Caranavi

There is this amazingly beautiful hotel/bed and breakfast in Corioco that is called the Bella Vista (beautiful view) and for good reason, the front of the hotel is on the street, but the back is a view of the mountains and a river flowing between that will captivate you for hours and leave you speechless. I cannot get the view out of my head, and I long to go back there!

If your nerves are up to a 7hr trip out of La Paz down the world’s most dangerous road (official classification) then do not miss Caranavi. Possibly as close as you are going to get to the garden of Eden. Butterflies larger than your hands, condors galore, sun, heat, seriously cheap shopping, great market, the people are fascinating, living a somewhat isolated lifestyle now the airstrip has been closed down. Great hotel down past the airstrip with a fantastic pool and the most friendly staff you can iamgine. Pretty basic, but just getting away from the cold into the sticky heat of Caranavi was such a relief that basic was great.

Las Yungas are unmissable, although after a few hours of the drive having a bottle of Singani might have helped reduce the frayed nerves a little. Our driver was fairly competent, although his reversing when on the edge of a 2-3000m drop left a little to be desired (just get out!) – it was the other lunatics coming up in their trucks overladen with people and goods, and some blatantly wasted, that really made it hairy!

Afterwards, we struck off up to Coroico which was also an interesting drive though way less scary, and condor littered! There was a festival in Coroico so we ended up sleeping in the garage of a hotel, so might be an idea to book ahead. Fantastic French restaurant in Coroico that leaves the taste buds stunned.