Frequently asked questions about Bolivia Hop

Bolivia Hop offers 2 distinct ways to discover the real Bolivia:

1: Unique Hop On Hop Off Private Bus System between Bolivia and Peru allowing you discover hidden gems as well as the main tourist destinations in a safe, flexible and stress free way!

2: Day Trips from each major city, ideal for those who might be flying between Bolivia and Peru.

We launched in 2013 after 2 Irish guys moved to South America. After living here, they realized they actually knew nothing about the real Peru and Bolivia compared to when we had travelled here in 2010, and so partnered with some locals to give people a way to Discover the real hidden gems and avoid being a typical tourist (like they were!).

To read more about how Bolivia Hop works, click HERE.

Bolivia Hop is NOT a tour, you can literally hop on a bus and travel at your own pace, although if you do want everything planned in advance, we can help you with that too!

Are you a “pre-planner”? After booking, login to our App and organize your perfect travel schedule (buses run everyday), add optional tours (e.g. Lake Titicaca or Machu Picchu) and more! Or just contact us and we can help you plan the perfect trip.

Are you a “I will figure it out along the way” type? Just Hop on your first bus, and then travel as you like!

Using your unique login code to the App, you can just book your next bus up to 12 hours before departure (buses run every single day!). No researching bus companies or prices, no crazy taxis, no chaotic bus terminals, no stress!

Note: Our Day Trips (ideal for those flying between Bolivia and Peru) are all inclusive fixed scheduled 1 & 2 day tours.

Choose a Bus Pass (based on what you want to see and how much time you have).

Personalize your Plan using our App (your travel dates, optional extra tours and more).

Hop on your first bus (pick up wherever you are staying, meet other travelers on board).

Travel at your own pace (discovering hidden gems along the way with local insights).

Loving a certain town/city? Hop Off there simply by updating the App or telling your onboard travel guide.

Feeling sick a certain day and can’t travel? Put your bus on hold in the App, and whenever you are feeling better, take it off hold. Easy and Stress Free with no cancellation issues!

Note: If you want a trip fully planned in advance, use the App to organize everything and all your buses will be reserved for the whole trip.

Bolivia Hop is not only about discovering hidden gems impossible to get to by yourself, but its all about giving you an authentic local experience by putting you, the traveler, in control of your trip. Read more about how Bolivia Hop works HERE.

In general, the people who want an authentic local Bolivian Experience take Bolivia Hop.

Many people either just fly between Bolivia and Peru and miss out on so much (without knowing what they are missing). Others take public buses that go from A to B missing hidden gems along the way and full of people asleep with their headphones on.

You will meet similar travelers of all ages and races on Bolivia Hop. As can often be seen in our reviews, people make friends for life on board!

We have had over 300,000 passengers from 85+ countries! The average age is 31 years old with the youngest being 10 months old and the oldest at 85!

65% of our passengers are female! Various people have contacted us to say they met on Bolivia Hop or Peru Hop and are now married!

Thankfully we haven’t heard of any couples divorcing after traveling together on Bolivia Hop so far!

There is a misconception that because Bolivia Hop makes it so safe, simple and easy to get between Bolivia and Peru then it is “touristy”.

But what actually happens on other public buses? The bus goes from A to B direct (no hidden gem stops), everyone puts their headphones in and sleeps, and you learn nothing about what you are driving past or get any tips/advice on any destination.

On Bolivia Hop, we make quick stops at hidden gems not in any guidebooks, have a local onboard Bolivian guide giving you insights about what life is like in here and we create a fun, relaxed and safe environment on the bus.

An Authentic Local Experience with European Standards of Safety and Service!

Bolivia Hop is owned by Irish & local partners, all of whom live in South America full time.

Will moved to Peru from Ireland in 2012 chasing a Peruvian girl he met when he travelled to Peru in 2010 (she refused to move to the cold of Ireland!)

It was only after living here did he realize there was way more places and things about Peru and Bolivia he had never known as a traveler, and so came up with the concept of Peru Hop / Bolivia Hop, a way to see and discover more.

He brought the idea to Paolo, a local Peruvian (now with an Irish accent!!) before being joined by Conor and Pete, 2 friends of Will who he convinced to move here!

Our phrase “Don’t be a Typical Tourist” came from the realization that we had all been typical tourists when we traveled here in the past, and we want to convince more and more people to avoid being a typical tourist and discover the real hidden gems, and learn what a crazy, fun, diverse and beautiful country this really is!

Read more about How Peru Hop / Bolivia Hop Started HERE.

On the Bolivian side:

We have some of the most modern buses in the country with semi-cama (half bed) reclining seats, TVs, duvet blankets for each passenger, and lake crossing capabilities between Copacabana and La Paz.

*Does NOT include an onboard toilet as the bus cannot be bigger due to weight restrictions involved in crossing Lake Titicaca between Copacabana and La Paz (buses need to float across the Lake). NO COMPANY operating this route has an onboard toilet due to these size restrictions. Public toilets ARE available at the Strait of Tiquina, the crossing point of the lake (one hour from Copacabana, 2hours 30 from La Paz).

On the Peruvian side:

Our huge luxury modern buses come with semi-cama (half bed) huge reclining seats, A/C & heating systems, TVs, USB ports, clean toilets and more!

All buses are tracked by GPS systems, have speed restriction software and much more. Read more about Our Buses HERE.

All our team are local Bolivians fluent in English. Read past reviews and you will see that everybody LOVES our guides!

They are not traditional guides telling you long history with dates etc. What they do is give you a real insight into what life was, and is, like living in Bolivia, with snippets of historical and cultural info.

Aside from that, they will become your best Bolivian friend, giving you tips and advice on how to maximize your time in Bolivia and Peru, and helping you try local food and drink at local prices!

Bolivia in general is a safe country to visit, but of course, like other destinations (e.g. Barcelona or Paris), pickpockets and other things can happen.

Local bus terminals here are often targeted by these people, as they know many tourists are traveling and often have expensive phones, laptops, AirPods, etc.

Then you have the crazy Bolivian drivers, which you will see as soon as you leave leave the airport and experience how crazy they really are on the roads here (trust us, NEVER rent a car here!)

And finally, you have local taxis. Whilst Uber works in Bolivia, there is no vetting of drivers or cars, and whilst the vast majority are safe, of course caution is always recommended.

With Bolivia Hop, you avoid bus terminals, taxis, and are driven by our professional drivers who have their driving behavior and speeds monitored at all times by our team. You also have an onboard Travel Guide giving you tips and advice along the way to avoid these pickpockets.

We are far from perfect, but as fellow travelers ourselves, we have built a service that we feel our own family would be much safer traveling on than on local buses, and this is why when you read the reviews of the local bus companies, you will see what we mean.

Our prime objective on Bolivia Hop is to not only give you a local authentic experience visiting places almost impossible to get to by yourself, but to also ensure your safety at all times, and that is why we have managed to gain a great reputation as an extremely safe and reputable company.

We believe, and are pretty sure our ex-passengers would agree, that Bolivia Hop represents excellent value for money.

A mistake often made by people is thinking “that’s a lot of money to pay for a bus” without understanding everything that is included with Peru Hop AND the experience you get.

When comparing our prices, add up the costs of all the journeys we include in the pass you are interested in. Then, add on all taxi costs to/from each terminal and the time you waste doing this. Then add on the real cost of our free stops at hidden gems compared to trying to do them yourself.

You will see that not only do we offer safety and comfort, but our prices represent incredible value too for everything that Bolivia Hop offers.

Bolivia is probably a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you. Don’t ruin it sat on a public bus full of bored locals trying to get to work as fast as possible with crazy drivers and missing out on hidden gems.

Discover the REAL Bolivia with Bolivia Hop, make friends along the way, and get a true local experience making the most of your once in a lifetime trip to this amazing country!

There are 2 ways:

1: Our onboard guide will ask you you are staying at each destination and ensure that’s where you are picked up for the next trip.

2: In the App, you can choose where you want the bus to pick you up from, and the App will tell you what time the bus will pick you up at. It really is that simple and easy!

Of course! Please remember that with Bolivia Hop, you are 100% free to see, do, eat and sleep wherever you want! You are 100% in control of your trip.

Book whatever accommodation is best for you, or check our website for info about some local partners we work with.

Yes! For those traveling without much of a plan, this can be a perfect option to just book on board with our guides.

Or of course just book any tour or accommodation with anybody you like… we are simply here to assist, advise and try get you the best prices possible with the best companies in Bolivia and Peru.

Your luggage is stored in our massive storage area under the bus, with your small bags being stored overhead.

When going on additional tours or excursions, you can leave your luggage on the bus.

If you ever need luggage storage during the trip, ask our guides for help, as often we have local hotel partners happy to store luggage for free.

As with everything, you are free to eat wherever you like during your trip.

Bolivia Hop, at certain points on the journey, will stop for food in remote locations, to give you an authentic local experience and help local communities, but in most major destinations you have lots of choices.

In both Bolivia and Peru you will have a huge variety of options (Peru is becoming famous for its cuisine – 3 of the top 10 restaurants in the world are in Lima!), although unfortunately Vegan options in are still a bit limited.

We understand things outside your control can happen and you may be forced to cancel your whole Bolivian Trip.

We offer 2 options:

1:Reschedule your trip for free to any date in the future (or put your Trip On Hold if you don’t have a new date in mind). You can do this yourself in the App or Contact Us.

2:Cancel your trip and get a refund. Please be aware that a small cancellation fee may apply, as we often have already incurred some costs related to your trip. More info is in our Terms and Conditions.

Yes, Travel Insurance is recommended for all travelers going to Bolivia and/or Peru, even if you don’t travel on Bolivia Hop.

The public health system in both countries is not great at all, so most good clinics are private, and travel insurance therefore should be acquired on the tiny chance you have an issue.

Travel Insurance can also help if you have any issues on your trip (i.e. you lose your passport and have to cancel your Machu Picchu tour for example).

Yes, it is recommended to book in advance.

We are proud that word of mouth from our ex-Hopsters means our tickets often sell out in advance, so we strongly recommend you book as soon as possible. Remember that once you have a ticket, you can change your start date up to 12 hours before departure.

Yes, 100% it does.

Bolivia Hop & Peru Hop were founded by Irish guys who moved to Peru and realized they had missed so much of South America when they were travelers, and so partnered with locals to develop a system to allow people discover the Real hidden gems.

By taking you to places most tourists don’t know about, you are helping local communities who often live below the poverty line to have a source of income. Simply buying some breakfast snacks or a water here or there really helps these communities.

As well as this, 95% of our staff are young locals and we pay more than other travel and bus companies. They often use their salaries to help their families (here in South America it is common kids, parents and grandparents to all live in the same small house).

Remember, most tourists either fly with billion dollar airlines or go on public buses owned by millionaires and make no stops between stops and don’t benefit local communities.

Don’t be a Typical Tourist, Discover the REAL Bolivia and Peru, and make this a win-win for you and for local communities.

For those flying between Bolivia and Peru, we offer 1 Day Round Trips from La Paz, Cusco, and Lima giving you a chance to see and do a lot close to the major city.

Please click HERE to see all our Day Trips

For Flights, we recommend LATAM Airlines, as the low cost operators usually cancel flights a lot.