Bolivia Itinerary #3 on 20/08/09

Bolivia Itinerary #3

 Route: La Paz (Tiwanaku and Chacaltaya) – Oruro – Potosi – Uyuni – Laguna Verde / Volcán Licancabur / Villazon

Bolivia is a beautiful country with a distinctive culture and heritage.  The history, rich culture, unique opportunities and natural beauty of Bolivia are all great reasons to visit, and it’s very affordable for those on a budget.  Check out this itinerary for a unique, colorful trip in Bolivia.

 You’ll probably fly into La Paz, where you can find the richest cultural center in Bolivia.  The marketplaces here are famous, and the colonial architecture and historical sites here are treasures for anyone interested in the history of the Americas.  Stay at Hostel Provenzal (dorms $11USD, privates $22USD), a cozy hostel with friendly people and amazing food right next door.  They’re close to a lot of great tourist sites and can help you book the transportation for some amazing day trips.  You might want to spend 2-3 days looking around La Paz, getting used to the altitude and checking out the great museums and colonial buildings there. 

Days 4 & 5 are day trips you can take from La Paz: Tiwanaku and Chacaltaya.  Tiwanaku is an incredible pre- Colombian UNESCO World Heritage Site, housing some of the most important remains of the predecessors to the Incan civilization.  Nestled in some of the most beautiful landscapes in Bolivia, it was the major pre-Incan urban capital for 500 years, and is characterized by its monolithic large stones of incredible craftsmanship and carving. There is a $10 USD fee, and the bus ride is about a 90 minutes from the center of La Paz.  Definitely worth the trip!

Chacaltaya is another village where visitors can spend a beautiful day. AT 5486 meters, Chacaltaya is the perfect place to acclimate before heading on to higher hiking. Skiing is also a possibility, although the equipment is quite out of date. The landscape is stunning and from the top of Chacaltaya, visitors can see some of the most famous mountains, such as Huayna Potosi, Illimani and Mururata. Visitors can get in to Chacaltaya by bus during the ski season, and during the winter there are guides that will give you a 40 minute tour on the mountain for $50- $75 Bs. From La Paz, it takes about an hour to an hour and a half by taxi to reach Chacaltaya and will cost about $200 Bs.

From La Paz, you can take a 3-4 hour bus ride to Oruro, the folklore capital of Bolivia, for about $2 USD, where you can stay at Copacabana (private doubles from $5USD), a safe, comfy place to stay during the chaos of the Ito festival.   Oruro’s Carnaval is the biggest annual cultural event in the country.  It includes 50,000 dancers and musicians, lasts three days and nights, and ends in the reenactment of two epic dances or plays.  One of these dances, the dance between good and evil, was recently performed by Miss Bolivia in the 2009 Miss Universe Contest, drawing lots of controversy.  The costumes, music, dancers, and 20 hour procession are a mix of indigenous and catholic elements.  UNESCO declared the city one of Mankind’s Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.  Needless to say, it’s a life altering experience and one that you absolutely can’t miss. 

After Oruro, head to Tupiza, Potosí, which takes about 6 hours by bus and costs $5 USD, or you can hire a special cab for about $20 USD.  It sounds like a long time, but the landscapes in this part of the country are legendary.  Jagged spines of red rock rise from the mountains and green valleys line the crevices.   It’s desert, unearthly and amazing.  It’s said that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were murdered by the Bolivian Army nearby, and you can take local tours to the alleged site.  Stay at the La Torre Hostel (dorms $6USD, privates $9USD) while you’re there.  Backpackers rave about this friendly hostel where you can take any number of cool tours around the area, get a great continental breakfast, and hot water anytime (so precious!).  Once the crown jewel of the Spanish empire, Potosí has been through a lot.  Popularly conceived of being made of silver in the time of the conquistadors, Potosí is still a mining town, and the highest city in the entire world.  Potosí offers mining tours that show how mines really work, and they don’t gloss over how hard the life of a miner is. It gives real insight into the plight and hardship of many Bolivians. 

From the highest city in the world, take the bus (6-7 hours) to Uyuni for about $4 USD to one of the richest mineral deposits in the world.  Uyuni is famous because of its proximity to the world’s largest salt flats, the Salar de Uyuni, beneath which lies more than half of the entire world’s reserves of lithium, completely untapped, at least for now.  The president has plans to increase Bolivia’s wealth by both mining, selling, and manufacturing the lithium into lithium batteries for global consumption. Hostal Marith (dorms $2.50USD, privates $5USD) has reliably hot water, cool people, and low prices.  Tours can be arranged daily and people can walk to the Isla de Pescados or Lagun Colorada.  The Laguna Verde and the Volcan Licancabur are two very popular destinations for travelers already in Uyuni. Laguna Verde is a bright green color due to the presence of Arsenic, Lead, Copper and other poisonous metals deriving from the depths of Volcán Lincacabur. Despite the toxic sources though, the vision is stunning, and many visitors choose to walk around the lake to catch the full view of the Volcano. Tours are usually held on 4x4 vehicles.