Ojo del Inca

The Ojo del Inca, the Inca's eye, is a circular lake about a hundred metres across filling a low volcanic crater on a rise above the Tarapaya valley, fed by thermal springs so that the water sits around thirty degrees even at nearly 3,900 metres, which makes swimming in it a strange experience with the cold altiplano air above. Tradition holds that Inca rulers came here to bathe. The lake has no visible outlet and its depth is uncertain; whirlpools have been reported and drownings have occurred, so swimming near the centre is discouraged locally. Below in the valley are developed thermal pools at Tarapaya with changing rooms and a more managed setting. It is the standard afternoon trip out of Potosí.

What you actually see

• The round crater lake - a near-perfect circle of warm water on a rise.
• Thermal swimming - warm water in cold altiplano air.
• The Tarapaya pools - the developed baths in the valley below.
• The valley view - the country between the crater and Potosí.

When to go

April to November for the roads and clearer weather. Afternoons are warmest for swimming; mornings are bitterly cold. Weekends bring visitors from Potosí.

Honest expectations

Drownings have happened here and swimming toward the middle is discouraged; there are no lifeguards or facilities at the crater itself. The lake is not cleaned or managed. Changing means doing so in the open. The developed pools below are the safer option.

Nearby

Potosí lies southeast; Sucre is northeast.