A few years ago, I undertook my first solo backpacking trip in South America. This adventure still represents the beginning of my love for solo travel and also one of the most exciting experiences of my life. Over the course of a few months, I fell in love all over again with Brazil, enjoyed coffees and walks in Argentina, was amazed by Chile and got to hike the Macchu Picchu in Peru. But one unexpected place took my breath away while on this journey. Bolivia was a big surprise and struck me with its beauty as soon as I stepped foot there. Words can’t really describe the amazing landscapes I enjoyed while I was there, but if I had to sum up, let’s just say that I felt like I lived in a National Geographic documentary during this trip. So what better way to share with you my love for this country than with a virtual photographic journey? Are you ready?
The first place I arrived was Isla del Sol. After an exhausting (and very cheap) 15 hours bus ride from Cuzco in Peru, I was just longing for the first bed I could crash on and sleep in for the rest of the day. But as soon as I saw the shores of the lake Titicaca, it was like my spirit just got an electroshock. The setting was too beautiful for me to close my eyes even for a minute! I jumped on a boat that led me to the small sun island, hiked all the way to its top and enjoyed the breathtaking landscape spread out before my eyes. There I was, enjoying a wonderful view on what is known as the highest lake in the world…
Everything on that island was beautiful and I felt like buying one of those small houses so that I could enjoy this scene every morning…
In Isla Del Sol, the sunrise looks like this…
And the sunset like that…
But after a few days, I had to get back on the road. A boat brought me to reality (out of this paradise island, that is) and after yet another bus ride, I took the train from Oruro to one of many travelers’ dream destinations: Uyuni. On the way there, if you looked by the window, you could see landscapes like this…
Eventually, the day after, we ended up in an abandoned train station…
And finally made it to the world famous salt desert…
Sunsets there were not bad either, I have to admit. 🙂
We then headed south and found a real desert…
And one more abandoned railway when our car broke down…
We spent the next few days without phone reception, water to take a shower or electricity. Pure happiness, if you ask me. And when we thought we had already seen the best of what Bolivia had to offer, we encountered our first laguna…
Flamingos flying over us, nobody around and peacefulness at its best…
The lagunas that followed when we got back on the road were just as beautiful…
And then again, we felt like we were alone in the world…
On our way, we saw rocks with amazing shapes and colors…
And surrealist red lakes we didn’t think even existed…
We found ice in the desert…
And swam in hot springs, in between geysers, thousands of meters above sea-level…
We saw mountains that were both snowy and sandy, in the middle of nowhere…
And eventually made it to Laguna Azul, where the water is so pure it looks like a mirror…
And before we knew it, we had reached the border with Chile.
I left Bolivia with stars in my eyes and amazing memories of the beauty of our world. The feeling that this country left me with is quite indescribable. People often say that love happens when you least expect it. Well, that’s probably what I had just experienced.
Have you been to Bolivia? Did you like it? What is your favorite country in South America?
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