In June 2019 I took a trip to Bolivia and Marisol Maydana was my guide. Her English is superb, however it was her knowledge and attention to what her visitors’ interests were that really impressed me.

I had come specifically to see the Fiesta del Gran Poder in La Paz. It was spectacular (this is from someone who lives in New Orleans where we have incredible parades and music) Marisol explained the different dances and costumes – details that I would’ve never known about. Bolivia has the largest population with indigenous ancestry – which makes the fiestas so fascinating.

At one point in the journey, I had to take a different means of transportation to the others (I wanted to stay longer to see the whole fiesta in La Paz) Marisol suggested and then arranged a driver to pick me up so that I need not miss the next sight on our adventure – dinosaur tracks at Parque Cretacio.

In Sucre – a gorgeous, picturesque town, she gave us recommendations for wonderful dining experiences and local specialties. The sort of thing that only a local would know.

Part of the trip was taking us to Salar de Uyui – one of the most unusual landscapes in the world. The salt flats provide a surreal scenery. She timed the trip to reach Isla Incahusi (Cactus Island in the middle of the Salt Flats) so we got there at the perfect time for photos, as well as great sunset photos. As a side note: I thought we’d be about 5 minutes taking photos on the Salt Flat playing around with scale – but we had so much fun and there were so many different ideas we had to be reminded of the time.

One of the guests asked it there was any tradition associated with the solstice. Indeed, there was, and she arranged for us to greet sunrise with arms stretched out alongside locals doing the same thing, This was another example of how attentive Marisol is as a guide.

Bolivia is an incredible destination – with some of the friendliest locals. The indigenous cultures, colonial towns, dramatic landscapes as well as unusual animals – I was shocked to see so many flamingos and at 14,00 feet above sea level! However, it was Marisol’s knowledge and thoughtfulness to her visitor’s requests that made the trip so wonderful, and I have memories that will last a lifetime. I would highly recommend her to any visitor and in fact I have already to my friends.