Today we’re heading to a country that defies easy description – salt flats that mirror the sky, ruins that predate the Inca by centuries, and a capital city so high it feels like its own atmosphere.

Joining me are two people who know Bolivia not as visitors, but as hosts – Sebastian Villena, whose family founded Crillon Tours and who now leads A&K Bolivia, and Javier Loza, one of the most knowledgeable guides I’ve had anywhere in the world.

We talk about everything from Potosí’s silver-fueled rivalry with London and Paris, to a law giving nature legal rights, to waking up on the other worldly Uyuni salt flats and the ancestral healers of Lake Titicaca.

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Listen to hear:

• 02:06 – Where this favorite place comes alive
• 03:34 – What the lay of the land reveals
• 04:57 – How the geography shapes the culture and the people
• 06:51 – What connects them, and what sets them apart from their neighbors
• 07:33 – About what they’re most proud of
• 08:55 – Who brings Incan history to life
• 11:19 – What Spanish rule changed, and the impact it left
• 13:39 – Who stands out as a favorite historical figure
• 17:01 – How different languages come together here
• 19:29 – Where Pachamama fits into everyday life
• 21:17 – Why honoring Pachamama still matters
• 23:11 – What the healers’ tradition reveals about the Aymara worldview
• 25:48 – Where the experience begins at Uyuni’s salt desert
• 29:03 – How to make the most of the activities there
• 30:54 – What travelers miss when they see only the flats
• 34:05 – Where the Bolivian side offers a different experience
• 36:50 – How wine shapes the experience, and how to discover it
• 38:40 – Who are the special guides and people you meet along the way
• 41:41 – What favorite memory from a past guest still stands out
• 46:12 – About the preferred choices of our guests
• 50:52 – What you will learn about the world and humanity by visiting Bolivia