COROICO!
The weekend started with a planned trip with 7 friends to Coroico, a town located in the north Yungas region, just 2 to 3 hours away from La Paz, and a great way for my sister to acclimatize to the altitude. 5 of us decided to take the option of riding bikes down the infamous Death Road that winds its way from La Cumbre pass (4,650m), a short 1hr drive away from La Paz, all the way to Coroico (1,525m).
Along Calle Saganarga in La Paz, you can find numerous companies who offer this bike trip. We decided to go with Altitude Biking, a part of Altitude Adventures, located just a few blocks away from San Francisco church on Calle Santa Cruz.
Our trip was fantastic! Even with rainy starts, we made our way down the paved road at the start and then onto the Death Road – a narrow, winding road that has steep drops of hundreds of metres to one side, and often passes under waterfalls. We were soaking wet through multiple layers of clothing, mud-caked faces, but grinning ear to ear. The only things that I would recommend bringing are two pairs of glasses: a clear pair if the roads are muddy as this will help keep the mud out of your eyes as you head down the hills, and a tinted pair for when the sun peaks through the clouds.
Two guides (one who shoots photos throughout most of the trip) and a support van accompany you throughout the entire trip. The van carries food, water, and all of your belongings so you don’t have to worry about carrying any extra weight, or breaking your camera. The trip ends with hot showers, a lunch buffet, and pool time at a private resort.
Our group of friends decided to rent a house for the weekend, complete with our own pool, a couple of hammocks and parrilla (a wicked outdoor bbq set up) to use. I would highly recommend that anyone who is looking to rent a place to check this one out; although a little away from town, Villa Saracena was a fantastic home away from home.
3-DAY SALT FLATS TOUR DURING SEMANA SANTA
A must see in my opinion are the salt flats of Uyuni, complete with a tour around the flamingo filled coloured lakes in the south, volcanoes, sleeping in a salt hotel, and bathing in hot springs.
We decided that since it was Semana Santa (a.k.a Easter weekend) – and that a lot of people would be travelling during that time – that the best thing would be to book our tour from La Paz even though it ends up being more expensive as we would be guaranteed spots on a tour on the days that we were looking for. As our experience with Altitude Biking was a great one, we decided to once again book with Altitude Adventures for both the transportation down to Uyuni and the 3-say tour from Uyuni around the salt flats. Our overnight transportation was booked with the company Todo Turismo, who, not only include a light dinner upon leaving La Paz and a light breakfast upon arrival in Uyuni, but who also run on time. The 3-day tour was booked with the family-run tour company called Lago Minchin who were absolutely excellent. Our group consisted of my sister and I, two girls from the United States, and a lovely couple from Australia/New Zealand. Our tour guide Ollalio (or uncle as we affectionately called him in the end) grew up in the area and provided us with all kinds of stories about his youth. His years of experience as a truck driver were definitely present during the 3 days, and although he did not speak English, he connected with everyone in our group and made sure that everyone was comfortable at all times – even when one of us had forgotten her passport back at first hotel that we had stayed at. Our cook Livia (or maybe it was Lucia?) was fantastic. She took care of us like any aunt would, and was always looking out for us at all times. She made sure to point out any fauna or flora that we came across, and provided all kinds of information about the area.
By the end of the 3 days, we had formed a little family of various Anglophones with our Tio and Tia. I would highly recommend booking with Lago Minchin if you are looking for a close-knit, well-organized tour – but be aware that if you are not comfortable with your Spanish level, you will probably miss out on explanations about the scenery but that you will always be well taken care of.
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