Five unique destinations in Bolivia, from the salt flat’s mirror to a fortress where “clouds kiss the mountains” | Cinco destinos únicos de Bolivia, desde el espejo del salar hasta un fuerte donde “las nubes besan las montañas”

By Pablo Peralta, Vision 360:

The book Bolivia Awaits You has just been published, containing images of Bolivia’s internationally certified tourist destinations, in the context of the Bicentennial.

Imágenes de cinco destinos turísticos de Bolivia: Salar de Uyuni, Samaipata, Sucre, Misiones Jesuíticas y el lago Titicaca. Fotos: Bolivia te espera

Images of five Bolivian tourist destinations: Salar de Uyuni, Samaipata, Sucre, Jesuit Missions, and Lake Titicaca. Photos: Bolivia Awaits You

The Government launched the book Bolivia Awaits You, which features images of 20 internationally certified tourist destinations, as part of the Bicentennial celebration. Visión 360 presents a selection of five emblematic destinations.

“This work captures the essence and contrasts of the country’s natural and cultural wealth, with landscapes ranging from majestic peaks to lush jungles teeming with biodiversity. The brief text of this publication dialogues with the images and is an invitation to discover our country,” said President Luis Arce at the book’s presentation.

The five selected destinations are Salar de Uyuni, Samaipata, Sucre, the Jesuit Missions, and Lake Titicaca.

Salar de Uyuni

The book describes the salt flat as an endless horizon, covering more than 10,582 km², containing nearly 11 billion tons of salt, making it the world’s largest lithium reserve.

“The Salar de Uyuni takes you to a limitless world (…). During the rainy season, sunsets become a perfect mirror of the sky thanks to a thin layer of water,” it notes.  

Visitors may also explore the train cemetery, considered “the largest in the world,” and see “millenary giant cacti” up to ten meters tall standing amid the vast white plain.

Samaipata

Nestled among hills and valleys lies the “Fortress of Samaipata.” Its name in Quechua, according to the book, reflects its essence: a rest in the heights for those who visit.

“Vine climbs at Bolivian heights and grows in Samaipata, offering visitors a captivating bouquet (…). The Elbow of the Andes, where clouds kiss the mountains, is a unique viewpoint to enjoy sunsets, sunrises, and commune with nature,” the book reads.

Sucre

Another highlighted destination in Bolivia Awaits You is Sucre, also known as the White City, which preserves Bolivia’s colonial architecture: “its reddish tiles and carved wooden balconies are witnesses of a nation’s birth.”

“La Glorieta Castle displays towers that blend Gothic, Baroque, and Mudejar styles. Its secret passageways and vast gardens evoke the luxury and eccentricity of 19th-century aristocracy,” the book notes.

Jesuit Missions

According to the book, the Jesuit Missions left behind buildings, murals, historical objects, artistic works, and a lasting cultural legacy. In short, the Jesuit path spurred the region’s growth.

During the missionary era, young people who adopted the Catholic faith were welcomed by the “grandfathers,” who wore masks painted white to satirize the missionaries and question the imposition of faith, reflecting the double cultural and religious identity experienced by indigenous communities, the text explains.

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake, located above 3,800 meters above sea level. It is a sacred space where Andean cultures continue to safeguard their treasures, memory, and identity.

“Moments that endure in stone and sand, landscapes that invite travelers to trace the legacy of Titicaca’s lakeside shores (…). Copacabana, a natural amphitheater, preserves the reflection of the sacred bond between earth and sky, serving as guardian of the faith that moves thousands of pilgrims to the feet of the Virgin of Copacabana,” the book states.

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