Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South of La Paz, the southern Altiplano - the high plateau between the eastern and
western chains of the Andes - stretches 800km to the Chilean and Argentine borders. It
was formed millions of years ago by sediments washed down from the mountains into
the deep valley between the cordilleras Oriental and Occidental as they were pushed up
from the sea bed. Set at an average altitude of around 3700m, this starkly beautiful, bar-
ren landscape has arid steppes stretching to the horizon, where snowcapped mountains
shimmer under deep-blue skies. With scant rainfall and infertile soils it supports only a
sparse rural population. Since the Spanish conquest, the Altiplano's prime importance
has lain in its rich mineral deposits; its silver deposits have largely run out but tin and
lithium deposits remain.
The unavoidable transport nexus of the region is the rather grim tin-mining city of
Oruro
,
230km south of La Paz. West of Oruro, a chain of snowcapped volcanic peaks - the Cor-
dillera Occidental - marks the border with Chile and the edge of the Altiplano. One of these
peaks,
Volcán Sajama
, is Bolivia's tallest mountain and centre of a national park. Some
310km further southeast of Oruro is the legendary silver-mining city of
Potosí
, marooned at
4100m above sea level.
From
Uyuni
, 323km south of Oruro, you can venture into the dazzling white
Salar de Uy-
uni
, the world's biggest salt lake and one of Bolivia's best-known attractions. Beyond the
Salar in far southwestern Bolivia is the
Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
, a re-
mote region of high-altitude deserts, surreal rock formations, volcanic peaks and mineral-
stained lakes that supports great populations of flamingos and vicuñas. Southeast of Uyuni
the Altiplano changes character. The town of
Tupiza
is surrounded by arid red mountains
and cactus-strewn badlands. Different again is
Tarija
, in the far south, a welcoming city in a
fertile valley known as the Andalucia of Bolivia.
The whole region is bitterly
cold
at night, particularly from May to July. Even during the
day temperatures can fall sharply, though you'll also need to protect yourself from the fierce,
high-altitude sunshine.
