Bolivia

Uyuni	Uyuni	Incahuasi	Uyuni	Uyuni
Potosi	Lamas	Uyuni	Uyuni	Uyuni
Uyuni	Uyuni	Uyuni	Uyuni	Uyuni
Toro Toro	Toro Toro	Train-Bolivia	Train-Bolivia	Train-Bolivia
Tihuanaco	Tihuanaco	Potosi	Potosi	Potosi
Potosi	Potosi	Potosi	Potosi	Potosi

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Salar de Uyuni

Salar de Uyuni, is the world’s largest salt flat. Sitting 3650 meter high, Salar de Uyuni sits in the Departmento of Potosí in southwest Bolivia near the crest of the Andes.
40,000 years ago the salt flats were a part of Lago Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When this lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Lagos Poopó and Uru Uru, and the two major salt deserts, Coipasa and the larger Uyuni.

Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. Every November Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding grounds for three breeds of South American flamingos - Chilean, James and Andean. Salar de Uyuni is also a significant tourist destination in south western Bolivia.

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Toro Toro National Park

This National Park in a remote area from Cochabamba has few things to offer to a visitor, there are dinosaur footprints, fossils, Umajalanta caves, and a special halloween (Todos los Santos) where villagers from around they gather in the cemetery with offers, music and sweets for their ancestors.

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Potosi

Potosí is a city, the capital of the department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is at an altitude of 3967 meters and has about 115,000 inhabitants. It is claimed to be the highest city in the world. It lies beneath the Cerro Rico ("Rich mountain"), a mountain of silver ore, which has always dominated the city.

Founded 1545 as a mining town, it soon acquired fabulous wealth. In Spanish there is still a saying vale un Potosí meaning "being worth a fortune" and, for Europeans, "Peru" was a mythical land of riches. It is here that most of the Spanish silver came from and Indian labour, forced by Francisco de Toledo through the mita institution, came to die by the thousands. After 1800 the silver mines became depleted, making tin the main product. This eventually led to a slow economic decline.

During the War of Independence (1809-1825) Potosi was frequently passed from the control of Royalist and Patriot forces. Major blunders by the First Argentine Auxilary Army (under the command of Castelli) led to an increased sense that independence was needed and fostered resentment against the Argentine. During that occupation there was anarchy and martial excess, and Potosi became unfriendly to the point where it could not be defended.

When the second auxillary army arrived it was received well, and the commander, Belgrano did much to heal the past wounds inflicted by the tyrannical minded Castelli. When that army was forced to retreat, Belgrano took the calculated decision to blow up the Casa de Moneda. Since the locals refused to evacuate this explosion would have resulted in many casualties, but by then the fuse was already lit. Disaster was averted not by the Argentine who at that time were fleeing, but by locals who put the fuse out. In one stroke the good feelings Belgrano delicately built were destroyed. Two more expeditions from the Argentine would seize Potosi.
Zacatecas in Mexico was the other big silver mine of the Spanish Empire.

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Hostels in Uyuni and Potosi
Hostelling International Salar de Uyuni Uyuni, Bolivia Calle Potosí esq. Sucre Tel.: +591 2 693 22 28  Book this Hostel	HI-Hotel Jerusalem Hostel Hotel Potosi, Bolivia Calle Oruro No: 143 Tel.: +591 -062- 24633  Book this Hostel
Hotel Avenida Uyuni, Bolivia Avenida Ferroviaria # 11 Tel.: +591 71463854 Fax.:+591 4 6440889	Residencial Sumaj Potosi, Bolivia Calle. Fortunato Gumiel No. 12 Tel.: +591-062-22336 Fax: +591-62-22600

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