General: Bolivia

As those who have suffered through my previous travel opinions may be beginning to suspect, I am far from the most organised of wanderers, often allowing fate and circumstance to dictate where, how and when I happened upon the wild and varied places that I visited. To this most inexact of travelling sciences I can certainly attribute my finding myself at the Argentine town of La Quiaca on the Bolivian border, some 3.5km above sea level, colder than ...
...hope of survival, with still only the vaguest of ideas of what I was intending to do there. Well when I say vague I refer of course to my detailed South American itinerary that was hastily scrawled on a sick bag that had accompanied me since Wellington in New Zealand.

My woeful preparation and foresight ensured that whilst my comrades in cold snuggled deeper into their 13 layers of modern fibred Arctic Survival gear, I shivered in ... more

As those who have suffered through my previous travel opinions may be beginning to suspect, I am far from the most organised of wanderers, often allowing fate and circumstance to dictate where, how and when I happened upon the wild and varied places that I visited. To this most inexact of travelling sciences I can certainly attribute my finding myself at the Argentine town of La Quiaca on the Bolivian border, some 3.5km above sea level, colder than anybody should seriously ever expect to be whilst entertaining any hope of survival, with still only the vaguest of ideas of what I was intending to do there. Well when I say vague I refer of course to my detailed South American itinerary that was hastily scrawled on a sick bag that had accompanied me since Wellington in New Zealand.

My woeful preparation and foresight ensured that whilst my comrades in cold snuggled deeper into their 13 layers of modern fibred Arctic Survival gear, I shivered in two old T-Shirts, a threadbare denim shirt and a fleece so utterly bereft of any genuine warming properties that it is lucky that I mention it at all. My British composure and classic understatement was beginning to slip, even I was beyond believing that the conditions were merely ‘bracing’. Luckily, as I hope this opinion will testify, first impressions are not, as some would have us believe, always right.

I didn’t end up travelling extensively in Bolivia, largely through time restrictions, in fact I failed to make it to the lowland areas that are decked out in wall to wall rainforest so this can scarcely be treated as a comprehensive opinion on the country. (This having been said the Ciao categories mean that I would have to split this opinion into at least four different opinions so hence the reason for its position in the General on Bolivia). Instead I will concentrate on the four-day tour I ended up taking from Tupiza to Uyuni. To declare that these four days took me through the most diverse, dramatic, jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, mesmeric and visually astounding scenery would make me guilty of composing the most ridiculous sentence in history but not of lying. It really was that stunning.

My journey began in the scenic beauty that is Tupiza, a town set in a valley that is ringed by the rugged, vividly coloured Cordillera de Chicas. Imposing granite grey gives way to orange tinged hills dotted with pockets of green vegetation and in the background endless ranges of brilliant martian red hills deepening in colour complete the picture. The surrounding area is a magical place that bears more than passing resemblance to the Wild West; strange rock formations litter the hardy scenery with impressive sized cactus plants somehow surviving in the arid landscape. The Wild West connection runs deeper than mere appearance as Tupiza was on the final desperate route of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid; both eventually met their demise at the nearby mining town of San Vincente.

I spent much of the two days prior to my tour exploring some of the incredible landscape and marvelling at the vibrancy of the small town. At the time I was there the country was in the throes of election fever, a marked difference to the lacklustre apathy that the UK suffers from. One evening many of the 24,500 inhabitants were out on the main square, brightly costumed riders on horseback, a cacophony of fireworks and a people in celebration was what greeted me as I ambled out of a restaurant in amazement. The Bolivian people often appear as a dour, hard-faced almost unfriendly race, no doubt the result of grinding out an existence in a hard unforgiving climate but my experience shows that there is another side that exposes their warmth, compassion and penchant for fun.

Day One

Enough of the preamble though and on with the adventure that myself and five other foolhardy travellers found ourselves on. We arrived at the pick up point to find a diminutive yet hardy looking Bolivian loading various supplies onto a similarly hardy looking Toyota Landcruiser. My anticipation of the trip was mingling pleasantly with a hint of nervousness at heading into the unknown and it was time to set off, trundling along one of the Bolivian rural roads that are little more than glorified dirt tracks. It quickly became apparent that this was no ordinary tourist jaunt, as the four-wheel drive desperately struggled for traction on the impossibly steep tracks. Thankfully Pablo, our guide, proved a masterful driver navigating the obstacles with supreme skill and fearlessly taunting gravity, as well as certain death, as we skidded around corners that gave way to sheer drops.

Our fear, whilst quite tangible, never erupted into full-blown terror as the scenery had us all wide-eyed in wonder. The rapid ascent had opened up views of a staggering nature, alien-looking rock formations stretched to the horizon in all direction; spectacular white-tipped cacti were liberally sprinkled around the landscape and even just an hour from Tupiza the desolate beauty of the area proving an exhilarating feeling.

At the top of the first major climb which I know, thanks to Glens trusty altimeter, took us up to just over 4000m we soon came across a small ramshackle structure with a walled off area, after desperately trying to use my limited knowledge of Spanish, all gleaned from a fairly inadequate phrasebook, the realisation came that this was the original burial place of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid. Their remains are no longer buried there as apparently thieving tourists stole the bones and the American Government eventually reclaimed what remained, or so my bad translating leads me to believe. Suitably impressed, a little awestruck and braving the icy winds we headed into the cemetery, admittedly there is little to see but the dramatic Wild West landscape soon had me imagining Robert Redford and Paul Newman in that magnificent freeze frame at the end of the film version of the outlaws lives.

A brief stop for lunch followed with Pablo’s girlfriend preparing some much needed food, throughout the trip the food was plentiful and palatable without ever being too inspiring. This is true of Bolivian food in general though; generally simple and plain, reliant on stock foods such as potatoes, it is difficult to get overly excited by it, yet at the high altitude in Southern Bolivia anything warm is a blessing and much appreciated, so sated and keen to continue we loaded up the van and headed onwards.

The afternoon saw a subtle change in the scenery, the dramatic and jagged rock structures giving way to a smoother more sculpted, if no less visually stimulating landscape. The evening saw us arrive at a small village not long before sunset and after a refreshing cup of coffee we headed up the nearby hillside to marvel at the natural light display. Slowly the brilliant blue sky faded into darkness and the wispy clouds were illuminated by the fallen sun in a range of brilliant reds, delicate oranges and scintillating yellows before night fell and a dense carpet of stars completed the magical display. Food and bed were next on the to-do list and were quickly completed marking the end of a quite extraordinary day.

Day Two

The second day began early, so early in fact that dawn had not yet cracked, or even shown the slightest inclination to do so. So it was that freezing cold and bleary eyed we helped load up the jeep with our supplies, and then piled into the back waiting desperately for the heating to kick in, which of course it didn’t. If my expectations had been more than surpassed on the first day they were utterly blown away by what the second day brought. Breakfast was taken at the slightly spooky deserted mining town of San Antonio de Lipez.

Regaling us… well as much as you can be regaled when you only understand every tenth word… Pablo told us a disturbing story of the villages tying the Diablo (Devil) to a rock only to release him in turn for more valuable minerals. Up to his old tricks though the devil fled to Chile and the mine dried up leaving the people little choice but to leave. Now I can’t say I’m definitely sold on the validity of the tale but it does make the place sound more interesting than ‘the mines were empty so people left.’ The town itself now comprises of slowly dilapidating ruins and generates an eerie feeling with its ramshackle appearance and isolated nature.

Not altogether upset at leaving we headed on, steadily gaining altitude until distant snow capped peaks come into view. The maze of stream and tributaries that covered the landscape were topped with a firm crust of ice that didn’t seem to deter the hardy llamas and alpaca’s from trying to take in some valuable liquid. Eventually we reached the highest point of our travels, the road passing a fraction under the 5000m mark, as if a gauntlet had been thrown down an unsturdy looking peak of red brick rubble rose above us as if mocking our sub 5km status. Thus a scramble up the nearby peak seemed essential. Initially I scrambled, then clawed, and then realised that tiny slow footsteps were my only option, the air at this altitude offered little in the way of oxygen.

The cracked almost slate like red rocks that made up the source of all my discomfort were eventually mastered and I turned, breathing heavily, sweating profusely despite the cold, vision slightly blurred, to triumph in my achievement. My initial disappointment at only having climbed 100m was swept away by the euphoria of the phenomenal view, a full 360 degree vista of purely sensational landscapes. The rolling plain that surrounded the mountain trailed into a horizon dotted with volcanoes, some snow-capped, brilliant pure blue lakes filled small hollows and not a single sight of any man-made object spoilt the genius of nature unfolded before us.

After drinking in the view the road yet again beckoned and with stomachs rumbling our thoughts turned to lunch, a local village provided the setting, and the local children the amusement as they delighted in taking all our sweets. The afternoon was to continue the day’s trend of defying belief as we rose over a small hill to take in the amazing site of a red lake. Laguna Colorado contains huge amounts of algae that give it a remarkable red colouration and its idyllic setting surrounded by volcanoes and mountain ranges is completed by the presence of a huge flock of sublime pink flamingos.

Thankfully the lake was set to be our resting place for the night and whilst the least said about the disturbing lack of hygiene of our lodgings the better, the magnificent sunset certainly made up for it. Some might argue the bottle and a half of a wine helped but I’ll choose to ignore such disparaging remarks. The end of the evening was spent playing cards in probably the most remote internet café in the world but the first place we’d had the joy of heating in for two days so it deserves a mention.

Day Three

The third day was effectively divided into two parts, our slightly slow progress on the previous day had meant a slight change in our route as originally the plan was to head further south to Laguna Verde. So it was that just three of us decided to get up early to make a southerly trip to the thermal pools and geysers of Sol de Manana and the nearby hot springs. Having taken in the famous thermal pools in Rotorua in New Zealand I was not expecting too much, but where they are commercialised and inhabited, these were untouched and isolated. The bubbling mud pools and sulphury steam that drifted across the martian landscape made a fantastic sight.

Impressive though this was it was easily surpassed by the hot springs, at around bath temperature; and stunningly crystal clear water, it was a moment to savour. Sitting in a dreamlike landscape will definitely remain one of the highlights of my year travelling, relaxed and warm and able to spend some moments contemplating the more amazing aspects of my trip. It was as magical experience. As is the nature of all such things though it was time to head back to Laguna Colorado and collect our fellow travellers for our journey to the edge of the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt plain in the world.

The afternoon was another where mind-blowing views would be the feature, an initial stop at the Arbol de Piedra set the tone, a bizarre shaped rock that is, unsurprisingly for those with any Spanish, tree-shaped. A plethora of more lakes, this time blue but still complete with hundreds of beautiful flamingos that traced their elegant flight reflected in the mirror-like surface, the sumptuous backdrops of snow-capped volcanoes and vivid colours of the area made it an afternoon where none of us could keep an inane grin from our faces.

It is difficult to elucidate the feelings that I experienced, but visiting a place of such awesome beauty makes you glad to be alive and honoured to be allowed to appreciate it, gone are the insignificant problems that worry you in the mornings replaced with a humility and joy experienced in the presence of something older, more permanent and important than anything human race seems capable of. If that sounds like nonsense well I did say it was difficult to explain. So, even though it had seemed barely possible, this proved to be the most stunning day yet with the marvel of the salt plains yet to come.

Day Four

An unnaturally early start was the order of our final day, as we had to make it onto the vast expanse of the salt plains before dawn. At 150,000 km2 the salt plains are vast and one of Bolivia’s biggest tourist attractions, any foreboding about being disappointed after three such fantastic days was quickly quashed as Pablo, navigating instinctively, pulled off the track into the seemingly endless white landscape that was gradually lightening as the sun crept over the horizon.

Stepping out of the jeep and slowly feeling the crunch of salt under my boots was an amazing feeling. Having used every descriptive superlative I can think of already in this opinion, I am firmly at a loss for how to describe a landscape that is unlike almost anything I’ve ever seen, a sea of white reaching out it all directions, broken only occasionally by small islands that seemed to hover above it. More amazing still was the realisation that it was simply salt, a common household condiment.

The main stop of the day was at Isla Pescado, so named, as it is supposedly the shape of a fish, although which deranged individual or what crazy shaped fish it was named by or after I never found out. After a breakfast, during which I was deceived into believing that England had succumbed to Argentina in the world cup, we set off to explore the island. Littered with cacti it is a remarkable place, giving constant views across the salt plain. Looking out at the brilliant white landscape from the top of the island gives some idea of the scale of the plain but the almost total lack of landmarks made it nigh on impossible to estimate distances.

After considerable exploration and a serious attempt to take artistic cacti photos as well as pictures of those of a comically shaped nature, it was time to make our final stop at a, now abandoned, hotel made entirely from salt. So it was that camera films used up and hearts sinking at the realisation we had completed our trip, we headed to Uyuni.

Conclusion

Many tour operators exist in Uyuni and offer tours that visit the Salt Plains, Laguna Colorado and then return to Uyuni. These I can imagine are excellent but miss out on the superb and diverse landscape that my tour was able to see on the first two days. If anyone is planning to visit Bolivia I heartedly recommend that you take the trip to or from Tupiza. At this point I would usually give advice on operators, but their existence tends to be brief and names are constantly changing, so a bit of local research or word of mouth is the way to go.

Whilst I find it impossible to pick a favourite place I’ve been to on my year travelling I can safely say that the four day tour I did in Bolivia allowed me to see the most incredible landscape and sights that I’ve ever had the privilege to see. Certainly it was often less than comfortable, it often felt that I might never get warm again and the accommodation on the second night was dire but the remote nature of the trip is one of its most attractive features.

For some reason that I’m yet to fathom Bolivia is still well behind its neighbours as a tourist draw yet the small amount of the country I managed to see make it one of the most beautiful in the world. My advice to anybody bored of the run-of the mill package holidays who want a little more adventure give Bolivia serious consideration before package holidays discovery it and big business in the form of McDonalds and Starbucks destroy this wonderful region.

Information

Cost: 95USD all inclusive

For any information on this trip, Bolivia or travelling in general, feel free to email me.

Thanks for reading.
 

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