Tourism in Bolivia

Bolivia is a country with great tourism potential, with many attractions, due to its diverse culture, geographic regions rich history and food. In particular, the salt flats at Uyuni are a major attraction.

Gate of the Sun, Tiwanaku
Waterfall in the Torotoro National Park
Mission San José in the Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos
View of huge Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt lake[1]

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Bolivia were from the following countries of nationality:[2]

Country201620152014
 Argentina293,458238,141242,075
 Peru271,046293,466314,119
 Chile104,463102,624116,664
 Brazil86,48796,205101,890
 United States58,40359,12959,871
 Spain37,62634,06633,967
 France33,99032,62033,403
 Germany30,23834,15930,182
 Colombia29,57524,31425,560
 Paraguay19,74317,58518,196
Total1,177,4551,131,4411,180,450

World Heritage Site

In country there are six World Heritages declared by the UNESCO:

  • The ruins of the city of Tiwanaku, capital of the 6th-century empire that ruled the southern Andes
  • The city of Potosí, historic city known for its religious and civic monuments and Cerro Rico
  • The Amazon, the great lung of the planet, a sanctuary for wildlife.
    • Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, representative place of the Amazon and its immense biodiversity, located on a large plateau, covered by vast forests and magnificent waterfalls.
    • Madidi National Park, the most diverse place in Bolivia, declared by National Geographic, one of the 20 best places to visit in the world.
    • Toro Toro National Park, where found paleontological wealth (thousands of dinosaurs footprints), caves, waterfalls, rock paintings and other places of interest are.
  • The Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos, the only active missions of all of South America.
  • The Fort Samaipata, the big rock carved by the Incas in the foothills of the Andes as the limit of his empire.
  • The Carnival of Oruro, a great festival where Catholicism is mixed with pagan.

Destination

A female llama with her cria at Red Lagoon

Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake.


  • The Andes, the largest mountain range in the world spanning the entire continent, and has exceptionally attractive regions:
    • The highest ski slope in the world, called Chacaltaya.
    • The highest mountain in the country: Nevado Sajama, with the highest forest in the world.
    • The salt flats of Uyuni and Coipasa, the largest salt flats in the world.
    • Bolivia also is the only country in the world in having the only hotel totally fabricated of salt, found in the Uyuni.
    • The lakes Green lake and Red Lagoon, the sanctuary of the Andean flamingos with one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, the Licancabur.
View of footprints of dinosaurs in the Cal Orcko Cretaceous Park
  • The historic cities of:
  • The Madidi National Park considered by National Geographic as one of the imprescidibles places to visit in the world, is part of the circuit of tourism in Bolivia. It is characterized by being one of the most biodiverse parks, flora, and fauna as well as ecological levels as it goes from the perpetual snows to the Amazon basin and harboring ethnic communities in its territory.
  • The Noel Kempff Mercado National Park located in the department of Santa Cruz, on 13 December 1991 was declared a World Heritage Site. The camps Flor de Oro (the principal) and Los Fierros have tourist infrastructure.

In recent years, several scientific works, as James M. Allen, locate the lost continent of Atlantis in the Bolivian altiplano (specifically Pampa Aullagas, Oruro Department). These facts have led to a growing interest focused on the important archaeological riches.

The Beginning of Organized Tourism to Bolivia

Darius Morgan Martin, born in Romania, grew up in France and came to Bolivia in the 1950s working for the Swedish company Ericcson. It was his first visit to Bolivia where he had the opportunity to discover its beauty and natural wealth, from the Bolivian Amazon region to Lake Titicaca in the Andes. In 1958 he decided to show this beautiful destination to the world, opening the first incoming tour operator in Bolivia, Crillon Tours. Since then, Crillon Tours continues to pioneer unique experiences and curate innovative journeys for discerning travelers currently led by three generations of the Morgan family- Darius Morgan Jr., his sister, Margot Morgan and her son, Sebastian Villena Morgan.

Darius Morgan Martin is known as one of the pioneers of Tourism in South America as a destination.

See also

References

  1. "Salar Uyuni" (in Spanish). 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  2. Estadísticas por Actividad Económica. Turísmo

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