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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Bolivia Amazon Basin p286 The Cordilleras & Yungas p107 Lake Titicaca p88 La Paz & Around p46 Santa Cruz & Gran Chiquitania Central p253 Highlands p179 Southern Altiplano South Central p142 Bolivia & the Chaco p232 Isabel Albiston, Michael Grosberg, Mark Johanson PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD Welcome to Bolivia . 4 LA PAZ Around Chulumani . 126 Bolivia Map . 6 & AROUND . 46 Guanay . 128 El Camino del Oro . 128 Bolivia’s Top 12 . 8 La Paz . .. 48 Around La Paz . 81 Sorata . 130 Need to Know . 14 Valle de la Luna . 81 Aucapata First Time Bolivia . 16 & Iskanwaya . 134 Muela del Diablo . 81 If You Like . 18 Mecapaca . 82 Cordillera Apolobamba . 135 Month by Month . 20 Valle de las Ánimas . 83 Charazani . 135 Cañón de Palca . 83 Itineraries . 22 Área Natural de Manejo Bolivia Outdoors . .. 28 Cerro Chacaltaya . 84 Integrado Nacional Tiwanaku . 84 Apolobamba . 139 Eat & Drink Like a Local . 35 Cordillera Quimsa Cruz . 141 Travel with Children . 40 LAKE TITICACA . 88 Copacabana . 90 Regions at a Glance . 42 SOUTHERN Copacabana to Yampupata . 98 ALTIPLANO . 142 JESS KRAFT/SHUTTERSTOCK © KRAFT/SHUTTERSTOCK JESS Isla del Sol . 100 Oruro & the North . 143 Isla de la Luna . 105 Oruro . 143 Huatajata . 105 Around Oruro . 153 Islas de Wiñaymarka . 106 Curahuara de Carangas . 153 Isla Kalahuta . 106 Parque Nacional Isla Pariti . 106 Sajama . 154 Isla Suriqui . 106 Uyuni & the Southwest Circuit . 156 THE CORDILLERAS Uyuni . 159 LAKE TITICACA P88 & YUNGAS . 107 Salar de Uyuni . 167 Cordillera Real . 109 Los Lípez . 169 Huayna Potosí . 110 Tupiza & Around . 171 Condoriri Massif . 111 Tupiza . 171 LOVELYPEACE/SHUTTERSTOCK © LOVELYPEACE/SHUTTERSTOCK Ancohuma . 112 Around Tupiza . 177 Illimani . 112 Chachacomani . 113 CENTRAL The Yungas . 113 HIGHLANDS . 179 Coroico & Yolosa . 114 Cochabamba . 181 El Choro Trek . 120 Around Takesi Trek . 122 Cochabamba . 194 Yunga Cruz Trek . 123 Parque Nacional Tunari . 194 Chulumani . 124 LAGUNA HEDIONDA P170 Contents UNDERSTAND Eastern Samaipata . 269 Bolivia Today . 320 Cochabamba Vallegrande . 274 Valley . 194 History . 322 La Higuera . 276 Tarata & Huayculli . 194 Life in Bolivia . 331 Gran Chiquitania . 277 Incallajta . 195 Jesuit Mission Indigenous Totora . 196 Circuit . 278 Culture . 333 Mizque . 196 Music in Bolivia . 337 Parque Nacional Torotoro . 197 AMAZON BASIN . 286 The Natural World . 339 Sucre . 201 Chapare Region . 290 Around Sucre . 213 Villa Tunari . 290 Tarabuco . 213 Parque Nacional Carrasco . 292 Cordillera de SURVIVAL los Frailes . 214 Puerto Villarroel . 293 GUIDE Potosí . 219 Western Bolivian Amazon . 294 Rurrenabaque . 294 Directory A–Z . 344 SOUTH CENTRAL Parque Nacional Transportation . 352 BOLIVIA Madidi . 301 Health . 359 & THE CHACO . 232 San Borja . 302 South Central Reserva de la Biosfera Language . 364 Bolivia . 234 y Estación Biológica Index . 376 Tarija . 234 del Beni . 303 El Valle de la San Ignacio Map Legend . 383 Concepción . 246 de Moxos . 305 Reserva Biológica Eastern Bolivian Cordillera de Sama . 248 Amazon . 307 Padcaya & Chaguaya . 250 Trinidad . 307 The Chaco . 251 Northern Bolivian Villamontes . 251 Amazon . 313 Santa Ana de Yacuma . 313 SANTA CRUZ Barba Azul Reserve . 314 & GRAN Guayaramerín . 314 SPECIAL CHIQUITANIA . 253 Riberalta . 315 FEATURES Santa Cruz . 255 Riberalta to Cobija . 318 Around La Paz City Walk . 59 Cobija . 318 Santa Cruz . 266 La Paz Markets . 62 Buena Vista . 266 Parque Nacional Andean Camelids . 157 & Área de Uso Múltiple Amboró . 267 Salar de Uyuni & Southwest Circuit Tours . 162 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 22 Itineraries Lake Titicaca Coroico •# É É •# É É #_ LA PAZ PERU •# Tiwanaku Cochabamba BOLIVIA É •# É É #_ SUCRE Potosí •# PA C I F I C CHILE O C E A N É Salar de Uyuni •# É •# Tupiza 2 WEEKS Best of Bolivia This bare-bones itinerary will take you to the best of Bolivia – from colorful markets to stark salt plains to a city in the sky – at a head-rattling pace. Start with a day of acclimatization in La Paz, visiting the markets. History buffs can take a side trip to Tiwanaku. From La Paz, head to Lake Titicaca. Allow up to three days on the lake to take in the sites of Copacabana and Isla del Sol and continue acclimatization. From there, circle down the altiplano (via La Paz) to the Salar de Uyuni for a bone-chatteringly cold three-day jeep tour. Extend your trip to the for- mer territory of Butch Cassidy in the pleasant cowboy town of Tupiza. Swing up to Potosí, a starkly beautiful Unesco World Heritage city, situated at 4070m, where you can visit the mint and mines. After a day or two, head to the white city of Sucre to hang out with students in grand plazas. Return to La Paz via Cocha- bamba, taking in the views along the way. On your last day in La Paz, consider a day of museum-hopping or take a mountain-bike ride down the World’s Most Dangerous Road to Coroico. 23 JOHANNLOURENS/GETTY IMAGES © IMAGES JOHANNLOURENS/GETTY PLAN YOUR TRIP IT I NERAR I ES RAFAL CICHAWA/SHUTTERSTOCK © CICHAWA/SHUTTERSTOCK RAFAL Top: Parque Nacional Sajama (p154) Bottom: At the Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe (p207) 24 Lake Titicaca LA PAZ Tiwanaku •# É #_ PERU É PLAN YOUR TRIP BOLIVIA É •# Oruro # – É Volcán Tunupa (5432m) É •# Potosí R É IT PARAGUAY É I NERAR Salar de Uyuni •# É É É •# Uyuni É I ES CHILE •# Los Lípez •# Disierto de Dalí Volcán Licancabur É (5960m) R ARGENTINA 1 WEEK Altiplano Highlights With one week to play with, this itinerary allows time to get a taste of life in an Andean city and take in the awe-inspiring scenery of the Salar de Uyuni. Fly into La Paz and spend two days exploring the city’s museums and galleries while you acclimatize. Soak in the atmosphere of the Andean markets, dine at La Paz’s excellent restaurants, and dip into the city’s coffee and bar scene. Zip up in the teleférico to see the unusual architecture of the neighborhood of El Alto, then visit a peña (folk-music venue) in La Paz’s Casco Viejo neighborhood. If you have time, consider a day trip to see the ruins at Tiwanaku, where you’ll find carved monoliths, archways and arcades, and two museums. From La Paz, take a flight to Uyuni to pick up a three-day jeep tour to the salar (salt desert). Get your camera and your plastic dinosaur ready for photos that play with perspective on the endless white crusty sur- face of the salt flats, and for snaps of spectacular sunsets. Brave the cold to gaze at the stars in the dark night sky. Continue via the colored lakes of Los Lípez, with stops to spot flighty flamingos and geysers, and to take a dip in some thermal springs, before looping back through the otherworldly landscape of the Desierto de Dalí to Uyuni. If you can cope with the altitude, consider adding a volcano climb to your itinerary; custom tours can include a hike up Volcán Licancabur (5960m) or Volcán Tunupa (5432m). Spend a night in Uyuni to rest after the tour, before catching a bus to Potosí. Take a day or two to wander the streets and check out the city’s museums and mines. If you have time, take the bus back to La Paz, breaking the journey in Oruro. This gritty mining city has some quirky museums and there are opportunities for day trips to neighbor- ing villages. Alternatively, catch a flight from Potosí to La Paz. 25 É ÷# Rurrenabaque •# Parque É É Trinidad Nacional •# Madidi BRAZIL Lake Titicaca É Cerro É Chacaltaya BOLIVIA PLAN YOUR TRIP Copacabana •# É R •# Coroico Tiwanaku •# #_ É •#Valle de la Luna Jesuit LA PAZ Parque Nacional & PERU Área de Uso Mission É Múltiple Amboró Circuit •# Curahuara Cochabamba ÷# É de Carangas É •# É É •# É Santa ÷# É •# Cruz É Samaipata IT Parque Nacional I Sajama NERAR #_ SUCRE CHILE Potosí •# PARAGUAY I ES É Salar de Uyuni •# É Tupiza •# •# Tarija 5 WEEKS The Whole Country Set aside five weeks to acclimatize to the high altitude, take in one of Bolivia’s signature treks, climb a peak, do a mountain-bike trip or simply dive into Bolivian culture. From La Paz you can choose from a variety of day trips, including a visit to Tiwanaku or hiking in nearby Chacaltaya or Valle de la Luna. The adventurous can take on the Takesi or Choro treks, or ride a bike (or bus) down the World’s Most Dangerous Road to Coroico in the Yungas. Next head north to Rurrenabaque and the famous Parque Nacional Madidi – depending on your time and budget you can get here by land, air or boat. Take the time to explore this wild, little-trodden utopia. From ‘Rurre,’ take a bus to Trinidad, where you can kick back for a few days, eat- ing river fish and seeing a museum or two, before heading by plane or bus to Santa Cruz. From here you’ll kick off a multiday road trip through the Jesuit Mission Circuit, curling back around via Santa Cruz to the unique ruins near the hippie vil- lage of Samaipata and the spectacular Parque Nacional & Área de Uso Múltiple Amboró. Head up to Cochabamba for good market buys. From there you’ll start gaining some altitude as you pass through the culturally charged towns of Sucre and Potosí. After you’ve had your fill of these colonial masterpieces, cruise down to wine country near Tarija for a few days of warm weather, wine and chilled-to-perfection zen. You can then loop across to Tupiza for a day or two of mountain biking, while you arrange your four-day Salar de Uyuni trip, going the back way to avoid the crowds.