Bolivia Info
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 16
Home Country: bolivia
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 Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2006 4:37 am Post subject: GETTING AROUND IN BOLIVIA / BOLIVIA TRANSPORTATION GUIDE |
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GETTING AROUND IN BOLIVIA
Note: Visitors should heed the dangers of altitude sickness, especially in the Highlands.
AIR
Airlines operating internal flights are AeroXpress, LAB and TAM (the military airline). Because of the country’s topography and tropical regions, air travel is the best method of transport, although delays, cancellations and general unreliability is highly possible. La Paz (El Alto) - which is the highest airport in the world - and Santa Cruz (Viru-Viru) are the chief internal airports.
Departure Tax: Usually Bs15, but variable depending on airport and destination. It is advisable to check locally.
RIVER/ LAKE
Double-decker passenger boats operate between the various small islands on Lake Titicaca and traverse the many rivers of the Amazon basin (the main thoroughfares being Ichilo, Mamoré, Beni, Madre de Dios and Guaporé rivers); most of them leave from Copacabana.
RAIL
Bolivia has 3697km (2297 miles) of track, which goes to make up separate and unconnected networks in the eastern and western parts of the country. Since privatization, the railway services have been reduced and services are, by and large, slow and disorganized. The Eastern network is particularly inefficient. Some trains have restaurant cars, but there are no sleeping-car services. The railways have recently renewed their rolling stock with Fiat railway carriages from Argentina. There are joint plans with the Brazilians to link Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.
ROAD
The internal road system covers 50,419km (31,330 miles). Work is in progress to improve the condition of major highways, since the overall road network is rather poor, due to the lack of paved roads. Traffic drives on the right.
Bus
Long bus trips off the main routes can be erratic. Most long-distance bus trips are overnight.
Taxi
All have fixed rates and sharing taxis is a common practice. Tipping is not necessary.
Car Rental
Hertz and local companies exist in La Paz.
Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. This can be issued by Federación Inter-Americana de Touring y Automóvil on production of a national license, but it is wiser to obtain the International Permit before departure.
URBAN TRANPORTATION
Bus services in La Paz are operated by a confederation of owner–operators. There are also some fixed route taxi ‘Trufi’ and ‘Trufibus’ systems which show colored flags for particular routes. Fares are regulated. In some cases, catching a 'truck' can prove a better means of transport, being half the price of a bus and usually more reliable - although transportation is less comfortable. |
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