The British-administered Falkland Islands, called the Islas Malvinas by Argentines, may currently be most renowned for being the point of contention that sparked a war in 1982. Yet these nearly 800 tiny islands, still part of the British empire, are also a common stopping-off point for expeditions to South Georgia Island and Antarctica (see pp. 1054 and 1053). They are home to more sheep than people (650,000 vs. 3,000), though potential offshore oil reserves, not woolen sweaters, might have been the real reason for the war.
A British character is pervasive in the tidy capital “city” of Stanley—pubs and teatime are commonplace. It is dominated by a quaint Victorian stone church and a gilded whalebone arch and located on the hauntingly barren island of East Falkland, where two-thirds of the island chain’s people live. Independent tourists are few (the majority are cruise-ship day-trippers), and most choose to stay at the cozy Malvina House Hotel, near the town’s cathedral.
The Falklands are famous for their biological diversity—they’re known as the cold Galapágos—and in particular for their five species of friendly penguins. Like their Pacific counterparts, the animals are utterly unafraid of visitors. Three-foot-tall gold-throated king penguins hold court on bleakly beautiful Volunteer Beach, a 2-hour drive from Stanley, while gentoo and Magellanic penguins roam Leopard Beach on Carcass Island, in the northwest of the archipelago. Along with some 180 other bird species (and the world’s largest colonies of the huge black-browed albatross), they make this remote land a bird-watcher’s wonderland.
For even more wildlife, head to Sea Lion Island, where aptly named elephant seals and sea lions swim ashore while killer whales circle in pursuit. The 12-room Sea Lion Lodge is both the Falklands’ best hotel and the world’s southernmost British one. From here, nothing but cold ocean separates you from the Antarctic.
WHERE: 1,200 miles/1,931 km southwest of Buenos Aires. HOW: U.S.-based Ladatco Tours offers 14-day wildlife tours. Tel 800-327-6162 or 305-854-8222; www.ladatco.com. Cost: from $10,900, all-inclusive. When: Oct–Mar. MALVINA HOUSE HOTEL: Tel 500/21355; www.malvinahousehotel.com. Cost: from $95. SEA LION LODGE: Tel 500/32004; www.sealionisland.com. Cost: $145 (off-peak), $230 (peak). When: closed May–Aug. BEST TIMES: Oct–Feb is austral summer, with temperatures in the mid-50s and optimal bird-watching; Sep–Apr for best animal-watching.
A Pilgrimage City on the Banks of a Sacred Lake
COPACABANA AND LAKE TITICACA
Bolivia
This is the original Copacabana—not the beach in Rio de Janeiro (see p. 1013), but a sunny little town up in the Andes, blooming with red-tile roofs and set on the southern shores of Lake Titicaca. One of South America’s most important Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites, Copacabana is best known for its 400-year-old Moorish-style basilica, which houses the shrine of the Dark Virgin of the Lake, Bolivia’s beloved patron saint. The famous statue has been believed to be responsible for a spate of miracles since being carved by the native artist Tito Yupanqui in 1592. Foremost among the town’s various feast days in her honor is the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria, celebrated the first two days of February, when Aymara dancers arrive from all over Bolivia and Peru. Holy Week soon follows, bringing throngs of the faithful who make the multiday walk from La Paz to pay homage to the Virgin, with a candlelight procession on Good Friday.
For the best views of the lake, hike to the replica of Calvary Hill, El Cerro Calvario, and try to plan your trek for sunset. Back in town the charming colonial Hotel Rosario del Lago stands a few blocks from the main plaza and is popular for its restaurant, Kota Kahuana (View of the Lake), which specializes in fresh Titicaca trout.
Boats leave regularly from Copacabana to some of the 36 mostly uninhabited islands that float on Lake Titicaca, considered the cradle of the Inca civilization, the “womb of the world.” Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) and Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon) were sacred to the Incas, whose ancient temples and ruins are found on these islands. The largest, the tranquil and sparsely inhabited Isla del Sol, is said to be the birthplace of the Inca sun god—its terraced, hilly terrain and incredible views overlooking the lake to the Cordillera Real mountains are what draw visitors today. You can drink in the same vista from most of the 20 handsomely furnished rooms at the Posada del Inca, housed in a former hillside hacienda, then have the staff arrange an excursion to one of the lake’s numerous reed islands, such as Uros-Irutos, created by the Aymara Indians who, while escaping invasion by the Incan armies, wove giant spongey refuges from the lake’s totora reeds.
The deep, crystalline blue lake is accessible from both Bolivia and bordering Peru, via the port town of Puno (see p. 1046). While most visitors head out to enjoy its attractions, don’t overlook the most popular land excursion. Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco in Spanish), known as the City of the Gods, is the ancient capital of a pre-Incan civilization believed to date back to 500 B.C. Its Sun Portal might have been part of a calendar, and monumental sculptures abound, whose purposes still baffle archaeologists.
Copacabana’s basilica stands on the site of a long-gone Inca temple.
WHERE: Copacabana is 93 miles/150 km northwest of La Paz. HOTEL ROSARIO DEL LAGO: Tel 591/2-862-2141; www.hotelrosario.com/lago. Cost: $60; dinner $12. POSADA DEL INCA: Tel 591/2-233-7533; www.titicaca.com. Cost: $85. HOW: Crillon Tours offers a variety of Titicaca tours. Tel 591/2-233-7533; in the U.S., 888-848-4323; www.titicaca.com. Cost: 2-day all-inclusive tour $300 per person. Originates in La Paz. BEST TIMES: May–Dec is dry season; early Feb for festivals; Semana Santa (the week before Easter).
Fascinating and Peculiar Finds
WITCHCRAFT MARKET
La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz’s daily Witchcraft Market, known locally as either the Mercado de Hechicería (“sorcery”) or Mercado de Brujas (“witches”), is a fascinating place, brimming with everything from herbal tea infusions to homeopathic folk cures as old as the Andes themselves. Coca leaves are ubiquitous—the rest of the world might find the remedy controversial, but for those suffering from soroche, or altitude sickness, in the world’s highest capital (11,913 feet above sea level), a tea made from the crushed leaves is a local cure. Other peculiar offerings include fertility and shamanic figurines, dried toucan beaks, snake skins, slabs of llama lard to be burned as offerings to the gods, amulets to guarantee a long and happy sex life, and even llama fetuses, thought to bring good luck and often buried in backyards or in the cornerstones of new buildings as a cha’lla (offering) to the earth goddess Pachamama.
If you believe the locals, the market is where to find the best ways to keep you on the good side of Pachamama and the dozens of other spirits who oversee the fates of mortals. Given the growing number of gringo curiosity seekers, booths selling colorful alpaca sweaters and woven textiles do a brisk business too. But the proud, indigenous women, known as cholas, sit among their witchcraft goods like queens. You’ll recognize them by their custom of wearing two braids fastened behind them and bowler hats adopted from the Europeans generations ago. With as much as 60 percent of the population of pure Indian blood, La Paz is home to more indigenous people than any other Latin American capital. Alongside Spanish, you’ll find that Aymara and Quechua, ancient languages predating the conquest, are freely spoken here.
Ingredients that can be used in a variety of spells are available at the market.
BEST TIME: Apr–Oct, with Jun and Jul the least rainy months.
Overlooked and Untrammeled in the Amazon Rain Forest
MADIDI NATIONAL PARK
Bolivia
With its towering mountains and the world’s highest capital, Bolivia has deservedly been nicknamed “the Tibet of the Andes,” yet nearly two-thirds of the country is covered in Amazon jungle. One of the best places to experience it is in Parque Nacional Madidi, a protected ecosystem encompassing nearly 5 million acres of dense forest that is accessible via the jungle town of Rurrenabaque, a 1-hour flight from La Paz.
The Beni River meanders through the park, ultimately connecting to other tributaries that feed into the
mighty Amazon. Along its banks you might spot jaguars and howler monkeys, along with pink river dolphins that frolic alongside the small tour boats. Nearly 10 percent of the world’s species of flora and fauna lie within the park’s borders, and breaking this number down leads to some unbelievable statistics: Nearly 44 percent of all American mammal species live here, along with 38 percent of all known tropical amphibian species and 10 percent of all known bird species. The jungles of Bolivia might be off the radar to most tourists, but in many ways they outdo larger, more famous destinations such as those in Brazil (see p. 1000). Throughout the preserve, Indian tribes exist much as they have for thousands of years, many still hunting with bows and arrows.
The perfect place from which to experience it all is the Chalalán Ecolodge. The oldest and most famous of the country’s eco-lodges, it is owned and run by the Quechua-Tacana Indians and is accessible from Rurrenabaque by motorized dugout canoe, a manner of jungle transport not far removed from that used by the first Europeans to arrive here. Fourteen well-marked nature trails surrounding the rustic, riverside lodge allow you to trek through the jungle at your leisure, on your own or with the lodge’s guides. Return to rest in hammocks beneath the canopy as night falls and the sounds of the forest envelop you.
WHERE: Rurrenabaque is 255 miles/410 km north of La Paz. CHALALÁN ECOLODGE: Tel 591/2-231-1451; www.chalalan.com. Cost: 4-day stays $350 per person, all inclusive. HOW: America Tours offers 4- and 5-day customized tours of Madidi, originating in La Paz. Tel 591/2-237-4204; www.america-ecotours.com. BEST TIME: Apr–Oct for dry season.
A White City and Former Capital
SUCRE
Bolivia
Proud, genteel Sucre is Bolivia’s original capital and one of the first Latin American cities to declare independence from Spain. A prestigious and wealthy place that attracted great artists and architects, it eventually lost its status as the seat of government to La Paz in 1898. Though it has just 250,000 residents, it still claims position as judicial capital and its reputation as the country’s prettiest city.
Sucre, quite intentionally, is Bolivia’s White City; by government decree, all buildings in its historical heart must be whitewashed every year, creating beautiful contrasts with the red roof tiles that seem to cascade down the gentle hills. Sucre also retains vestiges of its colonial heritage: With its many descendants of the Spanish colonists from centuries ago, and its wealth of centuries-old architecture, it has a palpable European feel.
The city was founded as Ciudad de la Plata de la Nueva Toledo (Silver City of New Toledo) by Pedro Anzures in 1538. Twenty-one years later, construction began on La Catedral Metropolitan, which is located near the tree-lined Plaza 25 de Mayo, one of South America’s largest and loveliest city squares. Built over the course of a century and a half, it is one of the best examples of architecture from this period and is famous for its Virgin of Guadelupe, Sucre’s patron saint, dripping with jewels left by the faithful. A small museum holds colonial art and religious objects made from silver mined in nearby Potosí. The thoughtfully organized Museo de Arte Indígena, or Textile Museum, offers insights into the region’s ancient crafts and culture.
El Hostal de Su Merced, in a former home dating from the 1700s, is the city’s finest inn when it comes to charm and character. The 16 small rooms are full of antiques, and the rooftop terrace has stunning views of the cathedral and city. Nearby is Hotel La Posada, where several of the 24 rooms open onto a garden courtyard, and the popular restaurant is an ideal choice for sampling local specialties. A pleasant year-round climate means almost any time is good to visit Sucre. Day trips include one to the busy Tarabuco Sunday market (30 miles east), one of the country’s best, where indigenous women wearing coin-festooned hats sell their wares.
San Felipe Neri Convent, whitewashed to match the rest of Sucre’s Colonial buildings, has a lovely view of the city.
WHERE: 460 miles/740 km southeast of La Paz. EL HOSTAL DE SU MERCED: Tel 591/4-644-2706; www.desumerced.com. Cost: $55. HOTEL LA POSADA: Tel 591/4-646-0101; www.hotellaposada.com.bo. Cost: from $50; dinner $10. BEST TIMES: Jan, Jun, and Sep for best weather; 3rd Sun in Mar for Tarabuco’s traditional Pujllay festival; Sep 8 for Fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe.
An Eerie Sea of Salt in the Altiplano
UYUNI SALT FLAT
Bolivia
The world’s highest and largest salt flat, and the only remnant of a prehistoric salt lake that once covered much of Bolivia, the Salar de Uyuni feels like another planet. The white expanse, lying 11,975 feet above sea level, is crystalline and vast, punctuated by freshwater lakes that glow like emeralds and sapphires, fed by copper deposits filtering up through the ground. Just as brilliant are the flocks of pink flamingos that feast on the red algae that grows in the scattered water deposits. A highlight of the region is the Sol de la Mañana, an area of geysers, fumaroles, and patches of boiling mud. It is best seen in the magical light of sunrise.
During the dry season, it’s easy to cross the expanses in 4WD vehicles. And during the rainy season, the area is transformed into a majestic wonderland as floods convert the flats into a giant mirror, reflecting an almost disorienting panorama of the surrounding volcanic mountains of nearby Sajama National Park against the vastness of sky. Spending time here requires some fortitude: Salar de Uyuni can be intensely cold, especially at night, even in the summer months, and salt-flat crossings are rough, as there are no real roads in the area, so hiring an experienced tour operator is a must. Many of those based in the southwest corner of Bolivia’s Altiplano can organize trips that continue over the border into the Atacama Desert of Chile (see p. 1026).
Not surprisingly, accommodations here are basic. The most unusual place to stay is the Hotel Luna Salada (Salty Moon Hotel). Much of it is made of salt, from the beds to the floors and tables. And every room has a fantastic view of the flats.
WHERE: 260 miles/402 km south of La Paz. HOTEL LUNA SALADA: Tel 591/4-453-0672; www.lunasaladahotel.com.bo. Cost: $110. HOW: Crillon Tours leads 3-day trips. Tel 591/22-337-533; in the U.S., 888-848-4323; www.titicaca.com. Cost: from $660, all-inclusive. Originates in La Paz. BEST TIMES: Nov–Dec for driest, warmest climate; Jan–Mar to view in the rain.
The Mother of All Rain Forests
BRAZILIAN AMAZON
Amazonas, Brazil
The vast kingdom of the Amazon, known as Amazonia, stretches across nine South American nations. At 1.4 billion acres it is the largest and densest rain forest on earth, roughly the size of the contiguous United States, and contains over 1,000 bird species, 300-plus mammal species, and roughly 45,000 species of plants. Freshwater dolphins, manatees, jaguars, macaws, toucans, and squirrel monkeys are just a few examples of Amazonia’s incredibly varied wildlife. And the statistics associated with the water that runs through it, once known as “the River Sea,” are just as staggering. As it gathers strength from more than 1,000 tributaries, the Amazon’s volume becomes ten times greater than that of the Mississippi and is responsible for one-fifth of all the water that pours into the world’s oceans.
The area claimed by Brazil comprises 60 percent of this hot, steamy region, with coastal Belém (see p. 1009), at the mouth of the great river, and Manaus, in the heart of Amazonia and accessible only by air, the popular starting points for exploring it. (Other common entry points to the Amazon are Iquitos, in northern Peru, see p. 1037; Ecuador’s El Oriente, see p. 1034; and Parque Nacional Madidi in Bolivia, see p. 998.)
Manaus is home to the famed Teatro Amazonas, a Belle Époque opera house built in 1896 at the height of the rubber boom. Just as historic are the corridors of the century-old Mercado Adolfo Lisboa, an iron-and-glass replica of the now-defunct market hall in Les Halles, Paris. It brims with the region’s bounty of fresh fish (including piranha), fruits (like the sweet/sour bacuri), and vegetables as well as ancient herbal remedies used by the river communities for countless ailments. Boats leave Manaus to visit the Encontro de Águas (Meeting of the Waters), where two tributaries—the dark waters
of the Rio Negro and those of the muddy Rio Solimões—meet to form the Amazon. (Peru, where the Ucayali and Marañón rivers join and also form the Amazon, claims to be the great river’s birthplace as well.)
Human destruction of the area continues, but there are still many ways to experience the Brazilian Amazon. Hotel Tropical is popular for its convenient location on the shores of the Rio Negro, 10 miles from Manaus. A more enlightening experience awaits deeper in the jungle at the Pousada Uakari, which is affiliated with the Mamirauá Institute’s pioneering conservation project. Guests stay in thatch-roofed cabins on rafts anchored on the river within the Mamirauá Reserve. The 18-suite Anavilhanas Lodge, a study in minimalist jungle décor, is set in the eponymous riverine archipelago—with 400 mostly deserted islands, it is the largest in the world. Another way to explore the river is via Amazon Clipper Premium’s expeditions. Air-conditioned, old-style riverboats carry 18–32 passengers who can watch for pink dolphins at Janauaca Lake, fish for piranha, and canoe into the lesser tributaries.
The biggest festival in the region is Boi Bumba, as eagerly awaited as Carnaval is in Rio (see p. 1012); revelers come from all parts for music, theater, and dancing. It takes place in late June in Parintins, a 1-hour flight or 10-hour boat ride from Manaus.
One of the longest rivers in the world, the Amazon winds through its namesake rain forest.
WHERE: Manaus is 1,666 miles/2,681 km northwest of São Paulo. HOTEL TROPICAL: Tel 55/92-3656-1246; www.tropicalmanaus.com.br. Cost: from $195. MAMIRAUÁ/POUSADA UAKARI: Tel 55/97-3343-4160; www.uakarilodge.com.br. Cost: 3-night stay from $760 per person, all-inclusive with round-trip transfer to/from Tefé airport. ANAVILHANAS LODGE: Tel 55/92-3622-8996; www.anavilhanaslodge.com. Cost: 2-night package from $850 per person, all-inclusive with transfer to/from Manaus. AMAZON CLIPPER: Tel 55/92-3656-1246; www.amazonclipper.com.br. Cost: 3-day cruise from $810, all-inclusive, with transfer to/from Manaus. BEST TIMES: Jul–Nov for dry season; late Apr–May for Festival Amazonas de Ópera in Manaus; late Jun for Boi Bumba.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 157