Must-see attractions in Bolivia

  • Remains of El Fuerte Pre Inca archeological site near Samaipata in Bolivia.

    El Fuerte

    Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania

    The mystical site of El Fuerte exudes such pulling power that visitors from all over the world come to Samaipata just to climb the hill and see the…

  • Potosi, Bolivia, 7 November, 2015. National Mint of Bolivia with Mask of Bacchus in Potosi, Bolivia on 7 November, 2015.  Casa Nacional de la Moneda

; Shutterstock ID 757277122; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Casa Nacional de la Moneda

    Potosí

    The National Mint is Potosí’s star attraction and one of South America’s finest museums. Potosí’s first mint was constructed on the present site of the…

  • El Picacho

    Tarija

    The riverfront hacienda of former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora was designed by Zamora himself as his own version of Gabriel García Márquez' Macondo…

  • Mercado de las Brujas

    La Paz

    The city’s most unusual market lies along Calles Jiménez and Linares between Sagárnaga and Av Mariscal Santa Cruz, amid lively tourist artesanías (stores…

  • Salar de Uyuni at sunrise

    Salar de Uyuni

    Bolivia

    The world's largest salt flat sits at a lofty 3653m (11,985ft) and blankets an amazing 12,000 sq km (4633 sq miles). It was part of a prehistoric salt…

  • Dinosaur Tracks

    Bolivia

    As you might have guessed from the dinosaur figure in the plaza or the dinosaur head sticking out of city hall, Torotoro has become synonymous with…

  • La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia, South America

    Museo Nacional del Arte

    La Paz

    This colonial building was constructed in 1775 of pink sandstone and has been restored to its original grandeur, in mestizo (mixed) baroque and Andino…

  • An Aguayo is a rectangular piece of cloth used in traditional communities in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The aguayo is most associated with Quechua and Aymara culture but is not exclusive to them. Aguayos typically features colorful stripes intercalated with rhombuses and other figures with symbolic values.

    Museo de Textiles Andinos Bolivianos

    La Paz

    Fans of Bolivia’s lovely traditional weaving consider this small textile museum a must-see. Examples of the country’s finest traditional textiles …

  • La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia, South America

    Museo de Etnografía y Folklore

    La Paz

    Anthropology buffs should check out this museum, one of the city's best. The building, itself a real treasure, was constructed in 1720 and was once the…

  • Caverna de Umajalanta

    Bolivia

    The Río Umajalanta, which disappears beneath a layer of limestone approximately 22m thick, has formed the impressive Umajalanta Cavern, of which 4.5km of…

  • Santuario Chuchini

    Amazon Basin

    The Santuario Chuchini (Jaguar's Lair) is one of the few easily accessible Paitití sites. This wildlife sanctuary and camp sits on an 8-hectare loma …

  • Casa de la Libertad

    Sucre

    For a dose of Bolivian history, it’s hard to beat this museum where the Bolivian declaration of independence was signed on August 6, 1825. It has been…

  • Palacio Portales

    Cochabamba

    Nothing symbolizes Bolivia's gilded mineral age like tin baron Simón Patiño's European-style Palacio Portales. Though he never actually inhabited this…

  • Isla Incahuasi

    Salar de Uyuni

    One of the highlights of a Salar de Uyuni tour is a hike around the spectacular Isla Incahuasi, otherwise known as Inkawasi. It's located in the heart of…

  • Sunday Market

    Bolivia

    Despite the presence of other camera-wielding gringos and the ubiquity of travel agencies in Sucre selling 'tours,' Tarabuco's Sunday market is well worth…

  • Cathedral

    Lake Titicaca

    The sparkling white mudéjar (Moorish–style) cathedral, with its domes and colorful azulejos (blue Portuguese-style ceramic tiles), dominates the town…

  • Gruta de San Pedro

    Bolivia

    A popular excursion, San Pedro Cave, known in the Aymará language as Chussek Uta (House of Owls), is approximately 500m deep, with an enclosed lagoon that…

  • La Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary

    Bolivia

    At 12-hectare Senda Verde, there's a new concept: humans are 'caged' while most of the 200-plus monkeys run free. This protects people and monkeys alike …

  • Museo de Arte Indígena

    Sucre

    This superb museum of indigenous arts is a must for anyone interested in the indigenous groups of the Sucre area, focusing particularly on the woven…

  • Sampaya

    Lake Titicaca

    This is a beautifully preserved village where the homes are built with flat stones joined in an earthen mortar. There is a stone church on the hilltop…

  • View on colonial buildings by jaen street in La Paz- Bolivia

    Calle Jaén Museums

    La Paz

    La Paz’s best-preserved colonial street is home to four small museums. They are all clustered together and can generally be bundled into one visit. Buy…

  • Museo y Convento de Santa Teresa

    Potosí

    The fascinating Santa Teresa Convent was founded in 1685 and is still home to a small community of Carmelite nuns who have restored the sizable building…

  • Cristo de la Concordia

    Cochabamba

    This immense Christ statue standing atop Cerro de San Pedro (2800m) behind Cochabamba is the second largest of its kind in the world. It's 44cm higher…

  • Convento de Santa Teresa

    Cochabamba

    The noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa is straight out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Guided tours (around 45 minutes) of this gracefully…

  • Jardín Botánico

    Santa Cruz

    Santa Cruz's lush botanical gardens, 12km east of the city center, make for a tranquil escape from the urban scene. Covering more than 200 hectares, the…

  • La Capilla Sixtina del Altiplano

    Bolivia

    Like its famous counterpart in Vatican City, the interior of this lovely adobe-and-thatch church is covered with frescoes. But unlike the other Sistine…

  • Santuario Mariano de la Torre

    Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania

    Intricately carved wooden pillars and doors displaying a fascinating combination of motifs are the star attraction at this moving memorial, completed in…

  • Museo Etnoarqueológico Kenneth Lee

    Amazon Basin

    Named for the gringo querido del Beni, the beloved white man of the Beni, this small museum north of the center is considered the city's top cultural…

  • Parque Nacional Noel Kempff Mercado

    Amazon Basin

    The wonderfully remote and globally important Noel Kempff Mercado National Park is home to a broad spectrum of Amazonian flora and fauna and has a wide…

  • Reserva Barba Azul

    Amazon Basin

    Thanks to the efforts of the conservation NGO Armonía, the endangered blue-throated macaw or barba azul has become something of a regional celebrity in…

  • Iskanwaya

    Bolivia

    The major but near-forgotten ruins of Iskanwaya, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Real, sit in a cactus-filled canyon, perched 250m above the Río…

  • Cañon de Torotoro & El Vergel

    Bolivia

    Three kilometers from Torotoro, the ground drops away into an immense and spectacularly beautiful canyon, more than 250m deep. From the mirador (lookout)…

  • Yumani

    Isla del Sol

    Yumani is the main village at the south end of the island. Most boats drop you at the village’s dock, about 200m downhill from the town proper. The small…

  • Ciudad de Itas

    Bolivia

    Though the weirdly shaped set of caverns, once the refuge of isolated communities, are striking, they aren't the main reason to make the 21km, often white…

  • Tajzara Lagoons

    Bolivia

    Along the eastern shores of the lagoons, the wind has heaped up large arenales (sand dunes). An interesting climb takes you to the symmetrical peak of…

  • Parque Nacional Sajama

    Bolivia

    With expansive high-plains views, rare wildlife (including flamingos and graceful vicuña), geyser fields, hot springs, the world's highest forest, and…

  • Tumichucuá

    Amazon Basin

    Tumichucuá is a small community about 25km south of town (B$30 by moto-taxi) toward ‘El Triángulo’ (the road junction to Cobija). There is a lake for…

  • Area Protegida Municipal Aquicuana

    Amazon Basin

    This lush jungle reserve 22km north of Riberalta (B$30 by moto-taxi) is a great spot for bird-watching, wildlife watching (particularly caimans and…

More destinations you need to see