Tourism in Bolivia is one of the key economic sectors of the country. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia (INE), there were over 1.24 million tourists that visited the country in 2020, making Bolivia the ninth most visited country in South America. [1] [2] [3]
People have visited Bolivia for centuries in the form of movement of people during the pre-Inca and Inca period, in which wealthy groups within moved outside their habitual residence across the vast expanse of the Inca empire. that stretched 2,500 from Ecuador in the north to Chile in the south. [4]
Bolivia is a country with great tourism potential, with many attractions, due to its diverse culture, geographic regions, rich history and food. In particular, the salt flats at Uyuni are a major attraction.
People have visited Bolivia for centuries. During the pre-Incan and Incan period, privileged social groups could move away from their place of residence and settle in new towns. The Inca road system, a vast network of carefully engineered roads that connected settlements in present-day Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, facilitated the movement of people and goods across South America. [5] During the colonial era, several expeditions were carried out in Bolivia as a way to seek resources and wealth and expand the Spanish domain.
Tourism in Bolivia was formalized as an official entity in 1930 during the presidency of David Toro. [6] From that moment on, the Bolivian government began to regulate tourism within the country, to ensure the care of tourist attractions and to provide assistance to foreign tourists arriving in Bolivia.
Organized tourism in Bolivia began in the 1940s. One of the precursors of this activity was Darius Morgan, a Romanian entrepreneur who came to Bolivia working for the Swedish company Ericsson. [7] When touring the Altiplano region around Lake Titicaca, Morgan had been fascinated by the scenic beauty of the area, which was not frequently visited at the time. Morgan eventually established the first travel agency in Bolivia and began offering organized tours to Lake Titicaca. Given the lack of accommodation establishments in the lake region, tourists stayed in camps with tents set up and food prepared in advance. However, Morgan managed to spread the word about the natural beauty of the region, impacting the arrival of more foreign tourists who wanted to visit the highest navigable lake in the world. In 1886, Darius Morgan was awarded the Order of the Condor of the Andes, the highest distinction in Bolivia, for his contribution to the development of tourism in the country. [8]
Bolivia is located in the center of South America, in what could be considered its western strip and is one of the two landlocked countries in the continent. [9] The western region of the country is dominated by the Andes mountains, more precisely in the Cordillera Real, bisecting the country roughly from north to south and the Altiplano, a high plateau where Lake Titicaca is located. This region includes steep slopes and many snow-capped peaks. To the east of the mountain range are lowland plains and tropical rainforests from the Amazon Basin. [10] These geographical characteristics have influenced the culure of Bolivia and contribute with unique cultural and natural sites that are unique to the country. [11]
Due to its diverse geography, Bolivia has several geographical areas and climates, and the three predominant ones are Andean (28% of the territory), sub-Andean (13%), and plains (59%). [12] [13] The climate of Bolivia varies drastically from one ecoregion to the other, from the tropics in the eastern llanos to polar climates in the western Andes. This has brought about ecotourism to Bolivia and has also made it a popular tourist destination for outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing. [14] [15] The summers are warm, humid in the east and dry in the west, with rains that often modify temperatures, humidity, winds, atmospheric pressure and evaporation, giving place to very different climates. When the climatological phenomenon known as El Niño [16] [17] takes place, it provokes great alterations in the weather. Winters are very cold in the west, and it snows around the mountain ranges, while in the western regions, windy days are more usual. The autumn is dry in the non-tropical regions.
Bolivia has seven World Heritage Sites listed by UNESCO. [18] They constitute important tourist attractions due to their historical and cultural legacy. Bolivia was among the first countries that ratified folklore as a cultural heritage at the UNESCO Convention of 1972, giving rise to profound debates, resulting in the creation of the "Text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage" in 2003. [19]
Cultural tourism forms an important sector of the tourism industry in Bolivia. Pre-Columbian civilizations, notably the Inca Empire, Tiwanaku Empire, Wankarani, and the Aymara kingdoms, left a large archeological and cultural heritage.
The landscape of Bolivia is beautiful and diverse lending itself to tourism, and also ecotourism. Although being a landlocked country, Bolivia is among the 15 most biodiverse countries in the world. This ecological diversity attracts tourists interested in nature and ecology. [40] The increase in ecotourism in recent years has prompted the Bolivian Government to invest more on tourist infrastructure. Bolivia is a country with very different regions. Around 43% of the national territory is covered by the Amazon Basin, mainly in the eastern and northeastern regions of the country. This region includes vast tropical rainforests, some of which remain pristine and untouched. On the other hand, 28% of the territory consists of the Andean region and the Altiplano, featuring a cold, dry climate and high elevations. Places of interest in the Andean region include Lake Titicaca, the Salar de Uyuni, and the cities of La Paz and Potosí.
Bolivia's diverse geography offers a wide range of activities, including mountaineering, off-roading, rappelling, skiing, trekking, open water swimming, among others. High-altitude mountaineering is particularly popular in Bolivia. The Cordillera Real contains seven peaks above 6000 meters or 20,000 feet and over 600 mountains well over 5000 meters. [58] The most popular peaks for mountain climbing are Huayna Potosí, Illimani, Kunturiri, and Illampu, all located near the city of La Paz, where tourists usually begin their expeditions from. Another popular peak for mountain climbing is Nevado Sajama, located in the Oruro Department. Of these, Illampu, Illimani and Sajama are reserved for highly experienced climbers due to their steep cliffs, while the rest can be accessed by intermediate level climbers. [59] Trekking and hiking are also sought-after adventure activities in Bolivia; the famous Inca road system passes through the country, and there are various scenic trails found throughout, such as the ones in Isla del Sol and Cerro El Calvario in Lake Titicaca, the trails through the canyons and caves at the Torotoro National Park, the El Choro Trek, a popular three-day hiking route, and smaller trails around the towns of Challapampa, Chulumani, Coroico and Samaipata. Hiking trails are also found in the Amazon region of Bolivia, though these usually require guided tours due to the remoteness and foliage density in the region.
In 2014, Bolivia became the 28th country to host the Dakar Rally, the world's biggest annual rally raid event. [60] [61] Originally staged from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, the event has since taken place in South America, due to security concerns in Africa. [62] The 8900 kilometers or 5500 miles route passes through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, beginning and ending in Buenos Aires. It host around 500 competitors participating with specialized cars, trucks, motorcycles and quadbikes. The event is known for its harsh conditions, including passing through highly rugged terrain and withstanding extreme temperatures such as the hot climate in the Atacama Desert and the freezing weather in the Altiplano and the Andes mountain range. Bolivia's landscape contributes to the event with unique routes such as the standing water terrain of the Uyuni Salt Flats. The annual event promotes the South American country among foreign visitors. [63]
According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia, the country received around two million tourists in 2023, approximately one million were foreign nationals, while the remaining were domestic ones: [68]
# | Country | Arrivals |
---|---|---|
1 | Argentina | 382 725 |
2 | Peru | 203 201 |
3 | Brazil | 67 629 |
4 | United States | 52 967 |
5 | Chile | 48 595 |
6 | Spain | 37 458 |
7 | Colombia | 24 073 |
8 | Paraguay | 20 130 |
9 | France | 19 593 |
10 | Germany | 18 310 |
11 | Ecuador | 10 668 |
12 | United Kingdom | 10 620 |
13 | Mexico | 10 081 |
14 | Italy | 8 701 |
15 | China | 8 135 |
16 | Canada | 7 973 |
17 | South Korea | 7 870 |
18 | Venezuela | 6 683 |
19 | Switzerland | 5 495 |
20 | Netherlands | 4 596 |
21 | Uruguay | 4 392 |
22 | Panama | 4 283 |
23 | Japan | 3 806 |
24 | Australia | 3 539 |
25 | Israel | 3 106 |
26 | Belgium | 2 758 |
27 | Poland | 2 430 |
28 | Sweden | 2 259 |
29 | Ireland | 1 830 |
30 | Portugal | 1 655 |
31 | Austria | 1 637 |
32 | Costa Rica | 1 635 |
33 | Russia | 1 616 |
34 | Cuba | 1 568 |
35 | Denmark | 1 221 |
36 | Czech Republic | 975 |
37 | India | 937 |
38 | New Zealand | 842 |
39 | Norway | 837 |
40 | Turkey | 745 |
41 | Guatemala | 669 |
42 | El Salvador | 554 |
43 | Taiwan | 544 |
44 | Dominican Republic | 543 |
45 | Romania | 482 |
46 | Honduras | 455 |
47 | Finland | 428 |
48 | Nicaragua | 262 |
49 | South Africa | 198 |
50 | Other countries | 6 868 |
Total | 1.009.267 |
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. It is a country with the largest geographic extension of Amazonian plains and lowlands, mountains and Chaco with a tropical climate, valleys with a warm climate, as well as being part of the Andes of South America and its high plateau areas with cold climates, hills and snow-capped mountains, with a wide biome in each city and region. It is part of the largest swamp in the world between Bolivia and Brazil. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to the south, Chile to the southwest, and Peru to the west. The seat of government is La Paz, which contains the executive, legislative, and electoral branches of government, while the constitutional capital is Sucre, the seat of the judiciary. The largest city and principal industrial center is Santa Cruz de la Sierra, located on the Llanos Orientales, a mostly flat region in the east of the country with a diverse non-Andean culture.
Lake Titicaca is a large freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world. Titicaca is the second largest lake in South America, both in terms of the volume of water and surface area. It has a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft).
Tiwanaku is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site in western Bolivia, near Lake Titicaca, about 70 kilometers from La Paz, and it is one of the largest sites in South America. Surface remains currently cover around 4 square kilometers and include decorated ceramics, monumental structures, and megalithic blocks. It has been conservatively estimated that the site was inhabited by 10,000 to 20,000 people in AD 800.
The Aymara or Aimara, people are an indigenous people in the Andes and Altiplano regions of South America. Approximately 2.3 million Aymara live in northwest Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The ancestors of the Aymara lived in the region for many centuries before becoming a subject people of the Inca Empire in the late 15th or early 16th century, and later of the Spanish in the 16th century. With the Spanish American wars of independence (1810–1825), the Aymaras became subjects of the new nations of Bolivia and Peru. After the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), Chile annexed territory with the Aymara population.
Puno is a department and region in southeastern Peru. It is the fifth largest department in Peru, after Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the departments of Madre de Dios on the north, Cusco and Arequipa on the west, Moquegua on the southwest, and Tacna on the south. Its capital is the city of Puno, which is located on Lake Titicaca in the geographical region known as the Altiplano or high sierra.
Lake Poopó was a large saline lake in a shallow depression in the Altiplano in Oruro Department, Bolivia, at an altitude of approximately 3,700 m (12,100 ft). Due to the lake's length and width, it made up the eastern half of Oruro, known as a mining region in southwest Bolivia. The permanent part of the lake body covered approximately 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi) and it was the second-largest lake in the country. The lake received most of its water from the Desaguadero River, which flows from Lake Titicaca at the north end of the Altiplano. Since the lake lacked any major outlet and had a mean depth of less than 3 m (10 ft), the surface area differed greatly seasonally.
Taquile is an island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca 45 km offshore from the city of Puno. About 2,200 people live on the island, which is 5.5 by 1.6 kilometres in size, with an area of 5.72 km2 (2.21 sq mi). The highest point of the island is 4,050 metres above sea level and the main village is at 3,950 metres. The inhabitants, known as Taquileños, speak Puno Quechua.
Copacabana is the main Bolivian town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The town has a large 16th-century shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, dedicated to Our Lady of Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. The town is a tourism destination in Bolivia. It is also known for its trout and quaint atmosphere. Built between Mount Calvario and Mount Niño Calvario, the town has approximately 6,000 inhabitants. Copacabana's religious celebrations, cultural heritage and traditional festivals are well known throughout Bolivia. Boats leave for Isla del Sol, the sacred Inca island, from Copacabana. Copacabana is served by Copacabana Airport.
Samaipata or Samaypata is a small town in the Florida Province of the Santa Cruz Department in Bolivia. It has a subtropical climate and an altitude of 1600–1800 m. It lies about 120 kilometers to the southwest of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra in the foothills of the Andes on the way to Sucre. It is a popular resort for the inhabitants of Santa Cruz due to its cool climate. As such, there is a regular bus and taxi service to Santa Cruz. The town is small with numerous colonial buildings and narrow cobbled streets. It is located close to several tourist attractions such as El Fuerte de Samaipata, the Amboro National Park, El Codo de los Andes, Cuevas waterfalls, vineyards, rapids and lagoons, as well as well-preserved colonial towns such as Vallegrande, Pampagrande, Postrervalle, Santiago del Valle, Pucará, and others. It is also the first stop in the several tourist trails to Sucre, Potosi, and the Che Guevara route.
Ingavi is a province in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. This is where the Battle of Ingavi occurred on November 18, 1841, and where the World Heritage Site of Tiwanaku is situated.
Isla del Sol is an island in the southern part of Lake Titicaca. It is part of Bolivia, and specifically part of the La Paz Department. Geographically, the terrain is harsh; it is a rocky, hilly island with many eucalyptus trees. There are no motor vehicles or paved roads on the island. The main economic activity of the approximately 800 families on the island is farming, with fishing and tourism augmenting the subsistence economy. Of the several villages, Yumani and Challapampa are the largest.
Isla Incahuasi, Inkawasi or Inka Wasi, also known as Isla del Pescado, is a hilly and rocky outcrop of land and former island in Bolivia situated in the middle of Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, at an elevation of 3,656 meters. It is located in the Potosí Department, Daniel Campos Province, Tahua Municipality, Yonza Canton.
The Gringo Trail refers to a string of the Latin American places most often visited by "gringos", North Americans, Europeans, Australasians, other budget travellers and also vice tourists.
The Andean civilizations were South American complex societies of many indigenous people. They stretched down the spine of the Andes for 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from southern Colombia, to Ecuador and Peru, including the deserts of coastal Peru, to north Chile and northwest Argentina. Archaeologists believe that Andean civilizations first developed on the narrow coastal plain of the Pacific Ocean. The Caral or Norte Chico civilization of coastal Peru is the oldest known civilization in the Americas, dating back to 3500 BCE. Andean civilizations are one of at least five civilizations in the world deemed by scholars to be "pristine." The concept of a "pristine" civilization refers to a civilization that has developed independently of external influences and is not a derivative of other civilizations.
The Tiwanaku Polity was a Pre-Columbian polity in western Bolivia based in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. Tiwanaku was one of the most significant Andean civilizations. Its influence extended into present-day Peru and Chile and lasted from around 600 to 1000 AD. Its capital was the monumental city of Tiwanaku, located at the center of the polity's core area in the southern Lake Titicaca Basin. This area has clear evidence for large-scale agricultural production on raised fields that probably supported the urban population of the capital. Researchers debate whether these fields were administered by a bureaucratic state (top-down) or through a federation of communities with local autonomy. Tiwanaku was once thought to be an expansive military empire, based mostly on comparisons to the later Inca Empire. However, recent research suggests that labelling Tiwanaku as an empire or even a state may be misleading. Tiwanaku is missing a number of features traditionally used to define archaic states and empires: there is no defensive architecture at any Tiwanaku site or changes in weapon technology, there are no princely burials or other evidence of a ruling dynasty or a formal social hierarchy, no evidence of state-maintained roads or outposts, and no markets.
Pre-Columbian Bolivia covers the historical period between 10,000 BCE, when the Upper Andes region was first populated and 1532, when Spanish conquistadors invaded Inca empire. The Andes region of Pre-Columbian South America was dominated by the Tiwanaku civilization until about 1200, when the regional kingdoms of the Aymara emerged as the most powerful of the ethnic groups living in the densely populated region surrounding Lake Titicaca. Power struggles continued until 1450, when the Incas incorporated upper Bolivia into their growing empire. Based in present-day Peru, the Incas instituted agricultural and mining practices that rivaled those put in place many years later by European conquerors. They also established a strong military force, and centralized political power. Despite their best efforts however, the Incas never completely controlled the nomadic tribes of the Bolivian lowlands, nor did they fully assimilate the Aymara kingdoms into their society. These internal divisions doomed the Inca Empire when European conquerors arrived.
The architecture of Bolivia is closely related to its history, culture and religion. Bolivian architecture has been constantly changing and progressing over time. Subject to terrain and high altitudes, most of Bolivia's Pre-Columbian buildings were built for housing, mainly influenced by Bolivian indigenous culture. The arrival of Spanish settlers brought many European-style buildings, and the Spaniards began planning to build big cities. After Independence, the architectural style became Neoclassical and many churches and government buildings were built. In modern Bolivia, like many countries, skyscrapers and post-modern buildings dominate, and of course there are special styles of architecture to attract tourists and build.
The Aymara kingdoms, Aymara lordships or lake kingdoms were a group of native polities that flourished towards the Late Intermediate Period, after the fall of the Tiwanaku Empire, whose societies were geographically located in the Qullaw. They were developed between 1150 and 1477, before the kingdoms disappeared due to the military conquest of the Inca Empire. But the current Aymara population is estimated at two million located in the countries of Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. They used the Aymara and Puquina languages.