Visiting Coroico.....

I had the fortune to have my parents over for the past holidays. At first, I wanted to take advantage of their company, originally I planned going to many places; however, the altitude and time differences cause me to make some last-minute adjustments.

After a couple of days taking them all over La Paz, I decided that our next destination be the town of Coroico.

Coroico is a calm little town around three hours far from La Paz. It is very popular destination as it is considered the capital of the Yungas Region (part of the Andes Mountains series). To get there, we had to take a mini bus from La Paz (Villa Fatima), a small van with around 12 passengers, a bit uncomfortable but still ok for that distance.

The road is full of beautiful landscapes, which certainly are part of the trip attraction.


From the moment you leave the city, you have access to amazing views of the Cordillera Real of the Andes Mountains.

Añadir leyenda

As you go deeper down the mountains, their shape and type starts changing. At the beginning you see very plain type of bold stone mountain, and as soon as the van enters the country side, the vegetation starts increasing up to covering the mountains completely. There are very narrowed curves for a two way road; many times the driver has to press the horn to let the incoming car know that someone is coming.

Coroico is around 2000 meters lower than La Paz; for that reason the climate is warmer, the vegetation is more diverse, you also feel the environment with more oxygen compared to La Paz.

Even though the town is around 120 kilometres far from La Paz, it takes 3 hours to get there.. The road is full of cliffts and curves surrounding the mountains, it is recommended driving at a speed between 30 to 70 km per hour.

The other passengers travelling with us (mainly local people) seemed very relaxed at looking the cliffs out of the window. My parents and I were randomly looking at the rear window, at certain point my mother asked to stop commenting about it (as she got a bit scared).

The two way road is very narrow, and attached to the mountains, that might be a reason few buses take that road.

In the past, there was an alternative road, now called “the dead road” , considered even more dangerous and narrowed than this one.. Now, it has become a popular biking ride. I heard it is an exciting and unique experience, but still I have not been brave enough to try it...

When you arrive to Coroico, you are still surrounded by green mountains; behind them, if you pay attention, it is possible to see the far snowy mountains, making the landscape a unique combination. The town is still very small; it has some hostels, few hotels, and some restaurants. I believe that the downtown should be better maintained, as some parts have garbage and the streets are not in very good conditions. Most of the restaurants and hostels around the main plaza have English signs, one of the villagers told us that there are a lot European tourists coming there.


There is a tourism office, with two tour guides offering a three- hour tour around the town. We decided that it was more convenient to go with a guide than on our own. For a fee, the tour guide took us to the town surroundings, still through more narrow roads. He showed us the coffee and coca leaf plantations, and explained that to harvest coca leaf; peasants need to build a type of terrace in the mountain. He said these types of plantations have been found around the region for centuries.

Yungas has been well known for harvesting coca leaf for a long time. He commented that in the past, during the War on Drugs in South America, the American government sent DEA agents to burn the coca leaf cultivation and to promote harvesting a different crop. After Evo Morales took power, this program was suspended as he explained for reasons of dignity and sovereignty. The tour guide commented that it was sad to see the Bolivian soldiers receiving orders from the Americans in its own land. He also reiterated that coca production around Yungas is very limited in quality for each parcel, and it is for legal purposes.

He believed that Evo Morales has helped the communities around Yungas; especially with programs to learn how to read and write, and he have promoted further education for the indigenous (he said the Yungas has its own university). He commented that if peasants know how to read and write, it is easier for them to do business and understand contracts, not allowing some abuses as he mentioned often happened in the past. He also explained that the land was owned by few land owners, and after the Revolution of 1952, the peasants own and work their own piece of land.

We came back to La Paz the day after, unfortunately I could not take all the available tours. For my experience, I consider that the main attractions of the town are its amazing surroundings and breath taking views. Just to have looked at them made the trip worthed.


As for the town, it is still very small, people go there mainly to relax and take some rest from the busy city. There are many alternative trips for eco-tourism, cascades, the Coroico river; also there are companies offering adventure activities such as zip lines, parapets, canoeing, trekking, yet the main and unique attraction are the fantastic landscapes.

View from the Hotel Gloria, Coroico, Bolivia