Altiplano Adventure

La Paz
Sitting at a dizzying 3500m above sea level in a depression gouged into the altiplano, is La Paz, the political and commercial hub of Bolivia and capital in all but name. Dwarfed by the icy peak of Mount Illimani, the
valley floor is a smorgasbord of vibrant street markets, museums, ministries, colonial churches, white-washed houses and bustling plazas, whilst the steep valley slopes that rise up either side of the city are carpeted with the ramshackle, red-brick homes of the city’s poorer inhabitants.

The city has a population of around 800,000, two million if you include El Alto and Viacha.  It was founded as a centre of Spanish power in the Andes and due to those has always had two very distinct societies – the indigenous and the European. Banks, government offices and fast food restaurants share space with Aymara markets selling ritual paraphernalia used for appeasing the spirits and mountain gods, and the Aymaras make up the majority of La Paz and El Alto’s population. The most popular thoroughfare for strolling and socialising in La Paz is the Prado, which runs along the course of La Paz’s river, the Río Choqueyapu.

Named La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de la Paz, meaning ‘The City of Our Lady of Peace’, the city was founded in October 1548 by Spanish conquistador Alonso de Mendoza, on the orders of Viceroy Pedro de la Gasca. The foundation of La Paz was to commemorate the end of ten years of civil war between rival Spanish factions, fighting over the combined territories of Alto and Bajo Peru.

El Alto and the Fighting Cholitas
Overlooking La Paz, on the rim of the Altiplano is the fourth-biggest, poorest and fastest-growing city in Bolivia, El Alto. The city is largely populated by Aymara migrants who have come from the surrounding high plains and the population is close to a million, with a staggering sixty percent under twenty-five years old. Tin-roofed adobe shacks and half-finished red brick buildings sit side by side with the ‘Neo-Andean’ style ‘cholets’ built by architect Freddy Mamani. These colourful, gaudy mansions house shops, party venues and family homes.

El Alto can be reached by a journey on the cable car from La Paz which offers splendid, panoramic views. It is also home to the world’s biggest flea market – selling everything from clothes and furniture, to groceries – and the ‘Fighting Cholitas’. The word ‘cholita’ comes from the Spanish word ‘cholo’ (chola for females) meaning mixed race. When Spanish colonialists first arrived in South America, they introduced a degrading caste system that ranked people according to colour and race to maintain dominance. In this caste system, ‘cholos’ ranked as the lower middle class and were discriminated against for centuries. As women from a socially marginalised community, the Cholitas not only faced social, economic and political challenges, but gender discrimination too. These indigenous Aymara women resist against patriarchy both outside and inside the ring. Dressed in iconic bowler-hats and pollera skirts and displaying feisty spirit, they wrestle to display female empowerment, gender and racial equality and to reclaim the respect that they so rightfully deserve.

Madidi National Park
Spanning an astonishing nineteen thousand square kilometres, and with altitudes ranging from 300-5500m above sea level, Madidi National Park is home to a complex variety of Andean and Amazonian ecosystems. Its pristine savannah, cloud forest, rainforests and glacial mountain areas offer spectacular scenery and are home to over 700 species of animal, and an unbelievable eleven percent of the world’s total bird species. Madidi also boasts an incredible array of butterfly and flowering plant species. The park is so biodiverse that it is considered to be one of the most important conservation areas in the world.

Chalalan Lodge
Chalalan is a multi-award winning ecolodge, offering traditional thatched Tacana-style cabins and overlooking a large lagoon enriched with wildlife. The lodge is a huge success story and the first of its kind in this area. Having been established by international conservation groups, it is now owned and operated by the indigenous Uchupiamonas community from San José, guaranteeing the sustainability of their culture and the region for future generations as opposed to the destructive logging and hunting way of life. Chalalan profits are distributed within the local community at the end of the year and go towards health, education and sport, also supporting environmental causes. Chalalan is responsible for the conservation of 10,000 hectares within the indigenous territory of San José of Uchupiamonas and is committed to using clean energy and careful water and waste management techniques. They have also initiated a forest enrichment programme in which they plant trees of high ecological value that are currently under pressure in the region.

Uyuni

At 3368m above sea level and set on the bleak southern Altiplano, is the bitterly cold town of Uyuni. Uyuni is the jumping-off point for tours into the otherworldly landscapes of the surrounding region, namely the Salar de Uyuni and the Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. The town was founded in 1889 and its location at the junction of the railways that enter Bolivia from Argentina and Chile, meant that in its heyday it was Bolivia’s main gateway to the outside world. If it weren’t for travellers passing through to visit the salt flats, Uyuni would most likely be a ghost town, as after the decline in the fortunes of Bolivia’s railways there is little other reason for the town to thrive. The Thursday market and street stalls are a good place to hunt for warm woollies before heading out on a 4wd expedition.

Salar de Uyuni

The Salar de Uyuni is the world’s biggest salt flat, covering 4050 square miles (9000 sq km) of the Altiplano. The salt flat was left behind by a prehistoric lake that evaporated long ago and is one of the most extraordinary attractions in South America. The thick crust of salt extends to the horizon, making you lose all concept of distance and space and it is covered with polygonal patterns of salt rising from the ground.

In the dry season, the salt flat surface shines with the intense whiteness of snow and in the rainy season – and when nearby lakes overflow – a thin layer of water transforms the flats into an enormous mirror, reflecting the sky and surrounding mountain peaks perfectly. At night, the eerie white glow of moonlight is reflected in the salt and illuminates the entire landscape.

The high altitude and reflective surface of the Salar de Uyuni means that little heat is retained and it can get extremely cold. Whilst by day, temperatures can soar as high as 30 degrees Celsius, they can drop below -25 at night and as far as -40 – with wind-chill factor included – meaning this is one of the widest day-night temperature fluctuations found anywhere in the world.

The alien terrain of the Salar de Uyuni serves as an extraction site for salt and lithium – the latter, an element responsible for powering smartphones and laptops. In addition to the local workers who harvest these minerals, the Salar de Uyuni is home to the world’s first salt hotel and some of the small hostels are also built from salt.

Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa

Covering the most southwestern corner of Bolivia, Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa is a 7147sq km wildlife reserve that ranges between 4000-6000m in altitude. The main attractions within the reserve are the remarkably beautiful and bizarre-coloured lakes – several of which host large populations of flamingos – and the Sol de Mañana Geyser.

The biggest and most striking lake to photograph, is Laguna Colorada. The natural pigments of algae in the lake and its mineral-laden waters mean that the lake is red in colour and this changes in intensity during the day.  The algae are a rich food source for flamingos and all three species nest here in large numbers, including the rare James Flamingo. Laguna Colorada is bordered with deposits of bright white ice and borax, the latter a mineral used in glass, acid and paint manufacture. Also startling is Laguna Verde, a vibrant green lake set at 4300m. The lake’s green hues are owed to arsenic and other minerals in its waters and the colours range from turquoise to deep emerald, dependent on how much the wind stirs up its sediments.

Set at an altitude of 5000m, the Sol de Mañana geysers are set amidst boiling pools of sulphur and mud. The geysers shoot out high-pressure jets of steam from the earth at great height in the early morning in sub-zero temperatures.

Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert rivals Patagonia as Chile’s most striking landscape, a vast area of the altiplano dotted with volcanoes, salt flats and lakes. Lying between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, it’s known as the driest place on earth, with an average rainfall of less than an inch each year. With such a harsh environment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Atacama is devoid of life, but this isn’t the case. Its lakes support populations of flamingos and other waterbirds, while vegetation takes its sustenance from the thick fogs that often roll in from the ocean in the early mornings.

The Atacama is a landscape of endless white salt flats, turquoise lagoons and multi-hued rock formations, giving it a somewhat other-worldly feel, and it’s been used as an experimentation site for Mars landings. Highlights of the area include the jagged rocks of Moon Valley and the El Tatio geysers, but the entire area is a real treat for those who like their scenery raw and untamed.