Bolivia
This vertigo-inducing lookout 3035m above Sorata is, quite literally, breathtaking. To reach it, walk (or hire a taxi, B$80) up the road to Laripata. Just…
Must-see attractions in Bolivia
Bolivia
The nearest thing Bolivia has to Peru’s Machu Picchu is this remote, rarely visited site (meaning ‘Land of the Inca’), 132km east of Cochabamba on a flat…
Bolivia
The prominent rock outcrop known as the Devil’s Molar (3825m) is actually an extinct volcanic plug that rises between the Río Choqueyapu and the suburban…
La Paz
The hewed stone basilica of San Francisco was founded in 1548 by Fray Francisco de los Ángeles. The original structure collapsed under heavy snowfall…
Bolivia
The 5395m-high Cerro Chacaltaya peak atop a former glacier is a popular day trip. The glacier diminished over several decades and, tragically, had melted…
La Paz
Although it’s a relatively recent addition to La Paz’s religious structures, the 1835 cathedral is impressive – mostly because it is built on a steep…
La Paz
As in many Latin American cemeteries, bodies are first buried in the Western way or are placed in a crypt. Then, within 10 years, they are disinterred and…
Parque Nacional Serranía del Aguaragüe
Bolivia
The long and narrow 1080 sq km Aguaragüe National Park takes in much of the mountains of Serranía del Aguaragüe, which divide the vast Gran Chaco and the…
Amazon Basin
Created in 1988, this 622,600ha park has some of Bolivia’s most easily explored cloud forest. It skirts a large portion of the road between Cochabamba and…
Reserva Nacional de Flora y Fauna Tariquía
Bolivia
The lovely and little-known 2470 sq km Tariquía Flora & Fauna Reserve (created in 1989) protects a large portion of cloud forest and a smaller area of…
Potosí
The Lagunas de Kari Kari are artificial lakes (ranging from an elevation of 4500m to 5025m) constructed in the late 16th and early 17th centuries by 20…
Sucre
It seems that 65 million years ago the site of Sucre’s Fabrica Nacional de Cemento SA (Fancesa) cement quarry, 5km north of the center, was the place to…
Bolivia
About 10km down the canyon of the Río Choqueyapu from the city center, Valle de la Luna is a slightly over-hyped place, though it’s a pleasant break from…
Bolivia
A worthwhile trip, this site consists of a series of rock paintings of llamas and humans in red and orange tones, dating to the 1st millennium BC. It’s…
Potosí
Belief in the curative powers of Tarapaya (3600m), the most frequently visited hot-springs area around Potosí (21km northwest of the city), dates back to…
Museo y Convento de San Francisco
Potosí
This convent, founded in 1547 by Fray Gaspar de Valverde, is the oldest monastery in Bolivia. Owing to its inadequate size, it was demolished in 1707 and…
Tiwanaku
North of the Akapana Pyramid is Kalasasaya, a partially reconstructed 130m-by-120m ritual-platform compound with walls constructed of huge blocks of red…
Cochabamba
If you haven’t already had your fill of Simón Patiño’s legacy in Oruro and Cochabamba, you can visit Villa Albina in the village of Pairumani and tour the…
Sucre
Next door to Sucre's cathedral, this museum holds one of Bolivia’s best collections of religious relics. There are four sections, ritually unlocked as…
Bolivia
About 3km northwest of Tupiza is Quebrada Palala, a broad quebrada (wash) lined with some very impressive red formations known as fins. During the rainy…
Tarija
This 17-sq-km reservoir, 7km southwest of town, makes for a pleasant afternoon trip, especially on hot days. It gets very busy on weekends with families…
Reserva Privada de Patrimonio Natural de Corbalán
Bolivia
This private 18 sq km reserve on the Paraguayan border was established in 1996 to protect a choice piece of Gran Chaco – its northern section is…
Tiwanaku
At the far northwest corner of Kalasasaya is Tiwanaku’s best-known structure, the 10-ton Puerta del Sol. This megalithic gateway was carved from a single…
Bolivia
El Sillar (the Saddle), located 17km northwest of Tupiza, is where a road straddles a narrow ridge between two peaks and two valleys. Throughout this area…
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
San José has the only stone Jesuit mission church and merits a visit even if you miss all the others. Although the main altar is nearly identical to those…
Cochabamba
Sprawling, chaotic and claustrophobic, Cochabamba's main market, while lacking an attractive mise-en-scène, is nevertheless a colorful place to wander…
Tarija
This basilica was founded in 1606 as the Jesuit 'base camp' in Bolivia and is now a national monument. The 16th-century convent library and archives,…
Sucre
Overlooking the city from the top of Calle Polanco, La Recoleta was established by the Franciscan Order in 1601. It has served not only as a convent and…
La Paz
For a great view of La Paz, head in a taxi to the Tupac Katari Mirador, situated right on the edge of the rim that plunges down the valley to La Paz. It…
Bolivia
The stunning blue-green Laguna Verde (4400m) is tucked into the southwestern corner of Bolivian territory, 52km south of Sol de Mañana. The incredible…
Bolivia
Laguna Colorada is a rusty-burnt-orange-hued lake (4278m) that covers approximately 60 sq km and reaches a depth of just 80cm. The rich red coloration on…
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
The church of San Miguel's spiral pillars, carved wooden altar with a flying San Miguel, extravagant golden pulpit, religious artwork, toy-like bell tower…
Templo Nuestra Señora de la Merced
Sucre
After several years of restoration work (the completion date was still unknown at the time of research), this church's interior is still mostly bare, but…
Tiwanaku
Climb the hill up to Tiwanaku’s most outstanding structure, the partially excavated Akapana pyramid, which was built on an existing geological formation…
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
A steep path leads down a hillside to the sheltered clearing where Che and 16 fellow guerrilla fighters evaded capture for 10 days until, on October 8,…
Sucre
The view from the bell tower and tiled rooftop of the San Felipe Neri convent more than explains Sucre’s nickname – the ‘White City of the Americas.' In…
Amazon Basin
This savanna lake, a 2km walk from El Porvenir, is the reserve’s most popular destination. The sight of one of the world’s largest populations of crawling…
Tiwanaku
Across the railway line southwest of the Tiwanaku site, you’ll see the excavation site of Puma Punku. In this temple area megaliths weighing more than 130…
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
The restored interior of this 1747 mission is particularly beautiful, and the original paintings and woodwork remain intact. The pulpit is covered with a…
Salar de Uyuni
Located right on the edge of Salar de Uyuni, Colchani is the easiest place to access the great salt flat and the place to go if you just want a glimpse of…
