What makes Bolivia such a strange, unique and interesting place to visit? Perhaps it’s because their customs come from so many different places, from traditional Andean culture, to Spanish colonialism and even touches of pagan and indigenous influence. Or maybe it’s that Bolivians know how to throw a great party. It’s probably a bit of both.

With so many weird and wonderful examples to get excited about, picking just a handful of unique traditions to look forward to on your Bolivia holidays was never going to be easy. There’s tons more that this South American gem’s deep and complex culture has to offer, including breath-taking activities. You can

What makes Bolivia such a strange, unique and interesting place to visit? Perhaps it’s because their customs come from so many different places, from traditional Andean culture, to Spanish colonialism and even touches of pagan and indigenous influence. Or maybe it’s that Bolivians know how to throw a great party. It’s probably a bit of both.

With so many weird and wonderful examples to get excited about, picking just a handful of unique traditions to look forward to on your Bolivia holidays was never going to be easy. There’s tons more that this South American gem’s deep and complex culture has to offer, including breath-taking activities. You can tour Lake Titicaca, visit historic sites like Cerro Rico or explore the many museums. But to help you get started, here are just a few of our favourite Bolivian traditions that are not to be missed.

Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Probably the most famous festival in the country, no list of great Bolivian traditions would be complete without this iconic national celebration. And it is definitely one hell of a celebration.

In other cultures, a commemoration of the dead may be considered something quite morbid, but that is far from the case here. In Bolivia, death is not seen as the end of a person but rather of a continuation of life: another step on their eternal journey.

During the celebration, graves are decorated with a huge array of food, from cake to fruit. This is meant to be nourishment for the spirit. Alongside this, musicians bring the day to life (no pun intended), playing happy, energetic folk songs to wish the spirits well on their journey. The energy and the atmosphere is something that must be experienced to be appreciated.

Traditional Bolivian Cuisine

If there’s one tradition that pretty much everyone can agree is worth looking forward to, it’s the mouth-watering traditional Bolivian dishes. It’s a true melting pot of influences, with flavours from throughout Europe, South America and the East.

Bolivian cuisine is something that, much like so many other parts of the country, takes these international connections and comes out with something utterly of its own making. From Saltenas to Mondongo, there’s nothing else like it.

Bolivian Art

Bolivia’s long and storied history with the art world has often been overlooked. Happily though, this is changing thanks to an increasing interest in preserving the country’s past through the many museums and galleries. On your tour of Bolivia, you can take a trip to the Museum of Indigenous Art ASUR, the National Museum of Art or the Museum of Cotemporary Art, to name just a few.

Like so much of what makes this country great, the secret to their exceptional work is diversity. In this case, the wonderful diversity comes in the form of the artists and the art itself. From paintings to pottery, their artistic culture is a fascinating window into their history and feeds into the Bolivian tradition of doing things a little differently.

Carnaval De Oruro

One thing that can’t be denied about Bolivians is that they know how to throw a great festival. This tradition goes back over 200 years and, if you want to get involved in the festivities, you’ll need to get yourself down to Uroro on 2nd March.

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