La Paz and Uyuni are too high for mosquitoes. Santa Cruz and the Amazon are not.
The Altiplano circuit of La Paz, Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni salt flats sits above the CDC's malaria and yellow fever cutoffs. Santa Cruz came through a large chikungunya epidemic in 2026, Amazon tours from Rurrenabaque carry malaria and yellow fever advice, and Bolivia asks every arriving traveler 1 and older for yellow fever proof.
Are there mosquitoes in Bolivia? Plenty in the lowlands and very few on the Altiplano, where La Paz, Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni salt flats sit far above the CDC's malaria and yellow fever cutoffs. Santa Cruz came through a large chikungunya epidemic in 2026, Amazon tours out of Rurrenabaque call for a travel-clinic visit, and on any route Bolivia requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from all arriving travelers 1 year or older.
Santa Cruz: chikungunya and dengue
The Pan American Health Organization counted 48,079 chikungunya cases in Bolivia through late September 2026 and 45 deaths, all in Santa Cruz department, which alone reported 33,972 suspected cases. Weekly cases peaked in late February and early March and have fallen since late April.
Dengue is endemic in the lowlands, and Bolivia is on the CDC's global dengue list. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, citing PAHO data, counted 58,628 cases in 2026 by mid-September, third in the Americas after Brazil and Colombia. Both viruses spread through Aedes mosquitoes that bite in daylight, with peaks after sunrise and in the late afternoon, so repellent goes on over sunscreen in the morning and again before sunset. Our dengue & Zika routine has the full schedule.
Rurrenabaque, Madidi and the pampas
Rurrenabaque, Madidi National Park and the pampas along the Yacuma River are inside the CDC's malaria area. The CDC's yellow fever recommendation covers all of Beni, home to Rurrenabaque, and designated areas of La Paz department. Two of Bolivia's eight confirmed yellow fever cases in 2025 were probably infected in Rurrenabaque, and yellow fever turned up in monkeys there and in San Buenaventura, across the river.
What we suggest you do with this: if any stop is below 8,200 feet (2,500 m), book a travel-medicine appointment 4–6 weeks before departure and bring your lodges and tour dates. The CDC recommends malaria medicine for all areas below that elevation, with no transmission in La Paz, and yellow fever vaccine for travelers 9 months and older going below 7,550 feet (2,300 m) east of the Andes: the entire departments of Beni, Pando and Santa Cruz, and designated areas of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz and Tarija. Bolivia also requires yellow fever vaccination for all arriving travelers 1 year or older, Altiplano-only trips included, and since entry rules can change, confirm the current one with Bolivia's embassy. Our malaria-zone checklist covers the rest.
Pampas tours have a reputation for intense mosquitoes at dusk, especially in the swampy stretches where guides look for anacondas. Malaria mosquitoes and the forest sand flies the CDC links to leishmaniasis bite from dusk to dawn, so wear loose long sleeves and permethrin-treated clothing, and sleep under an intact bed net.
When to go
The Altiplano has no mosquito-borne disease in any month. In the lowlands, January to May has been the worst stretch, with chikungunya peaking in early March 2026 and dengue in late May 2025, and the World Health Organization says yellow fever here typically peaks in the January–March wet season. Those months are also Uyuni's wet season, when the salt flats tend to turn into a mirror, so a mirror trip that adds the Amazon lands in the lowlands' worst stretch. June to October, usually the dry season, is the better time for Santa Cruz and the Amazon, though pampas reviewers disagree on which season has fewer mosquitoes.
Where you're going
La Paz & Lake Titicaca
The CDC reports no malaria transmission in La Paz and doesn't recommend yellow fever vaccine for the city or for areas above 7,550 ft (2,300 m). Mosquitoes tend to be scarce at this altitude, which is the real health issue here.
Salar de Uyuni
At about 12,000 ft (3,650 m), far above the CDC's malaria and yellow fever cutoffs, with no mosquito-borne disease. Bolivia's yellow fever entry rule still applies to the trip as a whole.
Santa Cruz & Samaipata
The center of the 2026 chikungunya epidemic, now declining, with dengue endemic. The CDC's yellow fever recommendation covers the whole department and its malaria area takes in the city, so include it in the travel-clinic conversation.
Rurrenabaque, Madidi & the pampas
Inside the CDC's malaria and yellow fever areas, with yellow fever cases and infected monkeys around Rurrenabaque in 2025. Pampas tours have a reputation for intense mosquitoes at dusk, so pack treated long sleeves and sleep under a net.
Heading on to Peru? Our Peru briefing covers Cusco, Lake Titicaca's Peruvian shore and the Amazon around Puerto Maldonado.
The Bolivia kit
- Picaridin 20% travel sprays for daytime in Santa Cruz and dusk on the pampas. One 3.4 oz bottle lasts one person about a week.
- Permethrin 0.5% for tour clothes: treat long sleeves, trousers and socks at home 48 hours before you fly. It goes on clothing, never on skin.
- A bed net, unless your lodge or pampas camp confirms intact nets.
One rule outlasts the trip. Any fever during or after your trip means a doctor visit, and you tell them you were in Bolivia and whether the lowlands were on the route.
Traveler questions
Do I need malaria pills for Bolivia?
The CDC recommends malaria prevention medicine for all areas below 8,200 feet (2,500 m), which takes in Rurrenabaque, Madidi, the pampas and lowland cities such as Santa Cruz. It reports no malaria transmission in La Paz, and Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni salt flats lie far above that line. Whether the advice adds up to a prescription for your route is a call for a travel clinic, made 4–6 weeks before departure with your exact stops and dates.
Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Bolivia?
Bolivia requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from all arriving travelers 1 year or older, and the CDC notes that entry requirements can change, so confirm the current rule with Bolivia's embassy before you book. Separately, the CDC recommends the vaccine for travelers 9 months and older going below 7,550 feet (2,300 m) east of the Andes: the entire departments of Beni, Pando and Santa Cruz, and designated areas of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz and Tarija. It doesn't recommend it for travel limited to areas above that elevation, including the cities of La Paz and Sucre. If the Death Road ride down to Coroico is on your list, ask the clinic to check that area on the CDC map, since yellow fever was confirmed in monkeys at Coroico in 2025.
Are there mosquitoes at the Uyuni salt flats?
Mosquitoes tend to be scarce or absent. The salt flats sit at about 12,000 feet (3,650 m), far above the elevations where the CDC lists malaria or recommends yellow fever vaccine, and there is no mosquito-borne disease there. Altitude is the health issue to plan for. Bolivia's yellow fever entry requirement still applies to an Uyuni-only trip.
Is chikungunya still a risk in Santa Cruz?
The 2026 epidemic has been declining since late April. By late September only 1.3% of chikungunya tests in Bolivia came back positive, down from 95.1% in early February, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Dengue is still endemic in the lowlands and spreads through the same day-biting mosquito, so keep the daytime repellent habit. The CDC says chikungunya vaccination is generally not recommended for Bolivia. It does list Zika, so if you're pregnant, talk with a healthcare provider before the trip.
Sources
Health authorities, surveillance reports and news coverage of official bulletins used for this briefing, last checked October 2026. Traveler reports are linked where they appear. This page summarizes public-health guidance and is not medical advice.
- CDC Travel Health Notice
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- CDC destination page for travelers
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
- World Health Organization