There are trips that you can only really enjoy and appreciate in retrospect. That was the case with our three-day trip to the Bolivian Altiplano. Bolivia was one of three countries on our trip to South America in 2008 and the Altiplano quickly found its place on our itinerary. Volcanoes, pink lakes with flamingos and an endless salt desert? It just had to be. Why was I only able to enjoy the tour many years later? It was because of the armada of jackhammers that constantly accompanied me for three days.
We traveled the tour, the “Southwestern Ciurcuit” in the less traveled direction, starting in tranquil Tupiza instead of Uyuni. The jeep took us very quickly up to the high plateau, Bolivia’s Altiplano, at an altitude of over 4000 meters. The altitude soon made itself felt – headaches, sleep problems and shortness of breath. We saw the vast salt plains of Uyuni and even climbed up to the Sol de mañana sulphur geysers, which are almost 5000 m high and therefore higher than any mountain in the European Alps. Local music was constantly playing in the jeep, which I liked but didn’t necessarily help with the headache. The tea made from coca leaves that the guides served us helped a little more.
