Adventures in Bolivia

Bolivia is in the central part of South America. The country has a varied terrain spanning the Andes Mountains, the Atacama Desert, and the Amazon Basin rainforest. The commercial center and the capital city of the Santa Cruz Department is Santa de La Lierra on the Pirai River.

Jardin Zoological has a collection of native birds, mammals, and reptiles. You can see free-ranging sloths and squirrel monkeys in the trees.

Museo Guarani is a small but interesting museum that offers exhibitions of Guarani culture. It is right in front of the zoo. Visitors enjoy the animal masks and huge clay pots that are used for making chicha (a fermented or non-fermented beverage).

Catedral de Santa Cruz is a 400-year-old cathedral, offering spectacular views from the top of the clock tower. Inside you’ll find an interesting museum. Museo de la Catedral inside the Museo de Arte Sagrado visitors can see a collection of religious icons and artifacts. There are impressive gold and silver relics from the Jesuit Guaravos missions. There is a collection of religious vestments and medallions. There is even one of the world’s smallest books, a thumbnail-size volume that includes the Lord’s Prayer in several languages.

Plaza 24 de Septiembre is the main plaza, offering a lush tropical space where people can relax on benches and stroll about listening to samba bands playing tropical rhythms. You can see small chess tables and street vendors. All about are historic buildings and some cafes and restaurants.

A great place to relax is the Parque El Arenal which is one of the city’s oldest parks. It is a green oasis and is wonderful for resting, strolling, or paddling a boat around the lagoon. You can visit the promenade’s island, featuring a mural by famous Santa Cruz artist Carlo Lorgio Vaca. You can also visit the Museo Etnofolklorico Municipal which displays artifacts from Eastern Bolivia’s different ethnic groups.

Just a short day trip from Santa Cruz you can find the Guembe Biocentro & Resort which is an amazing nature park that features three lagoons for kayaking, swimming, and fishing. There’s a large butterfly dome and a large orchid exhibition. Other features include a children’s playground and a huge soccer field. You can enjoy activities like horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, and buggy rides. There is a restaurant on site, a resort hotel, bungalows, and camping facilities.

Amboro National Park is a nature reserve with more than 912 species of birds and over 177 mammal species among them puma and the rare spectacled bear. There are lovely walks. cascading waterfalls, spectacular landscapes, and a great diversity of flora and fauna.

Sightseeing in Bolivia

Copacabana is a quaint little town that sits on the shores of Lake Titicaca which is one of Bolivia’s most lovely and treasured landmarks. It is also the highest navigable lake in the world. Tourists come here for fantastic views and to explore the area that the Incas believed to be the birthplace of their empire.

The best way to enjoy Lake Titicaca is to take a boat trip from Copacabana to Isla del Sol. You can see ancient Inca ruins on the island and the Aymara villagers farming their land and tending to the sacred sites. It is a wonderful experience walking from one side of the island to the other.

In Copacabana, you can enjoy exploring the shops, restaurants and bars. The best place to get spectacular views is the summit of the “Stations of the Cross”.

Tiwanaku a pre-Columbian archeological site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is supposedly named after one of the most important civilizations prior to the Inca Empire. It is also one of the oldest and highest urban cities ever built. The ruins consist of impressive architectural structures.

La Paz is the seat of government and the administrative capital. The city contains the executive, legislative, and electoral branches of government, while the constitutional capital is Sucre, the seat of the judiciary. The city lies in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. It is Bolivia’s third most populous city and the world’s highest seat of government. Here you can see the colorful lifestyle and traditions of the Aymara people. The city has many modern cafes, clubs, bars, and restaurants as well as traditional markets, historic plazas, and colonial structures.

Visiting La Paz

Plaza San Francisco is the city’s biggest and most important plaza. Situated right in the heart of downtown, this massive open space is a popular meeting point and landmark, not to mention the site of regular passionate demonstrations.

Basilica de San Francisco is a Catholic church with various religious relics, catacombs, and a bell tower that can be climbed for fantastic views.

Plaza Murillo is home to the Government Palace, the House of Congress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Municipal Government House. People enjoy relaxing in the plaza under shady trees.

Mirador Kili Kili is a lookout that offers great views of the city.

Madidi National Park stretches for 7000 square miles from the Andes deep into the Amazon. It is one of the most biodiverse places in the world. Visitors enjoy the wide variety of flora and fauna. There is rugged terrain along with winding rivers, rolling grasslands, lakes, steep slopes, and the indigenous people of the tropical rain forest. The best way to explore the park is by taking one of the many ecological and cultural tours. You’ll learn about medicinal plants, hear the sounds of over 1000 species of birds and spot wildlife like jaguars.

A great place to have an adventure is backpacking along the trails in the Chiquitania Region. Here you’ll find a tropical savanna climate, Jesuit Missions, amazing wildlife, and unusual natural history.

Among the highlights here are the mysterious rock formations of the Santiago de Chiquitos Mirador and the hot thermal springs of Aquas Calientes. You can do some jaguar watching at Kas Iya National Park and sandboarding in Lomas de Arena.

The Oruro Carnival is one of the most famous festivals in all of South America and occurs in the arid region of Altiplano in a mining town. Each year on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday the little town of Oruro hosts the carnival. The highlights include folk dances, extravagant costumes, lovely crafts, lively music, and twenty straight hours of continuous partying. It has become a well-known tourist attraction and draws crowds of up to 400,000 people. The festival is celebrated throughout the country of Bolivia but the most popular place is Oruro.

Sucre is the fifth largest city in Bolivia. It was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It offers visitors many fascinating things to see, free events, and enjoyable things to do.

Take the time to explore Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat. This endless white desert offers the most amazing and impressive scenery. You can see flamingos on a high-altitude lagoon and islands covered in cacti.

When the rains come the water sits on top of the cemented salts, reflecting the sky above, making these salt flats into the world’s largest mirror. The wildlife here includes llamas, flamingos, and vizcachas, a kind of squirrel/rabbit animal at times known as a “scrabbit”. Both tourists and photographers enjoy the scenery here. There are also natural hot springs.

Samaipata is a beautiful town located in the foothills of Santa Cruz. It has also become a popular weekend retreat for the wealthier residents of Bolivia. The main attraction here is the UNESCO World Heritage site the pre-Inca archeological site of El Fuerte, home to the largest carved stone in the world.

The town is also the gateway to Bolivia’s natural treasure, Parque Nacional Amboro. This is a nature reserve with more than 912 bird species and over 177 mammalian species among them the puma and the rare spectacles bear.