Bolivia Upgraded — Self-Launched: La Paz, Sucre, Potosí & the Salar de Uyuni
8 days · Bolivia
G Adventures charges £1,900
No-markup version: ~£505 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 8-day version of G Adventures' "Bolivia Upgraded" loop from La Paz — skipping the group leader, private vans and internal flight costs by using Bolivia's overnight buses, shared 4x4 salt-flat tours and locally booked guides. You'll still hit Sucre's colonial plaza, a working hacienda in the southern highlands, the Casa Nacional de la Moneda in Potosí, the mirror-flat Salar de Uyuni with a Coquesa community visit and Incahuasi Island lunch, and a La Paz market-to-table cooking demo — with hostel/guesthouse stays instead of tour hotels. All costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP; budget a bit more for altitude-related rest days.
Day-by-day
Arrive La Paz — acclimatise in the highest capital on earth
La Paz
Land at El Alto International Airport (4,061 m) and take an official taxi down into the bowl of La Paz — set rates are about £6-7 and the ride into the centre takes 30-40 minutes, with a dizzying view over the city on the way. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Sopocachi or Centro area and do almost nothing: altitude is no joke here. Drink coca tea, walk slowly, and pick up a local SIM (Entel or Tigo, ~£5-8 for data). In the evening, eat a light dinner in Sopocachi and turn in early. Book tomorrow's flight or overnight bus and your Salar tour online or through your hostel today.
🚌Official airport taxi ~£7
🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Sopocachi/Centro, £12-16/night
- →Acclimatisation walk around Sopocachi
- →Coca tea stop
- →Local SIM card purchase
Fly or ride overnight to Sucre — white city orientation
Sucre
Sucre sits lower (2,810 m) and warmer, so it's a good early stop. Fastest option is a morning flight La Paz–Sucre (BoA or EcoJet, ~£45-70 booked a few weeks out, 1 hr). The budget option is an overnight bus (e.g. with Flota or Trans Copacabana, ~£15-20, 12-13 hrs) which means leaving La Paz in the evening and arriving Day 3 morning instead — flip the days if you take this. On arrival, do your own orientation walk of Plaza 25 de Mayo, the cathedral, and the Casa de la Libertad, then wander the Recoleta neighbourhood and its cafés. Optional: a self-booked city walking tour via GetYourGuide or a local guide at the plaza (~£12-18).
🚌Flight La Paz–Sucre ~£55 (or overnight bus ~£18)
🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Plaza 25 de Mayo, £12-16/night
- →Self-guided Plaza 25 de Mayo orientation walk
- →Casa de la Libertad visit (~£3)
- →Recoleta neighbourhood wander
- →Optional guided city tour (~£15)
Sucre morning, then into the southern highlands via Potosí
Potosí / rural Potosí countryside
Spend the morning in Sucre — the Mercado Central for a cheap breakfast and the Convento de San Felipe de Neri terrace for views. Midday, take a shared or local bus Sucre–Potosí (~3 hrs, £5-7 with Flota or a shared taxi/minibus). In Potosí, arrange a community-stay night in the surrounding countryside through a local cooperative — options include rural homestays and farm-stays in hamlets like Tarapaya or around the Kari Kari ridge, booked via local operators such as those listed on GetYourGuide or arranged at your Potosí hostel (~£20-30 including dinner). You'll spend the afternoon walking the farm, meeting the family and sharing a farm-to-table dinner of quinoa soups, potatoes and llama — the closest independent equivalent of the hacienda night.
🚌Bus Sucre–Potosí ~£6
🛏Rural community homestay/farm-stay near Potosí, £22-30 incl. dinner
- →Mercado Central breakfast
- →Bus transfer to Potosí
- →Farm walk with host family
- →Community farm-to-table dinner
Casa de la Moneda, then over the puna to Uyuni
Uyuni
Morning tour of the Casa Nacional de la Moneda, Potosí's vast colonial mint — entry is around £4 for foreigners, and an English-speaking guide is ~£6 (or join a shared group tour booked online, ~£15). The mint is the best single sight in Bolivia's mining heartland. After lunch, take the bus or shared 4x4 transfer Potosí–Uyuni (~4-5 hrs, £7-10 by bus; shared 4x4 ~£15). Arrive in Uyuni town, a dusty grid of tour agencies and pizza joints, and pre-book your salt-flat tour for tomorrow — a shared 2-day or full-day tour with Coquesa and Incahuasi runs £35-55 per person depending on group size. For the 2-day version, the operator supplies a basic salt-hotel or hostel night. Get to bed early; you'll be up at dawn.
🚌Bus or shared 4x4 Potosí–Uyuni ~£9
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Uyuni, £10-14/night
- →Casa Nacional de la Moneda guided tour (~£10 incl. guide)
- →Transfer to Uyuni
- →Book salt-flat tour
Salar de Uyuni — Coquesa village, Incahuasi and sunset picnic
Salar de Uyuni / Tunupa Volcano
Set off in a shared 4x4 (usually a group of 5-6 strangers) into the world's largest salt flat. First stop is the Cementerio de Trenes on the edge of town, then out onto the blinding white pan. Continue to Coquesa at the foot of Tunupa Volcano — a tiny Aymara community where you can walk up to the hillside mummy caves and chat with local families; tips and small purchases go a long way. Lunch is typically served on or near Incahuasi Island, the cactus-covered outcrop in the middle of the salar. Finish with a picnic and sunset on the flats — bring your own bread, cheese, olives and a bottle of wine from the Uyuni market and photograph the mirror reflections. Return to Uyuni town or your salt-hotel depending on the tour booked.
🚌Shared 4x4 tour vehicle (included in tour price)
🛏Salt hotel or hostel in Uyuni or on the Salar, £12-20/night
- →Cementerio de Trenes
- →Salar de Uyuni crossing
- →Coquesa community walk and mummy caves
- →Incahuasi Island lunch
- →Sunset picnic on the salt flats
Back to La Paz — free afternoon and market dinner
La Paz
Morning in Uyuni: check out the town's small market and grab breakfast, then fly Uyuni–La Paz (Amazonas or BoA, ~£40-60, 1 hr, a couple of daily flights) or take the overnight bus back to La Paz (~£15-20, 10-12 hrs — in which case you arrive Day 7 morning and adjust). Back in La Paz, rest up in the afternoon, then head out for a self-organised food wander: try the Mercado Rodríguez or the Lanza street market for salteñas, api con pastel, and silpancho. Optional group-style dinner: pick a spot in Sopocachi and split plates — much of the fun of the original is just eating together.
🚌Flight Uyuni–La Paz ~£50 (or overnight bus ~£18)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sopocachi/Centro, £12-16/night
- →Uyuni market breakfast
- →Flight/bus back to La Paz
- →Mercado Rodríguez food wander
Valley of the Moon, cable cars and a cooking demo
La Paz
Free morning — take a shared minibus or taxi to the Valle de la Luna (~£3-5 each way, entry ~£2) and walk the eroded clay spires. In the afternoon, do the city your own way: a self-guided circuit on the Mi Teleférico cable cars (a day ticket is a few pence per ride, ~£0.40 each, so a whole loop costs ~£3), hopping lines between El Alto, Ciudad Satélite and the centre for the best views over the canyon. In the evening, book an interactive Bolivian cooking class or food-tasting demo through GetYourGuide or Airbnb Experiences (~£25-35), where a local chef walks you through dishes like chairo, silpancho and quinoa salads — the self-bookable counterpart of the restaurant demo in the original trip. Or eat your way through a food-hall tour instead.
🚌Minibus to Valle de la Luna ~£4 each way, Mi Teleférico ~£3
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Sopocachi/Centro, £12-16/night
- →Valle de la Luna walk (~£2)
- →Mi Teleférico cable-car circuit
- →Bolivian cooking class (~£30)
Depart La Paz
La Paz
Final morning — pick up souvenirs at the Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas) and the nearby artisan stalls, grab a last salteña, then take an official taxi to El Alto airport (~£7). Allow extra time: El Alto is chaotic and check-in queues are long. If you're heading onward to Peru, there are regular buses and flights from La Paz to Cusco or Puno.
🚌Taxi to airport ~£7
🛏—
- →Mercado de las Brujas souvenir stop
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£505 | £1,900 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,395 per person (73%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£505
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Bolivia Upgraded — Self-Launched: La Paz, Sucre, Potosí & the Salar de Uyuni cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £505 per person for 8 days in Bolivia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,900 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £505 — a saving of roughly £1,395 (73%) per person.
How long is the Bolivia trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Bolivia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, hiking trip through Bolivia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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