Singani is Bolivia’s national distilled spirit, a smooth, unaged aromatic brandy made only from Muscat of Alexandria grapes, grown high in the Bolivian Andes. Unlike other grape brandies, such as pisco, Singani keeps a strict Appellation of Origin, which basically means it cannot be replaced by a similar product. Legally, the grapes have to be…
Most of the Bolivian wine, like really the vast majority, is grown in Tarija, close to the Argentine border. That zone is well known worldwide for making “high-altitude wines,” where the vineyards are set from roughly 1,600 to 2,100 metres above sea level. At such extreme heights, the vines are hit with intense solar radiation,…
A salteña is Bolivia’s signature national snack, a distinctive baked empanada filled with a sweet, slightly spicy, thickened stew of beef or chicken, potatoes, and hard-boiled egg. Most people say the best place to eat them is at a dedicated salteñería, earlier, before noon. Since the inside is basically a hot liquid broth, eating a…
Traditional Bolivian street food is famously filling, carb-rich, and bursting with flavour. It’s built around key standbys like salteñas (baked meat pastries), anticuchos (grilled beef heart on skewers), tucumanas (deep-fried empanadas), and choripán (chorizo sandwiches). You’ll notice the street stalls run on a pretty strict daily rhythm. In the morning, tucumanas plus salteñas take over…
The Oruro Carnival happens every year around February, or sometimes early March, and it lines up nicely with the Catholic liturgical calendar. The big 20-hour parade, called the Entrada, is held on the Saturday right before Ash Wednesday. UNESCO recognises it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the whole thing turns into this…
The altitude in central La Paz is about 3,640 metres, or 11,942 feet, above sea level. And since the city is built into a steep canyon, you can actually see elevations jump, from roughly 3,200 metres in the more affluent southern areas up to more than 4,100 metres in El Alto. That kind of extreme…
Temperatures on the higher glaciers of Huayna Potosí stay dangerously low, often landing somewhere between -10°C and -15°C (14°F to 5°F) as climbers start the midnight push. If you factor in hard alpine winds plus chill, the felt temperature can drop to about -25°C (-13°F) fast. Getting through it and making the summit usually comes…
You don’t need any previous technical mountaineering experience, because guides will teach you basic crampon usage and ice axe arrest techniques on the lower glacier. Still, extreme physical fitness and careful altitude acclimatisation are strict prerequisites if you want a real shot at the summit. Even though it is aggressively promoted as an “easy” 6,000-metre…
Climbing Huayna Potosí takes a planned 2-day or 3-day guided glacier trip, and it should be booked via a certified mountaineering agency in La Paz. The route includes working through technical ice faces, deep crevasses, and an exposed summit line to get you to 6,088 metres, pretty much the top point. Most people are strongly…
Tourists can book all-inclusive VIP ticket package deals through pretty much any travel agency in central La Paz, or they can travel on their own to El Alto to grab general admission tickets directly at the Cholet Multifuncional arena doors; it depends on how you feel. The agency options, about $15–$20, are usually the safest…