THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 207

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bosque Ecológico Apa Apa 9km from Chulumani on the road leading northeast to Irupana,
then another 2km up the marked turn-off to the left. There are clean, comfortable rooms
(breakfast included) in the family's delightful old hacienda at the centre of a working farm.
Guests can use the lovely pool, while the café serves delicious home-made ice cream. There's
also a bucolic, fully equippe d, but expensive, cam psite, with hot showers and cooking facil-
ities. Camping Bs70 /tent plus Bs20 /person; doubles Bs100
AFRO-BOLIVIANOS
Isolated in a handful of villages in the Yungas valleys is perhaps Bolivia's most forgotten
ethnic group: the Afro-Bolivianos . Numbering about eight thousand, the Afro-Bolivianos
are descendants of African slaves brought to the Andes by the Spanish during the colonial
era to work in the Potosí mines. When silver-mining declined they were moved to the Yun-
gas to work on coca and other plantations - their higher natural resistance to malaria
meant they were more resilient workers than Aymara migrants from the Altiplano. Though
slavery was officially abolished with independence from Spain in 1825, Bolivia's black
population remained in bondage to landowners until the early 1950s. Most subsequently
remained in the Yungas to cultivate coca, fruit and coffee.
The Afro-Bolivianos have been heavily influenced by their indigenous neighbours: most
speak Aymara as well as Spanish, and many Afro-Bolivian women dress in the bowler hats
and pollera skirts favoured by the Aymara. But they also maintain a distinctive cultural
identity. The most powerful reminder of their African roots is found in their music and
dance , such as the intricate and compelling drum-driven rhythms of musical styles like the
saya . Incorporated into dances like the Morenada , seen at the Oruro Carnaval and fiestas
throughout the Andes, these rhythms are also reminders of the cultural influence this small
group has had on mainstream Bolivian society, despite a tendency by the authorities to ig-
nore their existence.
The Yunga Cruz Trail
Connecting Chuñavi, at the foot of the mighty Mount Illimani, with Chulumani in the Yun-
gas, the three to four-day Yunga Cruz Trail (see map ) is at once the toughest, most scen-
ic and most pristine of the three Inca trails that link the Altiplano with the tropical valleys.
Instead of following a river, like most Bolivian trails, the path leads along the spine of a gi-
ant ridge nearly all the way, giving trekkers a condor's-eye view of the dramatic landscape.
Water is scarce and the weather unpredictable, with heavy rain a possibility even during the
dry season: carry at least two one-litre water bottles per person and take waterproof clothing.
Route-finding is fairly difficult, so ideally go with a guide, and take a machete, as stretches
of the trail may be overgrown.