Bolivia
This canyon, located 9km outside Tupiza, can be reached from the town on a great half-day hike through towering red rock formations of the nearby Quebrada…
Must-see attractions in Bolivia
Amazon Basin
View elements of both the Ignaciano and Moxos cultures, including the bajones, the immense flutes introduced by the Jesuits. You can also learn about the…
La Paz
Sopocachi has some of La Paz’ best restaurants and nightspots. You can spend a few hours people watching on Plaza Eduardo Avaroa, before hoofing up to the…
Potosí
An architecturally notable home that once housed lay sisters of the Franciscan order. It has three separate and widely spaced doorways with finely…
Plaza General Enrique Peñaranda
Bolivia
The main square, Plaza General Enrique Peñaranda, is Sorata’s showcase. With the town’s best view of the nevados (snow-capped mountain peaks), it’s graced…
Lake Titicaca
Ask around town for Hilario Paye Quispe. He can take you on trips around the bay in a totora-reed boat or via motorboat to the peninsula opposite (prices…
La Paz
Also known as Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), the Museo de Metales Preciosos houses four impressively presented salons of pre-Colombian silver, gold and…
Potosí
Constructed between 1555 and 1687, the restored Iglesia de la Merced has a carved pulpit, a gorgeous wooden ceiling and a beautiful 18th-century silver…
Lake Titicaca
This picturesque village lies on a secluded crescent-shaped bay encased by green hills. If it’s open, there’s a basic tienda (shop) in town selling soft…
Tiwanaku
Showcases a small collection of the ceramics found at the site, as well as a ceremonially deformed cranium and artifacts from the Chiripa and Wankarani…
Isla del Sol
Follow the well-signposted path from Yumani's ridgeline up to this small stone lookout atop Cerro Palla Khasa (4065m) for sweeping sunset views over the…
La Paz
The Mirador Laikakota – part of the children's museum – is in a tranquil park setting and is perfect for kids.
Amazon Basin
On the south side of Plaza Gral José Ballivián, Trinidad's mustard-yellow cathedral was built between 1916 and 1931 on the site of a Jesuit church.
Santa Ana Astronomical Observatory
Tarija
The country's first observatory, built in collaboration with the then USSR, is around 14km southeast of Tarija. Best to call in advance.
Santa Cruz
There are good city views of Santa Cruz from the bell tower of the Basilica Menor de San Lorenzo.
Bolivia
A nice walk below town on Camino del Río leads to a hanging bridge over Río San Cristobal with gorgeous views down the valley.
Bolivia
A favorite with bird-watchers in search of three of the world's six flamingo species, and the rare horned and giant coots.
Potosí
Visit the bell tower of Potosí's central cathedral for nice views of the city. The side entrance is hard to spot.
La Paz
Bolivia's top contemporary artists showcase their work at this whimsical three-story gallery.
Bolivia
The ruins of Inca-Rakay, in the Serranía de Tarhuani, are the most readily accessible ruins in the Cochabamba Valley, but they are mostly crumbling stone…
Museo de Arqueología y Paleontología
Tarija
The university-run Archaeology & Paleontology Museum provides a glimpse of the prehistoric creatures and lives of the early peoples that once inhabited…
Cochabamba
The Museo Arqueológico provides an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the…
Cochabamba
This artificial lake on the ever-expanding southern outskirts of Cochabamba is a popular spot for cochabambinos. However, the lake itself is not an…
Tarija
With heavy coats of gold and silver paint, the appropriately named Gilded House whose roof is topped with a row of liberating angels looks impressive from…
Bolivia
At this virtual ghost town, brilliantly colored rocks rise beside the road and a mineral-rich stream reveals streaks of blue, yellow, red and green. The…
Potosí
On the banks of the Río Huana Mayu, in the upper Potosí barrios of Cantumarca and San Antonio, are some fine ruined examples of the ingenios (smelters)…
Santa Cruz
This protected area, 12km south of Santa Cruz, is a strange and striking sandy desert that seems out of place in Santa Cruz's humid environs. It's a good…
Sucre
The brilliant-white Convento de Santa Teresa belongs to an order of cloistered nuns. They sell homemade candied oranges, apples, figs and limes daily by…
Parque Histórico Santa Cruz la Vieja
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
A few kilometers outside town, this is the site of the original city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The only thing left behind of the old city is an…
Museo Histórico Militar de Camiri
Bolivia
The only sight of note in Camiri is the Museo Histórico Militar de Camiri, formerly the military barracks (cuartel) where French intellectual Régis Debray…
Potosí
North of the Iglesia de San Agustín, Calle Quijarro narrows as it winds between a wealth of colonial buildings, many with doorways graced by old family…
Sucre
Located in the Santa Clara Convent, this museum of religious art, founded in 1639, contains several works by Bolivian master Melchor Pérez de Holguín and…
Sucre
A short walk north of Plaza Libertad, the elongated Parque Bolívar is sandwiched between two avenues flanked with trees and overlooked by the imposing…
Iglesia de los Santos Desposorios
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
Buena Vista’s Jesuit mission was founded in 1694 as the fifth mission in the Viceroyalty of Peru, but its current form dates from 1767. When the Jesuits…
Zoológico Municipal Fauna Sudamericana
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz zoo has a collection of native birds, mammals and reptiles kept in pleasingly humane conditions, although the llamas are a bit overdressed for…
Cochabamba
On the arcaded Plaza 14 de Septiembre, Cochabamba's cathedral is the valley’s oldest religious building, begun in 1542 as a tiny stone-and-adobe structure…
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Cochabamba
Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. However, major revisions and renovations occurred in…
Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania
These three lovely waterfalls are 20km east of Samaipata on the road to Santa Cruz. Walk upstream on a clear path away from the road to reach two of the…
Bolivia
On the leafy square just east of Plaza 10 Febrero is the cathedral, which has fine stained glass above the altar. The adjacent tower was constructed by…
Sucre
The Iglesia de San Francisco was established in 1538 soon after the founding of the city, but was turned over to the military in 1809. The soldiers weren…
