Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to go
Most visitors spend a few days in the fascinating city of
La Paz
, Bolivia's de facto capital
(Sucre is its official capital), which combines a dramatic high-altitude setting with a compel-
ling blend of traditional indigenous and modern urban cultures. La Paz is also close to ma-
gical
Lago Titicaca
, the massive azure lake that straddles the Peruvian border, and is a good
base for trekking, climbing or mountain biking in the magnificent
Cordillera Real
.
Just north of La Paz the Andes plunge precipitously down into the Amazon basin through
the deep, lush valleys of the
Yungas
. The Yungas towns of
Coroico
and
Chulumani
are per-
fect places to relax, while Coroico also makes a good place to break the overland journey
from La Paz to the Bolivian
Amazon
. The best base for visiting the Amazon is the town of
Rurrenabaque
, close to the near-pristine rainforests of
Parque Nacional Madidi
and the
wildlife-rich
Río Yacuma
. More adventurous travellers can head east across the wild savan-
nahs of the Llanos de Moxos via the
Reserva de la Bíosfera del Beni
to the regional capital
Trinidad
, the start of exciting trips north along the Río Mamoré towards Brazil or south to-
wards Cochabamba.
South of La Paz, the bleak
southern Altiplano
- stretching between the eastern and western
chains oftheAndes-ishometosomeofBolivia'sforemost attractions. Thedourminingcity
of
Oruro
springs to life during its Carnaval, one of South America's most enjoyable fiestas,
and the legendary silver mining city of
Potosí
offers a treasure-trove of colonial architecture
and the opportunity to visit the Cerro Rico mines.
Furthersouth,Uyuniisthejumping-offpointforexpeditionsintotheastonishinglandscapes
ofthe
Salar de Uyuni
andthe
Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
,aremoteregion
of high-altitude deserts and half-frozen, mineral-stained lakes, populated by flamingos. Fur-
ther south lie the cactus-strewn badlands and canyons around
Tupiza
and the isolated but
welcoming city of
Tarija
.
To the north of Potosí, Bolivia's official capital,
Sucre
, boasts fine colonial architecture, but
the city is very different in character: charming and refined, it is set in a warm Andean valley
in the midst of a region noted for its textiles. Further north, the city of
Cochabamba
has less
obvious appeal, but offers a spring-like climate and a friendly welcome. Not far from here are
the rainforests and coca fields of the
Chapare region
, but for most travellers Cochabamba is
just somewhere to break the journey between La Paz and
Santa Cruz
, the country's eastern
capital. Completely different in character to the highland cities, Santa Cruz is a brash, mod-
ern and lively tropical metropolis. Though it has few attractions itself, the city is a good base
for exploring the
Eastern Lowlands
, including the rainforests of
Parque Nacional Amboró
and the idyllic town of
Samaipata
. Scattered across the lowlands east of Santa Cruz, the im-
maculately restored
Jesuit missions of Chiquitos
provide one of Bolivia's most unusual at-
tractions, while a train line heads east to the Brazilian border and the wildlife-rich wetlands
