Jesuit Mission Church

Tarija

　　The church of San Miguel's spiral pillars, carved wooden altar with a flying San Miguel, extravagant golden pulpit, religious artwork, toy-like bell tower and elaborately painted facade are simply superb. Although not designed by Martin Schmidt, the church does reflect his influence and is often considered the most beautiful of...

Caverna de Umajalanta

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　　The Río Umajalanta, which disappears beneath a layer of limestone approximately 22m thick, has formed the impressive Umajalanta Cavern, of which 4.5km of passages have been explored. Inside are some spectacular stalagmite and stalactite formations and waterfalls, as well as a resident population of vampire bats that have produced an...

Ciudad de Itas

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　　Though the weirdly shaped set of caverns, once the refuge of isolated communities, are striking, they aren't the main reason to make the 21km, often white-knuckle drive here from Torotoro. It's the breathtaking views you should come for, which, at 3770m, provide an expansive perspective on the unique geology of...

Madidi Jungle

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　　The newest community project in Madidi and the only one created and sustained 100% by the indigenous people of the park. All-inclusive trips include bird-watching, night hikes, boat excursions, piranha fishing, handicraft workshops, river tubing and more within the 210,000-hectare stretch of land belonging to the San José de Uchupiamonas....

Cholitas Wrestling

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　　Some view these wrestling matches between indigenous women (derogatively called cholitas) as empowering. Others find it belittling. You can be the judge. The staged bouts take place in El Alto on Thursday and Sunday afternoons. You can go on your own, but for ease of mind, many choose to get...

Mercado 16 de Julio

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　　For an excellent market experience don’t miss the massive Mercado 16 de Julio, which stretches for many blocks along the main thoroughfare and across Plaza 16 de Julio. This shopaholic’s paradise has absolutely everything, from food and electronics, to vehicles and animals, all at reasonable prices. 　　You’ll have to fight...

Gustu

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　　Credited with sparking La Paz' culinary renaissance, and launched by the Danish culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer (of Noma fame), this groundbreaking restaurant works to both rescue and showcase underutilized Bolivian ingredients. It's located in a gorgeous building rich with Andean textiles, and offers everything from Andean grains to caiman from...

Hb Bronze Coffeebar

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　　Sleek, earthy and architecturally inspiring – coffee shops don't get much cooler than Hb Bronze! This sorely needed addition to the Casco Viejo neighborhood offers the strongest brews in the city, and it doubles as a bar by night with 100% Bolivian cocktails, beers and wines. The food (including bountiful...

Duda Bar

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　　There's a cool vibe to this colorful bar occupying the 1st floor of an elegant old building in the city center. Under plaster arches and between pillars you'll find retro furniture, badminton rackets and the odd garden gnome. Come for cocktails or beers. ...

Chalalán Ecolodge

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　　This is Bolivia’s oldest and most successful community-based ecotourism project. Chalalán provides the opportunity to amble through relatively untouched rainforest and appreciate the diversity of the native wildlife. The lodge’s simple and elegant huts surround the idyllic oxbow lake, Laguna Chalalán. There is a booking office in Rurrenabaque and also...

Cañon de Torotoro & El Vergel

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　　Three kilometers from Torotoro, the ground drops away into an immense and spectacularly beautiful canyon, more than 250m deep. From the mirador (lookout) at the top you can gaze along it, watching vultures wheeling. From here, following the diminishing canyon to the left, you come to a flight of 800...

Jesuit Mission Church

Tarija

　　The restored interior of this 1747 mission is particularly beautiful, and the original paintings and woodwork remain intact. The pulpit is covered with a layer of lustrous mica, the ceiling is made of reeds and the spiral pillars were carved from cuchi (ironwood) logs. If you find the church locked,...

El Cabildo

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　　City Hall is housed in an elaborately designed colonial-era building with an ornately carved portal occupying the western side of Plaza 10 de Noviembre. ...

Popular Cocina Boliviana

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　　The concept of waiting in line for a restaurant doesn't exist in La Paz, but that's exactly what you'll need to do to get into Popular. Seasonal three-course menus put a gourmet spin on the city's humble lunch spots. Ingredients come fresh from the market, and the plates are true...

Iglesia de Santa Ana

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　　Santa Ana church, with its wooden altar and reed roof, is more rustic than others on the mission circuit and recalls the first churches constructed by the Jesuit missionaries upon their arrival. The interior contains exquisite religious carvings and paintings. Of particular interest is the church organ, which dates from...

Catedral de Concepción

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　　Built in 1709, the elaborately restored cathedral on the east of the plaza has an overhanging roof supported by 121 huge tree-trunk columns and a similar bell tower. It is decorated with golden baroque designs depicting flowers, angels and the Holy Virgin. Outside mass times, access to the church is...

La Boheme

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　　This bumping little bar on the south corner of the plaza has a wide selection of intoxicating cocktails and, if you get the munchies, a chalkboard snack menu of burgers and sandwiches (B$22 to B$28). With 15 different beers to try on the starry roof terrace you have good reason...

Cañón del Duende

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　　This canyon, located 9km outside Tupiza, can be reached from the town on a great half-day hike through towering red rock formations of the nearby Quebrada de Santa Elena; ask any of the tour agencies in Tupiza for a map and directions. ...

Gruta de San Pedro

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　　A popular excursion, San Pedro Cave, known in the Aymará language as Chussek Uta (House of Owls), is approximately 500m deep, with an enclosed lagoon that can be crossed in pedal boats (B$5 per person, and recommended). Guides with the necessary lamps will help you find your way around. PCMB,...

Quebrada Palmira

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　　Cañon del Inca, 8km west of Tupiza, makes a great destination for a half-day hike via Quebrada Palmira, a normally dry wash flanked by tall and precarious fin formations. The route leads past the Puerta del Diablo rock formation, 5km outside Tupiza. The right fork of the wash is rather...

Las Olas

Tarija

　　To say too much about this place is to spoil the surprise, so here's a taste: quirky, creative, stylish, ecofriendly, million-dollar vistas. Plus there are kitchens, private terraces with hammocks and a solar-powered Jacuzzi. A once-in-a-lifetime experience and well worth the splurge. 　　Reserve one or two weeks ahead and get...

Laguna Colorada

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　　Laguna Colorada is a rusty-burnt-orange-hued lake (4278m) that covers approximately 60 sq km and reaches a depth of just 80cm. The rich red coloration on the lake is derived from algae and plankton that thrive in the mineral-rich water, and the shoreline is fringed with brilliant white deposits of sodium,...

Dinosaur Tracks

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　　As you might have guessed from the dinosaur figure in the plaza or the dinosaur head sticking out of city hall, Torotoro has become synonymous with paleontology. The village, which sits in a wide section of a 20km-long valley at an elevation of 2600m, is flanked by enormous, inclined mudstone...

Salar de Uyuni

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　　The world's largest salt flat sits at a lofty 3653m (11,985ft) and blankets an amazing 12,000 sq km (4633 sq miles). It was part of a prehistoric salt lake, Lago Minchín, which once covered most of southwest Bolivia. When it dried up, it left a couple of seasonal puddles and...

El Picacho

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　　The riverfront hacienda of former Bolivian president Jaime Paz Zamora was designed by Zamora himself as his own version of Gabriel García Márquez' Macondo. Zamora, equally passionate about the arts and nature, will likely be around to point things out, from the bay-leaf tree given to him by Pope Juan...

Casa Nacional de la Moneda

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　　The National Mint is Potosí’s star attraction and one of South America’s finest museums. Potosí’s first mint was constructed on the present site of the Casa de Justicia in 1572 under orders from the Viceroy of Toledo. This, its replacement, is a vast and strikingly beautiful building that takes up...

El Fuerte

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　　The mystical site of El Fuerte exudes such pulling power that visitors from all over the world come to Samaipata just to climb the hill and see the remains of this pre-Inca site. A designated Unesco World Heritage Site since 1998, El Fuerte occupies a hilltop about 10km from Samaipata...