Our 3 favorite things from Potosi

At the altitude of 4090m, Potosi is the second highest city in the world. There is a lot to do around the city, here are our 3 favorites

I know that the main attraction would be probably to make a tour to Uyuni and see the salt flats, but I'm not going to write about it here because of 2 reasons:

1. It deserves a separate post

2. We, unfortunately, came in a bad timing and did not manage to get to the salt flats, and I don't like to write about things I did not do myslef

We did spend 3 days in Potosi without knowing anything about it. We wandered around and found a lot of interesting places, food and drink options, all by asking the locals what is the best thing to do in the city. Those are our favorites.

Explore the mines of Cerro Rico

Legends say that the mountain Cerro Rico is made of silver. They are not completely wrong, between the 16th and 18th century, 80% of the world's silver supply came out of this mountain. The mines are active until this day, and there are a lot of tour agencies that offer tours to the mines. During the tour you get to explore the mines, with some historical and contemporary explanations, and if you are lucky you'll meet some of the miners. Just make sure you bring them something to eat or drink!

Drink té con té at El Boliche Del Alan

If you are looking for a way to warm up, we found té con té will do the job. It is a mix of hot tea, lemon, and the local alcohol - singani. El Boliche Del Alan is a bar in the city center, and it is our favorite one! The atmosphere is very homey, and they have a variety of options to warm you up in the cold evenings!

Take a day trip to Ojo del Inca

There are a few day trips you can make from Potosi, but Ojo del Inca is probably the best one. The place is easy to get to, there is a microbus leaving from around the city center and passes through Tarapaya - a resort close to Ojo del Inca. You should ask the locals about the schedule of the bus. Once you get there you will need to walk for a few minutes until you see a house. In the house lives a nice elderly couple that takes care of the place, and usually asks for some contribution to help them out. Once we gave them a simbolic amount they showed us around. Unfortunately because of some people drowning in the past it was forbidden to swim in the lake, but they do have a pool with the cold natural water from the lake, and as the place is less frequented you can have it all for yourself. We enjoyed our private romantic afternoon.

Final thoughts

Initially we planned to stay in Potosi a few days less than we actually did. There are a lot more places to explore in and around the city, but I truly believe that these 3 are a must!

Agree? Disagree? Tell me!