In July 2012, we decided to make Bolivia our home for a while. When we first got to La Paz we were stunned at how beautiful it was. The sight of millions of little brick buildings clinging to the steep valley sides was one of the most amazing things we’d seen so far in South America.
We spent a month volunteering in a lovely small village outside the city, and through the wonderful people we met there we made some work contacts.
Time: 37 days (from May 2012 to July 2013)
Budget: $60.69 (per day for two people)
Itinerary: 5 days Uyuni, 5 days La Paz, 4 days Sucre, 2 days Potosí, 6 days Tarija, 8 days Samaipata, 7 days Rurrenabaque
Since we spent over a year in Bolivia, our budget looks rather different than for other countries we visited. To try and give an accurate guide of daily spending, I’ve only counted the number of days we were travelling completely as tourists rather than residents. This does not include the month we spent volunteering with Up Close Bolivia at a cost of $400 each.
The most expensive places were Samaipata and Tarija, but we didn’t really pay too much attention to spending here as these were our ‘holidays’. It would easily be possible to spend less.
Food and Drink
A cheap beer tasting in La Paz
The best and worst of street food in Tarija
The best way to spend 20Bs in Bolivia
Bolivian food: some of our favourites
Life in Bolivia
Interview with The Working Traveller
Volunteering with Up Close Bolivia
Metropolis at Centro Sinfónico Nacional
Canarios del Chaco at Teatro Municipal
La Paz and San Francisco: a completely uncalled for comparison
La Paz
Colibri Camping: where to stay in La Paz
“Evo quits politics to open a poncho shop”
El Gran Poder – a video
Museo Nacional de Etnografico y Folklore
Around La Paz
Tiwanaku
El Choro Trek for complete beginners
The rest of Bolivia
Photo Essay: Sucre
Relaxing with Educación y Futuro in Rosillas
Trekking el Valle de los Cóndores, Tarija
How to make teenage boys interested in history
Touring the mines in Potosí with Big Deal Tours
Writing about the mines in Potosí
Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina “Edwardo Avaroa”
Thoughts on visiting the pampas and jungle in Rurrenabaque
Photo Essay: Las pampas of the Yacuma river
Photo Essay: Flying La Paz to Rurrenabaque
How to spend a week in Samaipata
Strolling South America 
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What did you do in Rurre? (i assume you did an amazon tour or maybe a pampas tour as well?) I will be in Bolivia, volunteering at La Senda Verde near Coroico for 2 months, but i have some spare time before and was thinking of heading to Rurre to do a tour. Any advice on a good tour there?
I’ve met a few people volunteering at La Senda Verde – you’ll have a great time! Here is a post I wrote about Rurre. I really enjoyed it there, but if you only have limited time in Bolivia I’d recommend trying to see some of the altiplano. It will be totally different from where you’ll be staying in Coroico or the jungle in Rurre.