La Paz

Ketal — the main supermarket

Hipermaxi — big-box

Mercado (Rodríguez etc.) — cheapest produce by far

Best: Apr – Oct (dry season) · Wet: Dec – Mar

Fees: ATMs charge modest fees but can be finicky with foreign cards — carry a backup card.

Limits: Often capped around 1,500–2,000 BOB per pull.

Best machines: Banco Nacional (BNB)Banco MercantilBCP Bolivia

Vaccines: Routine, Hepatitis A, Typhoid. Yellow-fever shot for lowland/Amazon regions. Rabies awareness rurally.

Health: Bottled/purified water only. La Paz is extreme altitude (3,600m, El Alto higher) — take the first day very slow, hydrate, mate de coca helps a lot. Clinics in La Paz handle altitude routinely; serious cases may need descent or evacuation.

Tap water: ❌ Don't drink the tap. Purified water is cheap; altitude makes hydration essential.

Safety: Bolivia is relatively safe for travellers with mostly petty crime. In La Paz use radio taxis or apps (not random street cabs — 'express kidnapping' scams exist), keep bags close in markets, and beware fake-police scams (real police never demand to see your money or search you in the street). Protests can block roads — build in flexibility.

For most short tourist trips, citizens of the US, UK, EU/Schengen, Canada, Australia and New Zealand either enter visa-free or get a simple online authorisation (an eVisa or eTA) before flying. Typical visa-free stays run 30–90 days. Some countries want a visa arranged in advance, and a growing number ask you to fill an online arrival or eVisa form even when 'visa-free' — so always check the official portal for your exact nationality before you book.