When in Sucre cheesy as the ‘dino mobile’ looks a trip to the dinosaur footprints will exceed your expectations. The cost of a visit is cheap and the prints are extensive – it’s just such a shame & quite unbelievable that such a treasure is still part of a working quarry. The prints scale a sheer rock face which shakes with dynamite explosions from the base even as you watch – let’s hope that UNESCO win their battle and these footprints are preserved for future generations.
Do not miss the world wonder which is the salt flats of Uyuni. There are 2 choices of trip – either a 1 day trip out to the salt flats & back or a 3 day trip across the salt flats and on in to San Pedro De Atacama – Chile. If Chile is on your travel path then this is proably the best trip to take as you will see all the attractions of the salt flats along with the red & green lagoons & flamingos. The 1 day trip will however cover the salt flats element and from Uyuni you can get an overnight train down to the border with Argentina. These trains do not leave every day though so worth checking before you arrive to avoid a prolonged stay in Uyuni. Once in Uyuni every shop is a travel agent and trying to choose who to go with blows your mind – all offer pretty much the same thing the decider needs to be how good their English is and the state of their vehicles. All operators have books with reviews from previous travellers so have a read of these before you decide.
La Paz is the unofficial capital of Bolivia and the biggest city at high altitude in the world. Its a fascinating city, full of markets.. including the notorious witches market where Bolivians buy llama foetuses which hang in the doorways of all the shops – theyre believed to bring good luck if placed in the foundations of a building. For all those that have read Marching powder – yes the prison is still there but unfortunately when we were there nosy backpackers were no longer permitted access (although in Bolivia money talks so if you’re feeling brave it could be worth a try!).