Backpacking In Bolivia

By South American standards, Bolivia is not large, but it's bigger than most European countries, and about three times the size of Germany. It's a country of contrasting landscapes and people. Its western part is dominated by the vast highlands, at about 4,000 m of altitude, including Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The western and eastern cordilleras of the Andes Mountains are their borders. They are an extensive pasture for sheep and cows, and the occasional llama, or alpaca. The air at this altitude is starved of oxygen, making it hard to breathe.

The eastern cordillera is equally expansive as the highlands. There are endless mountain peaks. And to the east of them are the vast lowlands, which make up more than two thirds of Bolivia's landmass.

We spent all of our time in and around the Lake Titicaca area, with the exception of a brief excursion to the Uyuni Salt Flats, a large lake that dried up eons ago, leaving a sea of salt behind.