Go with a plan.
Bolivia’s safety score rose to 58 today, but you still face a level 2 advisory from the US, UK, and Canada alongside active health notices for Dengue, Chikungunya, and Measles.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Bolivia
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go with a plan.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Fake Taxis
Fake cabs operate at night and are associated with robbery and rape. Use radio taxis to avoid these vehicles.
Drugged Bus Snacks
Passengers on interdepartmental buses may offer drugged snacks or drinks to rob you. Decline all offers by saying no, gracias.
Stranger Hustles
Strangers who approach or befriend you on the street may have malicious intent. Walk away immediately and say lo siento.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Dengue
- • Chikungunya in Bolivia
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Apply common sense and take precautions that apply elsewhere.
Staying healthy
- •Some parts of Bolivia like La Paz (3,650 m), Potosí (4,010 m), Oruro (3,950 m) and the Lake Titicaca region (3,400 m) are high altitude, so adequate precautions against "sorojchi" altitude sickness should be taken.
- •At local pharmacies they sell sorojchi pills, that are supposed to help with altitude problems.
- •However, severe cases of high altitude disease can be treated at the High Altitude Pathology Institute at Clinica IPPA.
- •UV radiation is strong in La Paz and in mountainous areas. The use of high-factor sunscreen is recommended.
- •Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for those who plan on spending time in the Bolivian Amazon.
- •Malaria prophylaxis is recommended if the visitor plans to visit tropical-rural areas.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Right now
In the news the last few days
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers looking at Bolivia face official warnings from foreign offices that categorize the country as a place requiring high caution. These advisories highlight risks including robbery, kidnapping, scams, fraud, and assault directed at tourists. While some travelers question if these warnings are exaggerated, the available discourse confirms that tourists are targeted for serious crimes. There is no consensus or specific data provided in these discussions regarding the safety of walking at night or the reality of violent crime rates, as the conversations focus primarily on weighing official government travel advisories against the desire to visit the region.
“both Peru and Bolivia are labeled as countries where “high caution should be exercised” - now of course that’s a given, but details explain that tourists are often victims to serious crimes e.g. robberies, kidnapping, scams, frauds, assaults, etc.
— r/travel
“We found out some month ago that Peru (and maybe Bolivia) are currently not supposed to be safe for travelling and thus considered it an option to go to Brazil instead.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
A / B / C · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911
Show the receipts (12 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- gdelt — observed 2026-07-11
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12