Perched scenically on the side of a hill, this is the capital of the Sud Yungas and an important centre for the farming communities of the region. The fertile soils hereabouts provide a bumper crop of coca (the country’s best for chewing), citrus, bananas, coffee and cacao. The area is also a paradise of birds and butterflies, with clouds of the latter, and several rare species of the former, including types of quetzal. The town used to be the end of the road and it retains that feel. At a subtropically warm and often wet altitude, it’s a great trekking base camp and a relaxing weekend retreat with a great view. The only time Chulumani breaks its pervasive tranquility is during the week following August 24, when it stages the riotous Fiesta de San Bartolomé. Lots of winter-weary highlanders turn up to join in the festivities.
Category: Bolivia
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The-Southeast Samaipata Bolivia
Samaipata has developed into one of the top gringo-trail spots over the last few years. This sleepy village in the foothills of the Cordillera Oriental is brimming with foreign-run, stylish hostels and restaurants. Visitors flock to see the pre-Inca site of El Fuerte, which – some might say – is solely responsible for the influx of foreigners who come in search of the ancient site’s mystical energy. But it’s not just foreigners who come up here; Samaipata is a popular weekend destination for cruceños too. The Quechua name, meaning ‘Rest in the Highlands, ’ could hardly be more appropriate. If you’re coming from the lowlands, it’s also a good place to begin altitude acclimatization by degrees.
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The-Southwest Cochabamba Bolivia
Busy, buzzy Cochabamba is one of Bolivia’s boom cities, and has a distinct, almost Mediterranean vitality that perhaps owes something to its clement climate. While much of the city’s population is typically poor, parts of town have a notably prosperous feel. The spacious new-town avenues have a wide choice of restaurants, eagerly grazed by the food-crazy cochabambinos, and the bar life is lively, driven by students and young professionals. Despite this, Cochabamba remains a very affordable city, with prices far below those in Sucre or La Paz.
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The-Southeast Santa-Cruz Bolivia
Bolivia’s largest city may surprise you with its small-town feeling, lack of high-rise blocks and a lightly buzzing, relaxed tropical atmosphere. Many arrive here expecting to find a city of businesspeople and throbbing traffic, but in truth, though Santa Cruz is the country’s business center and most affluent city, it has kept its tameness. The locals still lounge on the main square, restaurants close for siesta and little stores line the porch-fronted houses and sell cheap local products.
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Lake-Titicaca Copacabana Bolivia
Nestled between two hills and perched on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca, Copacabana (Copa), is a small, bright and enchanting town. It was for centuries the site of religious pilgrimages, and today local and visiting Peruvian pilgrims flock to its fiestas.
Sorata wins many travelers’ votes as the most relaxing spot in Bolivia. This laid-back place preserves a crumbling colonial atmosphere in a spectacular natural setting, perched on a hillside in a valley beneath the towering snowcapped peaks of Illampu and Ancohuma. It’s a great spot to chill for a few days, and also a popular base camp for hikers and mountaineers.
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Cordillera-Real-And-The-Yungas Bolivia
Northeast of La Paz, the dramatic Cordillera Real rises before giving way to the Yungas, beautiful subtropical valleys where steep forested mountainsides fall away into humid, cloud-filled gorges. The Yungas, which contain several Afrobolivian settlements, form a natural barrier between the altiplano and the Amazonian rainforests. Heading northeast from La Paz, the road winds up to La Cumbre (4600m), then descends 4340m to the Beni lowlands. Tropical fruits, coffee and coca all grow here. The climate is moderate with misty rain possible at any time of year.
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The-Southwest Southwest-Circuit Bolivia
Bolivia’s southwestern corner is an awe-inspiring collection of harsh, diverse landscapes ranging from the blinding white Salar de Uyuni salt flat to the geothermal hotbed of Los Lípez, one of the world’s harshest wilderness regions and an important refuge for many Andean wildlife species. The ground here literally boils with minerals, and the spectrum of colors produced is extraordinary. A circuit from Uyuni takes you through absolutely unforgettable, literally breathtaking landscapes and is the highlight of many people’s visit to Bolivia.
While Coroico is a metropolis by Yungas standards, it feels like a sleepy hilltop village and maintains a relaxed ambience despite being one of the more popular destinations for weekending paceños (La Paz locals) and chilling travelers. Perched aerie-like on the shoulder of Cerro Uchumachi, it commands a far-ranging view across forested canyons, cloud-wreathed mountain peaks, patchwork agricultural lands, citrus orchards, coffee plantations and dozens of small settlements. When the weather clears, the view stretches to the snow-covered summits of Mururata, Huayna Potosí and Tiquimani, high in the Cordillera Real. The name is derived from coryguayco, which is Quechua for ‘golden hill.’
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The-Southwest Sucre Bolivia
Proud, genteel Sucre is Bolivia’s most beautiful city, and the symbolic heart of the nation. It was here that independence was proclaimed, and while La Paz is now the seat of government and treasury, Sucre is still Bolivia’s judicial capital. A glorious ensemble of whitewashed buildings sheltering pretty patios, it’s a spruce place that preserves a wealth of colonial architecture. Sensibly, there are strict controls on development (don’t even think about painting your house black, for example), which have kept Sucre as a real showpiece of Bolivia. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1991.