أورورو

Understand

Oruro is famous for its carnival. It's been a major mining centre and railway hub, but with the closing of the mine and with more and more rail connections ceasing the town is about to lose its importance. But only 3 hr and Bs. 15 by bus from La Paz, this is a nice getaway from the prices and stress of the capital.

Get around

The streets are well planned and orientation is simple. The easily recognized Av. 6 de Agosto, featuring a railway track in the middle runs from north to south with the bus terminal in the north and the town center in the south. The center is small enough to get around by foot and micros heading to the main bus terminal cruise Av. 6 de Agosto, otherwise it's a ten minute walk.

The main square garden (Plaza 10 de Febrero) is the reference for all the locals and visitors.

The Virgen del Socavon temple, is where the carnival ends. It's situated in the west part of the city, and there you can also visit a little mining museum.

In the south part of the city, you can find the zoo, where you can see some of the very exotic Andean wildlife.

Oruro is a city fulfilled of legends and traditions. One of them tells the story about the origin of the carnival.

See

One of the best sight views is the Faro del Conchupata. You can also visit El Cerrato, also known as El Corazón de Jesús. Near the zoo, in the south part of the city, there is a museum of ethnography and folklore. There you can see, how the ancient locals, the Chipayas, used to live. Also you can see an invaluable collection of carnival outfits, including masks. 45 min from the center ville, there is a little town called Cala-Cala. There you can visit the Señor de Lagunas temple, some stone based prehistoric art.

You can also visit some of the traces of our legends: In the south part of the city, over the hills, you can see a long stone with a snake form. Near Cala-Cala, at the east of the city, there is a mountain with the shape of a giant crocodile with the head cut-off. Coming from the north, you can see a giant frog. All around the city, there are some little sand monticles, made by the ants.

Do

See the train coming in the middle of the main road. Wait for it on the about 1.5 hr before its departure. A walk up on the hills surrounding the town is an easy and nice excursion offering decent views. Bring ice cream and water. The Carnival occurs before Ash Wednesday which can be anywhere between February 4th and March 10th.