Potosí

Potosí
Potosí is located 4,070 meters high, being the city located at the highest altitude in the world. It was founded in 1545 by the Spaniard conquistadors. It is, with no doubt, one of the strangest places on earth. Its rocky streets still keep their thick and really carefully worked colonial buildings. Because of these fine buildings, Potosí was declared a Humanity Patrimony by the Unesco. The horizon is determined by the history and over exploitation of the Cerro Rico, a mount full of silver and zinc mines which were the basis of the Spaniards wealth. Today it is still being exploited. The places to go visit are the Money House, The convent and Museum of Santa Teresa, and the company’s churches, San Francisco, San Martín San Agustín, and San Cristóbal. All of these are within the city’s center perimeter. Around the 10 de Noviembre square. In Potosí colorful parties related to religious and mining activities, both very related to the Pachamama. Every weekend of May, llama offerings are put to the feet of the Cerro Rico; the culture party is in October, and the miner’s carnival is in February. There are also celebrations for Corpus Christi, June 14th, or November 1st, All Saints Day.

Visiting the Cerro Rico´s mines
Is a unique experience in company of the tour guide which will show you the different mines structures in the mine’s interior. Inside you will also be able to see the statues which represent the “Tío”, the devil which protects the miners in exchange of cigarettes and coca leaves, in order to gain energy. If you don’t feel capable of going in, try to carry out the daily ritual the Indians carry on every work day: sit down for half an hour and chew coca leaves to regain energy. You must not forget that way before it became a powerful and corrosive drug the coca leaves were used as food and re energizing for the high altitudes.

Salar de Uyuni
At an altitude greater than 3.600 metres you will find the world’s largest salt plain, the Salar de Uyuni. The surface area, stretching over 11.000 square kilometers, offers the visitor an indescribable landscape, where the white desert seems to extend forever.

In the middle of the salar, there is the Island of Incahuasi, which in the native Quechua tongue means “House of the Inca”

The island is populated by thousands of cacti that grow at a rate of one centimeter a year, to become giants of more than 10 metres high. Some are more than 1.200 years old.
From Volcan Tunupa 5400 metres we have an spectacular view of the Salar.

Colored Lagoon Reserva Avaroa
Arriving form Uyuni to San Juan you will be able to visit the archeological residue and the Red Lagoon where different types of flamingos have a habitat. The Green Lagoon is at the shore of the Licancabur volcanoe.