Tupiza

Tupiza sits at around 2,950 metres in a valley in the far south of Bolivia, surrounded by eroded red sandstone: ridges, spires, narrow canyons and cactus-covered slopes that look more like Arizona than the altiplano, and that difference is the reason to come. Places around the town carry names like the Devil's Gate, the Valley of the Moon and the Sleeping Indian, reached on horseback, on foot or by jeep on half-day and full-day trips. The area is also where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid spent their last weeks before being killed at San Vicente to the northwest. Tupiza is used as an alternative starting point for the Uyuni salt-flat circuit, which run in reverse from here.

History

Tupiza lay on the Inca road system and was one of the places where Diego de Almagro's expedition to Chile regrouped, entering it late in 1535 and leaving in January 1536. Legend has it that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid met their end at the hands of the Bolivian army at San Vicente, near Tupiza, after their string of bank robberies (Wikipedia, Tupiza).

What's there

• Red rock canyons - eroded sandstone gorges and spires around the town.
• Cactus slopes - cardón and other cacti on the dry hillsides.
• Horseback riding - the standard way to reach the formations.
• The Uyuni circuit start - tours running north in reverse from here.

When to go

April to November, the dry season, when the tracks and canyons are passable; the wet months bring flash floods in the quebradas. It is warmer than the altiplano but nights are cold.

Good to know

Flash flooding in the canyons is a real hazard after rain in the hills. Horses and saddles vary in condition and rides are long. The town is small with limited food choice. Uyuni tours from here are longer and reach the salt flat at the end rather than the start.

Nearby

Uyuni lies north; the Argentine border is south at Villazón.