Anyone heard of traveler problems regarding political unrest in Bolivia?

Google news today wrote about these problems but did not mention anything about tourists.

Woodie

The lonely planet travel forum has a couple of very good posts regarding this.

The USA travel advisory just issued a travel warning yesterday. Bolivia threw out the US Ambassador.

I am scheduled to leave on Oct. 28th for two months traveling through Peru and Bolivia. I am going to put plan "B" into place in case I need to implement it.

I am sooo looking forward to Bolivia so I hope things improve!

We are in Urubamba, Peru at teh momnet and were due to head off to Bolivia next week for a few weeks but not sure if we will now head to Chile instead.

The following was posted on the UK Foreign office site yesterday -

The political situation in Bolivia is tense and there is the risk that demonstrations and confrontations might break out at short notice. You should exercise caution and avoid large crowds. There have been violent clashes in Tarija, Santa Cruz, and around Cobija (in Pando province). We are therefore advising against travel to Pando, Tarija and Santa Cruz regions for the present. There is also the risk of violent protests in Beni region. See the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.

We are heading off to SA Explorers Club in Cusco in a few days . I will post again if there is anymore to be found their.

Missed a bit!
There is a low threat from terrorism. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.



There is continual risk of public protests and strikes throughout Bolivia. Major roads can be blocked and public transport disrupted at very short notice. Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija departments are particularly affected at present. You should take care to avoid all public demonstrations which have the potential to turn violent. See the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.

Tarija and Trinidad airports are currently closed because of threats of violent protests, and operations from Santa Cruz airport has been disrupted. Other airports in the east of the country are also suffering problems. See the Local Travel section of this advice for more details.

Updates? Anyone with more recent info on this situation?

Saw on American Airlines website they cancelled their flights in/out of La Paz a few weeks ago (9/24) . . . and were allowing ticketing changes to other S. American cities.

My husband, adult daughter and I just returned from Peru, minus a week stop in Bolivia due to the unrest there. After stopping in the Bolivian Consulate in Miami and talking to the person in charge there, we were advised to go in by plane and avoid using the bus system and then to go only to La Paz, and not to travel to other areas. We were supposed to go into Sucre to meet up with a woman who had lived with us as an exchange student in 1988. After we decided not to travel into Bolivia she met us in Lima, Peru, for 5 days. Even then, she was concerned about her own safety traveling through Santa Cruz. We spoke to one American who traveled into Santa Cruz with a tour group, only to be flown out the following morning. They did travel on to Sucre, but cut the trip short. I have not heard anything that made me regret not making an attempt to go in. A woman we met from Holland had a friend who was detained in Bolivia due to road blocks. This news is all a couple of weeks old.

I hope, for your sake, that things settle down and you are able to travel safely into Bolivia.