"Gringo Trail?" and is Bolivia expensive?!

The 'Gringo Trail' is the succession of places that most tavellers in a country take ...there may be slight varieties,but most people will follow a variation of the trail.

In Bolivia....for overlanders...it would be probably Titicaca/Copacabana-La Paz-maybe Rurrenabaque (jungle/pampas)-Potosi-Salar.Reason to follow it...most of these places have a lot to offer tourists,and good infrastructure..transport options,restaurants,hotels etc.

Reason not to follow it.....you don't want to do what all the other tourists are doing ;-)

Everey country in South and Central America has one.....

On cost....tours are not the cheapest for sure.Though you can still get very reasonable prices for tours in the pampas,or in the salar,compared to many countries.

If you travel without tours..as you can in La Paz,Sucre,Potosi etc.etc.and many other less famous places....then Bolivia is a really cheap country.The cheapest in SA....you can live on US$20 a day comfortably.

@lucapal Thanks. Yes, I know what a "Gringo Trail" is. I've traveled a good deal and know there are routes you keep running into the same backpackers and seeing them at the same hostels. ;) But, I don't know what the typical gringo route is in Bolivia.

There are typical gringo routes in Mexico. If you're not familiar with the country and possibly don't speak Spanish, it would likely be a good idea to stick to the Mexican "gringo trail".

I do speak Spanish. I wouldn't say I'm completely fluent, but I get by just fine most of the time.

Usually, I have a few ideas of where I might want to go before I arrive but no firm plan at all. I'd planned on just getting to La Paz, finding a decent room or hostel dorm for 2-3 nights, doing a couple day trips, then deciding what I want to do from there.

When I went to Peru several years ago, I was in a bit of a hurry, flew into Lima, then up to Cuzco a day or so later. The altitude, even with the mate de coca, was extremely tiring. I didn't get altitude sick, but I told myself that if I ever go in the region again, I'd allow for more time to acclimate before pushing on.

However, I see all these people refining their entire trips specifically down to the day, and was wondering if you really have to pre-plan that much for Bolivia?

Also, if I can't pay $300-$600 for tours, am I going to miss the best of Bolivia? Or, does that mean I'll just have to take longer bus rides, have no guide, and sleep in less comfortable beds... while still seeing the same great stuff the people with deep pockets and fat wallets are seeing?

I was thinking about whether "tours" really are that expensive.

So, I looked at a comparison of a 3 day tour in Southwestern Bolivia with a similar tour elsewhere in the world.

Bolivia: Salar de Uyuni - a long way from infrastructure, crossing a desert in 4 x 4 vehicles, vehicle, driver, and food provided. I picked a "high end" tour, staying at the Tayka Hotels. Cost = USD 167/day

Algeria: Tamanrasset - a long way from infrastructure, crossing a desert in 4 x 4 vehicles, vehicle, driver, and food provided. I found a tour with accommodation in tents. Cost USD 169/day.

Now this is obviously only a single comparison; it would be interesting to do some more comparisons of other South American "tours" against similar destinations (e.g., Pantanal versus Okavango, El Cocuy versus Kilimanjaro, and so on).

I guess my point is that when you take into account the infrastructure and resources needed to run these tours in South America, they're not that expensive.

@alanymarce You missed the point entirely. It doesn't matter if the tours cost as much as they do in other countries. What is the point, and what my question is... if you don't have $167/day to spend on tours in Bolivia, can you still see the best the country has to offer on a backpacker budget?

I'm not going to argue about whether $300-$600+ tours are "worth it". That's not the question. The question is can you still do Bolivia on a shoe-string budget.

If a traveler has that kind of bank and wants some comfort, speed, english-speaking guide, then more power to them.

However, if a traveler has a backpack, not loads of money, can speak Spanish, and doesn't need a guide to transport them in comfort... can they still have a great experience and see the best stuff without spending money on $167/day tours?

Found this Uyuni tour price-based post helpful. Looks like if I'm willing to wing-it and not have an english-speaking guide like I usually do, etc. then a Salt-Flats tour isn't all that pricey. This person did a 3-day 2-night for $108 a year ago, that's doable for me. :)

I guess I was in "reflection mode" rather than focussing precisely on your question(s), my apologies.

re "However, if a traveler has a backpack, not loads of money, can speak Spanish, and doesn't need a guide to transport them in comfort... can they still have a great experience and see the best stuff without spending money on $167/day tours?".

In short: yes.

With a caveat; what do you mean by "the best"? If you mean the best possible access and understanding, then I suggest that you would benefit from the best guide, the best transport, the best etc. Good guides don't price themselves cheaply, safe and comfortable transport tends to be more expensive, and so on.

However, you can undoubtedly have a great experience without going for the most expensive alternatives. In fact some of the most expensive tours don't offer the best experience in my view, an air-conditioned vehicle in the Pantanal cuts you off from contact with nature, for example.

Perhaps the key is to manage your resources to get the best "bang for the buck" overall; for example many years ago I hitched from southern Africa to East Africa (with a backpack, without loads of money) and slept in a tent or a truck much of the time. However, when I wanted to walk Kilimanjaro I paid what it took for a safe, well-run trip, and benefited accordingly.

Sounds exactly like how I travel. I'll go without hot showers, walk, sleep on the ground, etc. But spend the money when it matters the most.

What inspired the question was all the posts on the Bolivia forum about booking tours. Not so many about doing it on your own, etc. Lots of costs in the several hundred US dollar range. Was making me nervous.

I don't have to go all "shoe-string" with it, but I just came off another long trip via motorcycle that cost me more than I thought it would, and then I booked this Bolivian trip without much time to recover the old wallet health. ;)

Just didn't want to get there and discover that I can't see any of the awesome stuff I've seen photographs of, without having to buy several hundred US dollar tours to do it. I don't have any problem haggling, staying in dodgy accommodations, eating street food, etc. in order to save enough budget for tour transport every now and then.

I had a look at the post you mentioned - some good advice there. Since you speak Spanish, you obviously don't need a bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) guide, and will also be more likely to encounter Bolivians/other South Americans on the tour.

The one thing I'm sure that you've realised already is that time is your best ally. Take the time to choose the best deal, wait for the best bus option, take the long way round when it costs less (which will give you more experience as well).

Bolivia is wonderful, the people are a little cautious compared with those from most neighbouring countries but warm and friendly once the ice is broken. It is inexpensive, certainly by comparison with Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. You'll have a great time!