Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plaza del Folklor
Directly in front of the Santuario del Socavón sits the
Plaza del Folklor
, a broad, paved
square where the climax of the Carnaval procession takes place. At the south end of the
squarestandsamodern
statue
commemoratingtherevolutionaryroleplayedbymineworkers
in Bolivia's political history.
Museo Antropológico Eduardo López Rivas
On Av España in the city's southern outskirts • Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-6pm • Bs5 •
Take a taxi (Bs10-15) or micro #7, #101 or #102 heading south from Plaza 10 de Febrero
The
Museo Antropológico Eduardo López Rivas
has an extensive collection of artefacts,
ranging from ancient stone axes and arrowheads to Carnaval masks and costumes. Sadly,
though, most of the displays are poorly explained, with little background information. Many
exhibits are from the
Aymara
or
Colla
kingdoms that dominated the Altiplano between the
fall of Tiwanaku and the Inca conquest of the region in the fifteenth century. Another section
of the museum is dedicated to the
Chipayas
, or Urus, the ethnic group which was probably
the first to inhabit the Altiplano, but is now confined to a small territory around the Salar de
Coipasa, west of Oruro.
Museo de Mineralogía
A few kilometres southwest of the city on Calle Universidad • Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2.30-6pm • Bs10 • Take
a taxi (Bs10-15) or any micro marked “Ciudad Universitaria” from outside the train station
The
Museo de Mineralogía
has one of South America's biggest collections of minerals -
about four thousand different pieces. Of most interest to those with a specialist interest in
geology or mineralogy, the bewildering variety of shapes and colours is still impressive.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: ORURO
By train
Oruro is still at the centre of what's left of Bolivia's railway network. Trains (
www.fca.com.bo
)
south to Villazón (15hr 35min-17hr 15min) via Uyuni (6hr 50min-7hr
20min) and Tupiza (12hr 30min-13hr 35min) depart four times a week from the train station,
just east of the centre on Av Galvarro and Aldana. The
Expreso del Sur
(Tues & Fri) is quick-
er and more comfortable than the cheaper
Wara Wara del Sur
(Wed & Sun).
By bus
All buses heading south or west from La Paz pass through Oruro. Most long-distance
buses pull in at the Terminal Terrestre, ten blocks northeast of the centre on Villarroel. A taxi
into town should cost Bs6; alternatively take any micro heading south along Av 6 de Agosto.
There are frequent buses to Cochabamba (hourly; 6hr), La Paz (roughly every 30min; 3hr
30min) and Santa Cruz (hourly; 12hr), and less regular services to Iquique, Chile (daily; 8hr),
Potosí (8hr), Sucre (11hr), Uyuni (7-9hr) and Villazón (15hr). Buses passing through from
Tarija en route to La Paz will drop you off on Av Ejército on the eastern outskirts of the city.
