Bolivia is situated at the west and central part of the South American continent. Its territory, stretches over 1 0998 581 square Km. (about twice the size of France), two thirds of which is covered by an Amazonian area of plains and forests. This Amazonian region also has valleys at medium altitude; above it the great plateau, the Altiplano, at 4000 m which is topped by the snow-capped peaks of the Andean Cordillera which reach over 6000 m. (the Sajama volcano – the highest point at 6542 m.). The only thing missing is the sea, which was lost at the end of the XIXth century to Chile. Bolivia is bordered by Peru, Chili, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil.

Because of its extremely diverse geography, Bolivia offers a considerable variety of landscapes at a relatively short distance from each other. We could in half a day's time pass from the Altiplano, at over 4000 m., to less than 300 m. – from condors to toucans and from lamas to monkeys.

Bolivia has just over 8 million inhabitants from 35 different ethnic groups, where the Aymaras from the plateau regions and the Quechuas from the valleys are in the majority. Although Spanish is the most widespread language, Aymara and Quechua are languages of communication that are commonly used in their regions and are also official languages. Bolivia has a number of natural parks and protected areas, where we can admire a very diverse fauna , as well as many lakes. On the Altiplano, Lake Titicaca, which is at frontier with Peru is home to the mythical origins of the Incas (Island of the Sun), where ancient salt lakes formed today's Salares, deserts of white salt, unique on earth.

The climatic conditions are, of course, as varied as its geography. Although we can distinguish quite clearly two seasons (the wet season, from December to March and the dry season in the Austral winter), temperatures can vary tremendously according to the region where you are. We can go from tropical humidity around Santa Cruz, to a dry climate with a scorching sun on the Altiplano, where after dark an extremely cold and windy climate takes over. It's in Cochabamba, Sucre and Tarija where we find the most pleasant climates. Due to rain and the damage it causes (floods, damaged routes and collapsed bridges), this period, which goes from December to March, is clearly the least recommended for excursions and for discovering the country.