The land where rugged was born
The poorest country in South America and landlocked in the high Andes, Bolivia is not for the faint of heart. Among its must-see sights number the "world's most dangerous road," and endless desert salt flats; even its capital – La Paz, the highest in the world – is hard to reach. But for the traveller willing to endure, Bolivia is a trip back in time. With the most visible indigenous culture south of Guatemala, coca leaves and bowler-sporting indigena are common sights, while its geography is truly extreme: running from the Amazon jungle to the Andes and from the edge of the Incan empire at Lake Titicaca to the edge of the Atacama Desert, there is no easy way around. Our suggestion: go through.