This four- to five-week trip takes in dramatic Andean landscapes, colonial cities and former Jesuit missions, colourful fiestas, ancient sites and Amazonian rainforests.
1. La Paz
The world's highest de facto capital city is also one of its most compelling, a riot of indigenous colour, vertiginous markets and street protests.
2. Tiwanaku
Though a mere fraction of this iconic pre-Columbian, pre-Incan city has been excavated, its mysterious, monumental slabs of sandstone are a must-see.
3. Lago Titicaca
A vast, striking blue expanse standing at 3810m, the lake is dotted with sacred islands and surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
4. Salar de Uyuni and the Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
Best visited together, the world's largest salt lake and this stunning high-altitude reserve have a desolate, otherworldly beauty.
5. Potosí
The highest city on earth has a tragic history, stunningly preserved colonial architecture and a legendary silver mine.
6. Sucre
Bolivia's most appealing city has a welcoming atmosphere, atmospheric whitewashed buildings, leafy plazas, and a year-round spring-like climate.
7. The Jesuit missions of Chiquitos
These Jesuit-founded towns in remote eastern Bolivia boast a series of stunning churches and a fascinating history.
8. Rurrenabaque and the Amazon
Perfectly sited on the Río Beni, buzzing Rurrenabaque has the biodiverse wonders of the Amazon on its doorstep.
For travellers who want to explore the country's stunning natural diversity, this three-and-a-half-week tour takes in the country's key national parks and protected areas.
1. Yungas, Cordillera Real and Cordillera Apolobamba
This Andean region is home to several excellent treks along pre-Columbian trails.
2. Salar de Uyuni and Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
Blindingly white lakes of salt, volcanic peaks and colonies of flamingos are just a few of the attractions at these two protected areas.
3. Cordillera de Chichas
A stark landscape of cactus-strewn badlands and canyons, evocative of the Wild West.
4. Parque Nacional Amboró
This park is home to over 830 different types of birds – the highest number of any protected area in the world – including the cock-of-the-rock.
5. Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado
Remote, inaccessible and truly spectacular, this national park is a lost world of diverse ecosystems and abundant animal and bird life.
6. Parque Nacional Madidi
Perhaps Bolivia's most famous national park, Madidi is readily accessible and amazingly biodiverse –the flora and fauna includes pink river dolphins.
This two-week tour allows you to explore Bolivia's cultural, artistic and musical diversity, as well as its distinct Spanish colonial heritage.
1. Mercado de Hechicería, La Paz
The outlandish Witches' Market offers a fascinating window onto the arcane world of Aymara folk medicine, with a bizarre array of wares.
2. Peña
A late-night showcase for traditional Andean music, performed on instruments such as charango, zampoña and quena, peñas have long been a La Paz institution.
3. Tiwanaku
The ancient ruins of Tiwanaku offer a tantalizing insight into the mysterious civilization that once had its centre in today's Aymara heartlands.
4. Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna, Lake Titicaca
These sacred islands, considered the birthplace of the sun and the moon, were once among the most important religious sites in the Andean world.
5. Casa Real de la Moneda, Potosí
The country's former royal mint, now its finest museum, has an outstanding collection of colonial religious art.
6. Sucre
An evocative cluster of churches, monasteries and mansions, as well as a fascinating museum showcasing indigenous textiles.
7. San Ignacio de Moxos
This Amazonian former mission town has as rich a musical heritage as it does a religious one, with an archive of antique scores and a thriving Baroque music school.
Tip from Rough Guides: Learn about the best ways to get to Bolivia.
Top image: Flamingos in a Laguna, Hedionda, Bolivia - Shutterstock
