Bolivia

Is Bolivia safe to visit?

For most visitors, yes, but it is a harder country to travel than its neighbours. The usual route of La Paz, Lake Titicaca, Sucre, Potosí and the Uyuni salt flats rarely brings violent crime, and the US State Department keeps Bolivia at Level 2, exercise increased caution. What goes wrong is more often logistical and physical: a highway closed by protesters, a bus crash on a mountain road, a night of altitude sickness, or a taxi that turns into a robbery.

We score Bolivia 54, below Peru (57) and well below Chile and Argentina. The homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is moderate, about 4.4 per 100,000 in 2023 according to UNODC data published by the World Bank. Roads, unrest and health care pull the score down.

Protests, blockades and the political situation

Road blockades are Bolivia's typical form of protest, and they can shut down a region within hours. In 2026 they lasted for weeks. From 6 May the main trade union confederation, the COB, and the La Paz peasant federation blocked highways, later joined by supporters of former president Evo Morales, with protesters demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz. The blockades caused shortages of food, fuel and medical oxygen, and at least 16 people died, most because they could not reach medical care. On 20 June the government declared a 90-day state of exception that bans blockades and lets the armed forces support the police on key routes.

Paz won the run-off of October 2025 with 55% of the vote against Jorge Quiroga, ending about two decades of government by Morales's MAS party. He took office in an economic crisis with a dollar shortage and regular fuel shortages, which the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says can strand drivers for days and reduce bus services.

In practice: never try to cross a blockade, avoid demonstrations, keep a spare day or two before international flights, and ask whether your long-distance bus ticket is sold "condicionado", which means the company does not guarantee arrival.

The one area to stay out of is the Chapare, in the tropical lowlands of Cochabamba department. The US says do not travel there because of drug-trafficking crime, and the FCDO advises against all but essential travel, including Villa Tunari and highways 4 and 24 that cross it. The main bus route between Cochabamba and Santa Cruz uses this road; fly instead.

Crime against travellers

Violent crime against tourists is uncommon, but the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary describes three patterns worth knowing. The first is the fake taxi: robberies have risen in Santa Cruz, La Paz and Rurrenabaque. Use radio taxis with the company name and number on the roof, or an app, and never get into a car that already has passengers. The second is the fake police officer, who asks to check your documents and bag and takes your money; real police cannot search you on the street without a prosecutor's order. The third is express kidnapping, where victims are held while their cards are emptied; foreigners crossing overland from Peru, Chile and Argentina are targeted, so take a direct bus from Copacabana to La Paz.

Petty theft is common in central La Paz, El Alto and on night buses, and the FCDO links a rise in crime to the economic crisis. Violence linked to cocaine trafficking is growing in Santa Cruz department: InSight Crime counted 774 reports of "crimes against life" nationally by September 2025, against 453 for all of 2024, mostly there. These are reports rather than confirmed killings, and Bolivia gave no 2025 homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary.

Drug laws are harsh. Any quantity counts as trafficking, the minimum sentence is 8 years, and all departing luggage is searched. Prison tours, still offered in La Paz, are illegal.

Roads, buses and the Death Road

WHO estimatedWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 21.1 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, one of the higher rates in South America. Most roads are unpaved, vehicles are poorly maintained, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says crashes involving long-distance buses are common and have hurt British travellers. Bus drivers work long shifts and few buses have seatbelts. Tourist-oriented companies cost more but usually have better drivers and belts. Take day buses where you can, and fly between La Paz, Sucre, Santa Cruz and Uyuni when time allows.

The old Yungas road, the "Death Road" from La Paz to Coroico, is now a mountain-bike trip, and there are no official standards for tour operators. Check the brakes, the guide's first-aid kit and the support vehicle. Boats on Lake Titicaca and jungle rivers are often basic; make sure there are life jackets.

Altitude, disease and weather

Altitude is the commonest health problem. La Paz sits at about 3,600 m, El Alto airport at about 4,000 m, and Uyuni at about 3,650 m. Plan a slow first day, and ask your doctor or pharmacist about preventive medicine.

The Amazon lowlands are a different health zone. CDC recommends yellow fever vaccination for Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz and parts of other departments east of the Andes, and malaria tablets for some areas. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary lists Oropouche and Zika, warns that the public system is overstretched and short of medicines, and advises bringing enough of your own prescription medicine. Private clinics in the main cities accept international insurance, but you usually pay upfront.

The rainy season (November to March) brings floods and landslides that can close mountain roads for days. In the dry season (May to October) forest fires in the east can foul the air as far as La Paz.

How we scored it

Road safety (42) and health (48) are the weakest factors: high road deaths, crash-prone buses, altitude and limited care outside the cities. Conflict (55) reflects the 2026 blockades, the state of exception and the Chapare no-go area rather than any armed conflict. Violent crime (66) is the strongest factor, but we gave medium confidence because the latest national homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is from 2023 and violence in Santa Cruz is rising.