Must-sees in Bolivia.

PART 1

The City of Sucre - 2800 m Above Sea Level

A first, one remembers it for a lifetime. Sucre the white city, recognized for its great beauty throughout all of South America, was the gentle city that welcomed us with open arms for our first 5 days of our Bolivian introduction. Its mild and pleasant climate (22 degrees during the day and at night the mercury dropped to 0) without a doubt enhanced our stay where we had the time to experience the culture and benefit from its riches.

Visiting Churches in Bolivia: A Must

We had the chance to discover the San Francesco Church in serenity and beauty with our Spanish guide Véronica. The must-see is definitely the crypt, the catacombs. Very impressive! Out of respect for the deceased, we could not take any pictures.

The Market: Flavors and Scents Galore

The market, THE place to really feel a city! There is truly something for everyone, all kinds of scents, flavors… We didn't know where to look! 😍

We went straight to the esoteric section, fetuses, dried llama testicles hanging under our heads, a multitude of dried and fresh plants that probably allow you to travel far away during shamanic rituals.

Divided into sections, there is handicrafts, clothing, fruit and vegetable market... How to describe the meat section... Chicken, meat, offal, feet and snout of unknown animals, all presented directly under the rays of the sun, I'll let you imagine the smell! It smelled like salmonella... When I think that this is probably what I have in my plate, I'm not sure I appreciate it. I'd rather focus on the good taste, because YES, everything we ate in Sucre was excellent!

Museums and Parks: Places to Discover

The city of Sucre is perfect for the whole family. On the agenda, a visit to the Treasure Museum guided by David, a very nice Frenchman. Thanks to this visit, we discovered a semi-precious stone "Bolivianita" from Bolivia, an amethyst and citrine stone. 

A few kilometers away by taxi, we find the Cretácico Park, a place recognized worldwide for archaeology. In this park, there is the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world (5000 footprints). We were able to admire a large number of species of life-size dinosaurs. We felt like we were in Jurassic Park 🤩

PART 3

The Amazon Jungle, Stay in Amboró National Park - 1700 m in Altitude

Our final destination to the west of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra also gave us a view of an unexploited climate touch. Heat and humidity on the menu! After +2 weeks of body hiding, the sun vitamin and the heat make an effect of a regalo!

60 km and 97 dos d’âne + later (how to occupy your kids during the 2h drive 😂) A 4x4 was waiting for us to go directly to Refugio Volcano, an ecological refuge, powered by solar panels, even with a coffee plantation.

It only took us a few minutes on a climbing path to be completely out of the Bolivian world. As the last 2 days have been rainy, it seems that the whole family has had the dog by coming here. The mud path was slippery with its big crevasses 😅 No choice but to let go and trust.

Breathtaking Landscapes

We were welcomed to a natural paradise full of resources! We found ourselves on flat land, in the heart of a valley, between a chain of volcanoes. Specifically, it is the meeting of the Royal Cordillera and the Amazon that creates an incredible visual spectacle!

Like a tightly woven community, all the staff pitch in with the preparation. An immense garden is found on the premises where a multitude of fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables can be found year-round = joy!

Natural Playground

We were lulled by the sound of the falls a few steps away from our home, just to recharge our batteries for the hikes that border this magnificent landscape.

3h + later, with a 1100m difference in altitude, first real hike since the beginning of our adventure - check! The jungle showed us its great density, its exotic vegetation, its frightening noises and its fragrant humidity. With a beating heart, it gave us a show! It was not easy to get back into the rhythm when the body was shaken by the altitude, the cold, the shortened nights...

Tadpole hunting, red sand canals, taming butterflies (blue, orange, yellow, white, red...) creativity was at the rendezvous!

Everyone needed to be in their bubble and take the time to go slowly.

Value for money to be desired

That being said, in terms of "value for money", with what was promoted and demonstrated on social media (no ponies or pet pigs, camp-style rooms that weren't ready for us, the much-desired hot water being lukewarm-cold, typical pizza oven outside not working...), we were left wanting. 

Given the highly frequented location, the excursion was established before departure: 

1700$ for 48h lodging and meals in Bolivia, it's a lot to pay for what we experienced...