Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and then change again for a lift to Coroico. It's a long and dusty but worthwhile trip. An
easier option is to hire a taxi; expect to pay B$300 for the trip to Coroico for up to four
people.
Around Chulumani
The area around Chulumani is a beautiful, fertile zone with patches of intact cloud forest
and plenty of farms producing coca, coffee, bananas and citrus fruits. Walking, biking or
busing your way between the small colonial- era towns of the region is an interesting ex-
perience.
An intriguing circuit takes you from Chulumani past the Apa-Apa Reserva Ecológica (
Click here ) toward the humble fruit-farming hamlets of Villa Remedios . There are two
villages, a higher and a lower one; the latter has a pretty little church. Look out for coca
leaves being harvested and dried (and remember that while much coca production in the
region is legal, farmers may be sensitive about pictures or lots of questions).
The main road winds its way down to the Río Solacama , whose banks are populated by
numerous butterflies; it's a lovely spot to bathe on a hot day. Just after the bridge, a left
turn heads away from the main road up a steep hill to Laza . A via crucis (Stations of the
Cross) leads up to the pretty square and its church, where there's an appealing dark-wood
and gold altarpiece and baldachin. The much-revered statue of Christ, El Señor de la Ex-
altación , is the destination for an important romería (pilgrimage-fiesta) on September 14.
The main settlement over this side of the river is Irupana , an attractive, sleepy colonial
town founded in the 18th century on one of the few bits of flat ground in the area. It be-
came an important fortress, just as the nearby ruins of Pasto Grande had once been in Ti-
wanaku and Inca times.
From Irupana, you can head back to Chulumani a different way, fording the Río Puri
and passing through the principal Afro- Bolivian town, dusty Chicaloma - known for its
annual town festival on May 27, which features lots of traditional saya music (a hybrid of
African, Aymará and Spanish styles) - before crossing the Río Solacama again. On the
way back, you pass through tiny, postcard-pretty Ocabaya , which has one of the oldest
churches in Bolivia, fronted by a liberty bell and a memorial to two local martyrs of the
struggle for campesino (subsistence farmer) rights. Locals may well offer food in their
homes here.
Javier Sarabia at the Country House in Chulumani will happily give walking informa-
tion (even for nonguests) and can help arrange taxi drop-offs or pick-ups.
 
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