Top Seven Places to Visit in Bolivia

A few people know about how enchanting Bolivia is, and in actual, it is one of world's most beautiful treasures. Bolivia is abundant in breathtaking landscapes, lush green Jungles, pristine rivers, and interesting cultural heritage. This country's attractions can be summed up into the following Top Seven Places to Visit in Bolivia:

1. Sorata:

Sorata is the number one spot for adventure enthusiasts, mountaineers, hikers, and campers. It is a valley encapsulated within mountains and snowcapped glaciers where you can stretch yourself a few days before going on with life. It features mountains as high as 20,000 feet. You can reach Sorata through a road trip from La Paz.



2. Los Yungas Road (The Death Road)

No, it’s not really a death road, but it used to be! Los Yungas used to be the dangerous narrow road with a cliff on one side and a ditch on the other. An estimate of 200 people died in the previous year while travelling on this road. But now the Bolivian Government has built a safer road on this trail, but still tourists, each year go on an exciting bike trail on this road. It’s a must do for all the adrenaline junkies out there. Be careful though when you travel on this road.



3. Potosi

Potosi is rich in history and colonial style architecture. Cerro Rico is the mountain surrounding the small town of Potosi. Cerro Rico used to be famous among the Spanish because of its priceless silver mines which made it the richest city in all America. There's no silver left now but the town reflects the old colonial past and also has museums depicting the ancient times.



4. Oruro

No visit of a country is complete without having a glimpse of its cultural events. The largest celebration of Bolivia is held each year in Oruro in its carnival. It is said to be a vibrant mixture of colors, dances, music, and joy. Some of its key highlights are water fights, around 30,000 dancers, 10,000 musicians, parades etc. Its best to wear your rain coats in this festival or you might be attacked by water bombs.



5. The Ruins of Tiwanaku

You've seen culture but you've yet to see history of Bolivia. The ruins of the city of Tiwanaku are one such sight to imagine the archaic civilization which ruled the grounds. Here you'll find ruins of temples, statues, pyramids and various other monuments. So if you're a fan of history and old civilizations, you would definitely like Tiwanaku.



6. La Paz

La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia and a trip to a country's capital is a view of the country itself. La Paz is a metropolitan city and offers great skylines. The markets, museums, and architecture are the top things to see in La Paz.



7. Madidi National Park

Known as the most biologically diverse park by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Madidi National Park hosts 200 species of mammals, 300 types of fish, and 12000 types of plants. This means that you will find some of those species of animals in this park which you won’t find anywhere in the world. It is situated on a good 7000 square miles.



Other famous tourist attractions from Bolivia include Sucre, Lake Titicaca, and Salar de Uyuni. Judging on the destinations mentioned above, Bolivia should be your next destination place if you love history, pristine nature, or if you simply want to blend in the Bolivian culture.

Lake Titicaca

Salar de Uyuni

Have you been to Bolivia? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations.

Photo Credits (Flickr Creative Commons): Sorata by Hanumann/ Road by efe jota/ Potosi by Juan_Alvaro/ Oruro by bjaglin/ Tiwanaku by mishmoshimoshi/ La Paz by Phillie Casablanca/ Forest by Hanumann/ lake Titicaca by Alex E. Proimos/ Salar de Uyuni by szeke

Discover Bolivia – Top 6 Museums Worth Visiting

One of the best ways to know about a country’s culture is to take a walk down its museums. Museums tell all the things a country has been through, its history, its people and everything you’d like to know about it but don’t know where to start from. Bolivia is a South American country abundant with culture and interesting heritage.

Opening hours of all museums are from 9.30 to 12.30 on Mon to Fri. On the weekend, the opening hours are from 9 am to 1 pm. So, come and discover Bolivia's Top 6 Museums Worth Visiting:



1. Museum Costumbrista Juan de Vargas

This museum screams out loud the heritage of La Paz. Articles such as knights’ armor, old coaches, and other artifacts are displayed. There’s a lot of art, photos, colonial artifacts, colorful dolls, and ceramic figurine dioramas of old La Paz. There are also representations of St John the Baptist’s Day festivities and the hanging of Murillo in 1810. You can also eat out at the café over there.

2. Museo De Oro – Gold Museum

Museo De Oro presents a collection of gold, silver and copper articles like bangles and diadems. These precious objects were discovered underwater. Ceramics, mortars and pictures showing the ruins of Tiwanaku are also some of the artifacts over there.

3. Museo del Litoral

This museum reveals war history of Bolivia. This war was called saltpeter-war in which Bolivia lost against Chile. It went on from 1879-1883.

It was a big blow to Bolivia in which it lost many of its lands including a strategic seaside. There are old maps of borderlines, uniforms, and coffers, war equipment such as rifles, guns, pistols, and swords in this museum. It basically shows the Bolivian perspective of the war.

4. Casa Murillo

This museum was once the home of Bolivia’s most respected freedom fighter Don Pedro Domingo Murillo who was assassinated by the Spaniards in 1810. Don Pedro was the leader of the La Paz Revolution and this museum shows a historical background of this revolution. You can witness the life of Bolivia’s aristocratic class in the shape of colonial art and furniture, textiles, medicines, musical instruments and household items of glass and silver. The most acclaimed painting of this museum is ‘The Execution of Murrillo’.

5. Museo Nacional Del Arte

Museo Nacional Del Arte exhibits a bizarre collection of colonial tables, chairs, coffers etc. Holy paintings and modern art are also stars of this museum. If you like religious art, then you’ll enjoy this museum.

Guardian angels with blunderbusses and the trinity with three identical Jesus faces are some of the religious artwork in this museum. Its opening hours are:

Tues – Sat: 9.30 am to 12.30 pm, 3.00 pm to 7pm
Sundays: 9 am to 12.30 pm

6. Museo Arqueologico de Tiwanaku

This museum plays host to the archeological remains of Tiwanaku, Chiripa, Mollo etc. Some of the artifacts which you’ll see here are vases, bowls, drinking vessels, stone workings, arrow heads, and even mummies from the ancient times. Its opening hours are the same as of Museo Nacional Del Arte except that on Saturdays, it’s open from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

Other prominent museums which you should visit in Bolivia are Museo De Ethnografia Y Folklore, Coca Museum, and Centro Cultural San Francisco.

Have you been to any of Bolivia’s museums? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations.

Photo Credits (Flickr Creative Commons): Tiwanacan Puma by A.Davey