Tarija

Tarija sits at around 1,850 metres in a broad valley in the far south, and it feels different from the rest of Bolivia: warmer, greener, with a Mediterranean climate, a Spanish accent closer to northern Argentina, and a self-image built on wine, food and a slower pace, so that Bolivians call the people chapacos and the city Andalusian. The plaza has palms and jacarandas, the old centre has one and two-storey houses with wrought-iron balconies, and the surrounding valley grows grapes at some of the highest altitudes anywhere. Fossil collections in the local museum reflect an unusually rich palaeontological area. The city is the base for the wine route in the Concepción valley and for Sama and the condor canyons.

History

Before the Incas the valley was home mainly to the Churumatas and the Moyos Moyos, whom the Incas dispersed across the Andes, and the first Spanish expedition, that of Pedro de Candia with 200 men, stayed here from September 1539 to February 1540. By then the valley was largely emptied of people, and in 1574 the conquistador Luis de Fuentes founded the city as San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa, bringing Tomatas from the San Juan del Oro River to resettle it; in colonial times Franciscans planted the first vines here (Wikipedia, Tarija).

What's there

• The palm plaza - jacarandas and colonial arcades in the centre.
• Chapaco culture - the food, music and speech of the southern valley.
• The wine valleys - vineyards on the slopes around the city.
• The fossil museum - the palaeontology of the Tarija basin.

When to go

March to May and September to November for the most comfortable weather; the vintage falls around February and March. Summer brings heat and rain. Winter nights are cool but days are mild.

What to expect

The city has few conventional sights and the appeal is atmosphere and food, which does not suit every visitor. It is a long way from the rest of the country, with flights or a long mountain drive. Wine tours need arranging and vary in quality.

Nearby

Valle de la Concepción lies south; the Cinti valley is northwest.

Key facts