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Travel - Internal
AIR: Airlines operating internal flights are LAB, AeroXpress and TAM (the army airline). Because of the country’s topography and tropical regions, air travel is the best method of transport. La Paz (El Alto), which is the highest airport in the world, and Santa Cruz (Viru-Viru) are the chief internal airports. Departure tax: Usually Bs15, but variable depending on airport and destination. It is advisable to check locally.
RIVER/LAKE: Passenger boats are operated between the various small islands on Lake Titicaca; most of them leave from Copacabana.
RAIL: Bolivia has 3697km (2297 miles) of track which goes to make up separate and unconnected networks in the eastern and western parts of the country. Recently privatised, the railway services have been reduced and services are, by and large, slow and disorganised. Some trains have restaurant cars, but there are no sleeping-car services. The railways have recently renewed their rolling stock with Fiat railway carriages from Argentina. There are joint plans with the Brazilians to link Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.
ROAD: The internal road system covers 50,419km (31,330 miles). Work is in progress to improve the condition of major highways. Traffic drives on the right. Bus: Long bus trips off the main routes can be erratic. Most long-distance bus trips are overnight. Taxi: All have fixed rates and sharing taxis is a common practice. Tipping is not necessary. Car hire: Hertz and local companies exist in La Paz. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. This can be issued by Federación Inter-Americana de Touring y Automovil on production of a national licence, but it is wiser to obtain the International Permit before departure.
URBAN: Bus services in La Paz are operated by a confederation of owner–operators. There are also some fixed route taxi ‘Trufi’ and ‘Trufibus’ systems which show coloured flags for particular routes. Fares are regulated.
TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times from La Paz (in hours and minutes) to other major cities/towns in Bolivia.
| | Air | Road | Rail |
| Cochabamba | 0.25 | 6.00 | 7.00 |
| Santa Cruz | 0.50 | 24.00 | - |
| Tarija | 1.00 | 18.00 | - |
| Sucre | 0.35 | 11.00 | 13.00 |
| Potosí | 0.40 | 12.00 | 12.00 |
| Beni | 0.35 | - | - |
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