Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
between two peaks known as
El Sillar
, around which stands a stone forest of tall pinnacles
of eroded rock.
Quebrada de Palmira to the Canyon del Inca
A few kilometres southwest of Tupiza, the
Quebrada de Palmira
is another deep, cactus-
strewn ravine gouged out of the red mountains by a seasonal river, with dramatic rock form-
ations on either side. If you walk, ride or drive about 6km along the
quebrada
you'll reach
the
Puerta del Diablo
(“Devil's Gate”), a gateway formed by two great vertical slabs. A few
kilometres further along is the
Valle de Los Machos
, a stone forest of rock pinnacles eroded
into distinctly phallic shapes. The ravine eventually peters out into a narrow canyon with
steep blood-red walls, the
Canyon del Inca
.
Quebrada Seca
Ten kilometres to the south of Tupiza,
Quebrada Seca
is a deep and usually dry ravine with
dramatic, eroded rock formations. Here, soft conglomerate rock has been worn by wind and
seasonal rain into a series of spires, pinnacles and even arches, giving the sides of the valley
the appearance of a Gothic cathedral.
La Angostura
AfewkilometreseastofQuebradaSeca,alsoabout10kmsouthoftown,theroadandrailway
to Villazón pass through a narrow defile known as
La Angostura
, where the Río Tupiza has
cut a deep gorge through a narrow opening - it's usually included in day-long jeep tours of
the region around Tupiza, though it isn't worth making a special journey to see on its own.
San Vincente
Museum
Bs10
Tupiza'stouragenciesrunseveraltripsfollowingthetrailoftheinfamousUSoutlaws,
Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
. Located some 100km northwest of Tupiza at an altitude of
over 4300m, the bleak mining village of
San Vicente
, where Butch and Sundance are be-
lieved to have died in a shoot-out, is pretty much abandoned. There's a small museum, the
adobe hut where the outlaws made their last stand, and the grave in the cemetery where they
are thought to have been buried. Apart from that, however, there's little else to look at in this
virtual ghost town. Note that although the trip takes 6-7 hours, you only spend an hour or so
at the site.
