Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gran Hotel Tiahuanacu $$
(
289-8548;
www.tijuanacumystical.com
; Bolívar 903; s/d incl breakfast B$120/240, s
without bathroom incl breakfast B$60)
Three blocks east of the Plaza, this is the nicest
place to stay, with rooms that are clean, breezy and comfortable. There's a restaurant open
daily. We only wish there were better views of the ruins.
HOTEL
HOTEL
Hotel Akapana $
(
289-5104;
www.hotelakapana
; Ferrocarril; s/d incl breakfast B$80/150)
Just 100m
west of the site, this friendly hotel has three levels, simple rooms with good views, hot
water 24 hours a day, and a top-floor
mirador
with amazing views of the neighboring site.
Restaurante Cabaña del Puma $$
(Ferrocarril; mains B$45-70;
) Next to the ruin entrance, this clean eatery offers basic
country food, like trout and chicken. A vegetarian meal comes with veggies, potatoes and
country cheese.
BOLIVIAN
Getting There & Away
Many La Paz agencies offer reasonably priced, guided, full- and half-day Tiwanaku tours
(B$70 to B$140 per person), including transportation and a bilingual guide. These tours
are well worth it for the convenience; most travelers visit Tiwanaku this way.
Nuevo Continente
(Main Terminal; B$60)
has round-trip guided trips to Tiwanaku,
leaving at 9am and returning at 4pm from La Paz' main terminal.
For those who prefer to go it alone, buses from La Paz' cemetery leave every hour and
cost from B$6 to B$15.
Minibuses, which are often crowded, pass the museum near the entrance to the com-
plex. To return to La Paz, catch a minibus from the village's main plaza. Make sure it says
Cemetario, otherwise, you'll get dropped off in El Alto's Ceja. Sometimes minibuses will
pass the museum entrance if they're not full, looking for passengers.
Micros
to Guaqui
and the Peruvian border also leave from the plaza in Tiwanaku village, or may be flagged
down just west of the village - again, expect crowds.
Taxis to Tiwanaku from La Paz cost from B$210 to B$280 for the round trip.
Empresa Ferroviaria Andina
(FCA; 2-241-6545;
www.fca.com.bo
)
has started a
pilot program to run occasional round-trip train trips from La Paz' El Alto to Tiwanaku
(1.5-hour stop) and on to Guaqui on Lake Titicaca (two-hour stop). The train departs La
