Surroundings of Tupiza
Valle de los machos
These spectacular
canyons are only 4 km (2.5 miles) from Tupiza's
city center. The scenery here is surreal and
breathtaking; high rocks, standing up like
gigantic red shark's fins, cactusses and many
huge phallic rock pillars. Mother Nature rules
here. Be sure to bring an extra film with your
camera, for you'll be likely to take photo's at
every corner.
Waca Wañusca (Huaca Huañusca)
North of Tupiza, a
road with some superb views leads towards some
mining towns. On November 4th 1908, three men
were going from the small village of Salo to
Quechisla. They were transporting the payroles of
the mining company, a lot of money. At the foot
of a ridge, suddenly two "gringo's"
stepped out of the shadow. It was a hold-up. The
robbers were the infamous Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Their loot was 15,000 bolivianos,
about US$90,000! The adventures of the
'pistoleros norteamericanos' were later
immortalized in the film The Wild Bunch, with
Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Read more about these outlaws and the surroundings of Tupiza in my
article at the Butch and Sundance page. At my "Links" page I got some more Butch and Sundance links. The article in the Bolivian Times features some pictures of the sites that are described here. There are plenty of nice hikes possible in the sensational
landscape. The ridge Waca Wañusca, which
actually means Dead Cow in Quechua, is 4,000
meter high (13,000 feet). The trail is still used by llama
herders, as it has been for centuries. You might
spot a condor in the sky. This mighty bird, King of the Andes, can reach a span of over 3 meters.
San Vicente
This is were the
historical figures of Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid kid eventually died in a shoot out with
the law. They were burried at the small
graveyard. The desolate little mining town (photo), with
it's small adobe houses, seems like the end of
the world.
Quebrada Palala
Quebrada
means canyon. The scenery is - again -
sensational, with pointy red sandstone
rocks. The valleys and cliffs make for
excellent hiking. The mountains have all
kinds of colours here. They are grown
with spectacular cactusses. In fact, this
area is known by cactus lovers all over
the world for it's rare species. At El
Sillar ( The Saddle) you can look
southwards to Argentina and see to the
5,600 m (18,375 feet) high vulcano El Chorolque in the
north. In front of you is the spectacular
Tupiza valley. |
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photo Jiri Borovicka
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Any questions?
Please
ask at the reception of Hostal Valle Hermoso or
mail me.
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