julio street fair, Views down into La Paz and across to Illimani.
- Sucre (capital): The Casa de la Libertad, where the republic was founded, Chocolate makers and chocolate shops, The University of San Francisco Xavier, founded in 1624.
- Santa Cruz de la Sierra: A tropical climate, warm all year, The lively Carnaval Cruceño, Lowland food such as majadito and cuñapé.
- Cochabamba: Food: it joined UNESCO's network of creative cities of gastronomy in 2017, The Cristo de la Concordia statue on San Pedro Hill, Silpancho and pique macho.
- Potosí: Cerro Rico and its mines, The old royal mint, the Casa de la Moneda, Colonial churches and houses.