Bolivia Multi-Day Trips by 4WD and Boat

October 29, 2026

Travel advisory, as of October 2026. Multi-day trips carry the most exposure to the nationwide state of exception decreed in June 2026. Blockades and protests can close roads, including those to airports, at short notice, and petrol and diesel shortages are regular, so build in a spare day at each end. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Chapare Province, including Villa Tunari, and the US warns against travel there. Check FCDO advice and travel.state.gov before you commit to a booking.

Longer trips in Bolivia

The signature multi-day journeys are an overland jeep tour across the salt flat, a riverboat safari in the Amazon basin and a walk through a canyon park. Quote prices in US dollars for packages, because the boliviano floated in 2026 to about 12 to the dollar and moves week to week. Park fees are paid in bolivianos, in cash.

Salar de Uyuni and Eduardo Avaroa, 3 days

Three-day tours leave from the town of Uyuni in shared four-wheel drive vehicles with a driver and cook, crossing the salt flat before heading to high lagoons, flamingos, geysers and hot springs. Day one usually covers the train cemetery, Colchani salt works, the salt flat itself and Isla Incahuasi with its tall cacti. Later days reach lagoons such as Colorada and Hedionda, and the tour ends in Uyuni or at the Chilean border.

Costs in 2026 run from about US$150 on a budget package to US$180 to 250 mid-range and US$250 to 400 for premium, with one-day tours from about US$59. Park entry is extra: about Bs 150 for Eduardo Avaroa and about Bs 30 for Incahuasi, so confirm both. A salt hotel night is an upgrade, and Palacio de Sal is listed at about US$370 to 450 a night.

Know the season. From about December to April rain floods the flat, which makes the mirror effect but can close routes and Incahuasi. In winter, nights fall well below freezing and refuges are basic, so bring a warm sleeping bag. The plateau lies above 3,600 m. The salt flat is not on any UNESCO list. Choose an operator with working seatbelts, spare tyres, radios and a sober driver, as accidents have happened with unlicensed budget operators. ATMs in Uyuni are often empty, so bring cash.

Amazon: Pampas del Yacuma and Madidi

Both start in Rurrenabaque, which has few flights from La Paz. Keep a spare day for the return. Pampas tours run three days by riverboat to see caimans, capybaras and pink river dolphins. Madidi, a huge national park, has community lodges such as Chalalán. Reported park fees conflict, with Madidi cited at either Bs 120 or 200 and the pampas at either about Bs 150 or 200, so confirm on arrival. Carry a yellow fever certificate, ask a clinic about malaria, and use insect repellent. Never swim near caimans or piranhas, and wear life jackets on river boats.

Torotoro National Park

A three-day stay from Cochabamba covers dinosaur footprints, a canyon with waterfalls and a guided cave at Umajalanta. Entry is about Bs 100 for four days and a community guide is mandatory.

Jesuit missions of Chiquitos

Six mission churches in the eastern lowlands, inscribed by UNESCO in 1990, form a loop from Santa Cruz. Operators run roughly six-day circuits. Dates, road conditions and prices differ, so ask for a written plan.

Before you go

UK passport holders get up to 90 days without a visa. US travellers should check with the Bolivian embassy. See a doctor about altitude before you fly in, and acclimatise in La Paz or Sucre first.

Shop tours on GetYourGuide and read the FCDO safety and security notes for road and river hazards.