What to Expect!

Arrival
When you arrive we’ll be waiting to pick you up at the airport with a clearly marked sign. If another participant will arrive soon after you, we’ll wait for them as well, otherwise we’ll head straight to your hotel in Santa Cruz, about a 25 minute drive from the airport.  The rest of the day is simply for resting and shaking off the jet lag before the adventure starts the following morning.

 
Included
Bolivia Motorcycle Tours exclusively offers all-inclusive motorcycle tours meaning that all of our tours include practically everything: lodging, meals, a motorcycle, fuel, entrance fees for activities during the tour, tolls, ferry crossings, bi-lingual guide, airport transfers, support-truck with parts, first aid kit and an auxiliary bike.  As for lodging, each participant can choose between single or double/shared room occupancy.  Occasionally, on certain tours, single room occupancy may not be available for a night or two on the tour for reasons of availability,  Participants that come alone but choose double/shared room occupancy may have to share a room with another participant on the tour that they don't know.

Excluded
Tours do not include: visas (for participants that would need one), round-trip tickets to and from Bolivia, drinks of the alcoholic variety, snacks (both food and drink), riding gear, vaccinations, traffic citations, souvenirs and the like.  Our bikes are not available for use on scheduled non-riding days, we often use these times to conduct routine bike maintenance.

Luggage/What to Bring
Feel free to bring full-sized checked baggage, however when we depart on the tour, we have space in the support truck to accommodate one carry-on size piece of luggage per participant.  Whatever you decide to not take we'll store for safe-keeping until we return.  Keep in mind that all of our bikes come equipped with a medium-sized, waterproof case located on the rear rack of the bike, which participants can use to carry items such as rain gear, extra gloves, snacks and the like.  Here’s a good starter list of important things to bring:

• adventure motorcycle riding gear – preferably Hi-Viz (minimum: helmet, gloves, boots)
  
• back pack style hydration pack
  
• rain gear
  
• sun glasses
  
•  sun block/screen
  
• bathing suit
  
• warm/hot weather clothes is a must, likewise cool whether clothing is also a good idea in the case of our higher elevation tours where it can get chilly at night
  
• pain reliever and anti-diarrhea meds
  

Insurance
All of our bikes are insured according to the requirements of Bolivian law. This means that the rider (and passenger) and third parties are covered for medical costs up to $3,500 per person.  That being said, we also require proof of insurance from each participant that covers the participant in the event of an accident or emergency while traveling abroad, specifically riding a 650cc motorcycle.  If your insurance provider doesn't covers you for such activities, you'll need to purchase travelers insurance,  Travelers insurance providers are prevalent, World Nomads is one option and is a very well known and well-respected travelers insurance provider with good coverage for a reasonable price and a few options to choose from.

In the event that a motorcycle is damaged while on tour as a result of a participant, we offer our participants a direct insurance agreement, which can be purchased before the start of the tour at an additional cost of $20 per riding day, which provides coverage up to $3,500 of accidental damage.  Damage to a motorcycle not caused by a participant is the responsibility of Bolivia Motorcycle Tours.

Responsibility waiver
Before you receive your motorcycle you will need to sign a responsibility waiver form where you will agree that Bolivia Motorcycle Adventures will not be held responsible for any accidents, illnesses or the loss, theft or damage of any personal items.

Legal requirements for participants
-be at least 18 years old (except for passengers)
-possess a passport that upon entering Bolivia has at least 6 months of validity 
-possess a motorcycle drivers license/endorsement from your country (except for passengers)
-possess an international driving permit with a motorcycle endorsement to accompany your motorcycle drivers license/endorsement (except for passengers)

Medical
For the most up-to-date information regarding vaccinations for traveling in Bolivia, contact your local health clinic for recommendations.   Additionally, some people could experience symptoms of altitude sickness in the higher elevations of some of our tours.  Symptoms can take on a variety of forms, some of the most common being headache and nausea.  Due to the nature of our location in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, altitude sickness is not a concern upon arrival.  Likewise on our tours that include spending some time up in higher elevations, we will work our way up gradually, allowing our bodies to become acclimated as we travel, which will help in minimizing the symptoms  For participants that experience an uncomfortable level of altitude sickness, drinking lots of fluids, including coca tea often times proves helpful in combatting the symptoms, which typically last no longer than 24 hours.  For slightly more severe cases, most all pharmacies carry an over-the-counter pain reliever, used especially for cases of altitude sickness.

Safety & Security
With a land size of 1,098,581 km2 (424,164 mi²) and a population of close to 12 million people, most of which are concentrated in the principal cities, comparatively speaking Bolivia is scarcely populated.  For that reason, in addition to cell phones, which will inevitably be without service during stretches of our tours, both guides are equipped with two-way radios.  Furthermore, we also carry a satellite-based "Personal Location Beason" (PLB), meaning that we’re never further away from help than the click of a button.   Likewise we also carry a well-stocked 1st aid kit, however we do ask that participants with diabetes, severe allergies (of any kind) or that react adversely to stings or bites, would bring the necessary medicine or treatments they would need to counteract those conditions.  We also ask that you would inform us of these conditions pre-tour so that we may be of assistance if the need were to arise.

Patience & Flexibility
As a developing country Bolivia still experiences many of the pains that go along with that status, which in turn gives it a rustic and adventurous feel.  Sometimes things happen that are out of our control, like changes in weather that can deteriorate road conditions or the sudden discovery that our hotel reservations disappeared, etc.  We might find it necessary to adjust our route or schedule slightly due to a number of unforeseen circumstances that in the end will just add to the adventure.  For these reasons being patient and flexible are important.