Bolivia

We found Bolivia to be a much changed country since our visit 7 years ago (photo galleries here) – throughout the country we saw much apparent economic & social growth. For example, La Paz was a much more bustling city, many highways were either improved or under construction, the urban and rural populace appeared better clothed, rural education was more prominent, the political scene seemed more sophisticated/nuanced, and tourism was more prominent. On the downside, all this meant that this country is rapidly becoming more like the rest of the world with increased congestion, crime, commercialization, etc. However, Bolivia's Lake Titicaca and Altiplano regions are still full of amazing and unrivaled natural wonders. And we still have yet to experience its Amazon region.

We flew into La Paz and spent a day+ getting acclimitized to 13,000' altitude. We then drove to Lake Titicaca and stayed on Isla del Sol for two days. We returned to La Paz and flew to SW Bolivia, where we explored the Salar de Uyuni salt flats and the surrounding Altiplano. Finally, we drove southeast to cross into Argentina.