Yes, taking part in a tour of the active Cerro Rico silver mines is, in a real sense, dangerous. People on these tours deal with serious health and safety hazards like tunnels that can collapse, toxic silica dust around them, noxious gases, and even ongoing dynamite explosions. Those mines have been working more or less…
Stargazing and astrophotography tours can be booked smoothly via specialised travel agencies that are based right in Uyuni. The expeditions usually leave in the middle of the night, so you can get to the heart of the pitch-black salt flats before the sky starts to brighten. Since the Salar de Uyuni is at altitude and…
The Cristo de la Concordia is a huge monument dedicated to Jesus Christ, perched up on San Pedro Hill in Cochabamba. It rises 34.2 metres tall, and it edges past Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer to claim the second-tallest statue of Jesus worldwide. Built and finished in 1994, the site works as a giant…
Yes, Sajama National Park is where you find pristine naturally heated volcanic hot springs, Termas de Sajama. They keep the bathing temperature near 35°C (95°F), so you can soak while you still get an uninterrupted sightline to the tall Nevado Sajama. Meanwhile, compared with the crowded pools in Uyuni, the thermal baths around Sajama feel…
Nevado Sajama is a huge, extinct stratovolcano and also the tallest summit in Bolivia, rising up to 6,542 metres (21,463 feet) over the western Altiplano. With its perfectly conical summit, it stands out over the land near the Chilean border, making it a very technical climbing target. On the routes, climbers must deal with deep…
Independent travellers can reach Sajama by taking a highway bus to the junction town of Patacamaya, then catching the only daily local minibus to the park. Alternatively, booking a private 2-day or 3-day 4×4 tour out of La Paz deals with all the fiddly logistics. As Bolivia’s oldest national park, Sajama doesn’t have broad tourist…
For certified and non-scratchy 100% baby alpaca wool, visitors should head to upscale, fair-trade boutiques that are in central La Paz. For cheaper, colourful synthetic blends, the street stalls along Calle Sagárnaga provide endless budget-friendly possibilities. To really spot true alpaca wool, you need real attention to detail. Authentic garments tend to feel exceptionally soft;…
The Alasitas Festival is a month-long traditional market event that starts on 24th January in La Paz, where locals buy small, thumb-sized miniature replicas of things they hope to bring about in the coming year. It’s grounded in ancient Andean ways of making wishes real, and the celebration centres on Ekeko, the god of abundance….
Festival de Gran Poder is La Paz’s most extravagant cultural and religious street festival. It happens every year, late May or early June. You can see over 40,000 indigenous dancers and musicians moving through the city in a long procession, all to honour Jesus Christ. For many people, it feels like this event is a…
If you want to explore the local vineyards, you can book a half-day or full-day “Ruta del Vino” tour via agencies close to Tarija’s main plaza, or alternatively hire a private taxi to keep things more independent, with a custom route. Tarija’s wine tourism really connects modern large industrial producers like Campos de Solana with…