We’re proud to announce that Pirwa La Paz is now open and accepting reservations! We’re sorry to have closed last month, but we think that our new and improved location was worth the wait. Now, you’ll find us just two blocks from Sopocachi cable car station, meaning that you can reach us quickly and cheaply from the airport.
The little town of Uyuni in Bolivia’s Potosí Department has become a destination for travelers from around the world, not for the town itself but for the salt flats of the same name, Uyuni Salar. The town acts as a gateway for visitors to the popular salt flats and the contiguous Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. While the grand majority of people travel to Uyuni from Bolivia’s capital city, La Paz, they do so by a variety of methods- there is no ‘best way’ to get to Uyuni, as this varies by type of traveler as well as by time and money restraints.
The pre-Columbian El Choro trek once formed part of the famous Inca Trail network known as the Qapac Ñan. It begins an hour outside of La Paz, at La Cumbre, and ends in the village of Chairo in the tropical Yungas valley. Along the way, hikers are treated to striking views as they descend from the frosty heights of the Andean range, past the cloud forest, and into a semi-tropical ranforest.
At Pirwa La Paz, we’re excited for one of the biggest festivals of the year, the Fiesta del Gran Poder. El Gran Poder means the all powerful, as the festival is based on Christ the All Powerful, the 2nd figure in an early 17th century painting of the trinity in which the three entities display Indian or mestizo features. The artist is unknown; a novice nun had brought the painting with her it as her offering upon entering a convent, after which the painting changed hands many times amidst a growing reputation for granting miracles. Devotion grew and in 1939 the Parochial Church of the All Powerful was founded in its name. What began in the 1930’s with a handful of dancers has exploded through the years into a riotous celebration reminiscent of Carnaval, which falls a couple of months earlier.
Aside from its cultured, artistic air, Sopocachi District also boasts some of the best restaurants and night life in La Paz. It’s definitely worth a stop during your visit to Bolivia’s capital city.
In this post, we’ve compiled our favorite activities to do in Sopocachi: