Around Potosí

Thermal baths

The Complejo Recreacional Tarapaya, 21 km outside the city on the road to Oruro, by the town of Tarapaya, has thermal baths worth visiting. There are public pools, private baths, and larger family-size baths. On the other side of the river from the baths is Laguna de Tarapaya, a 60-m diameter volcanic crater lake, with 30-34°C water on the surface, much more at the source in the centre. Below the crater lake are boiling ponds. Be very careful, several people have drowned here and agencies do not warn of the dangers. You can camp by the lake and there are also cabins to rent. Further north, 25 km north of town is Balneario Miraflores pools - the water in the pools here is hotter than in Tarapaya, it is popular with locals and not as clean. North of Miraflores, 30 km from Potosí, is the colonial Hacienda Mondragón, set in a beautiful canyon, which is visited on some tours. Just south of the hacienda is Chullpapata, a 100-m-high rock with archaeological remains on top.

Kari Kari Lakes

Following Viceroy Toledo's reforms in the early 1570s, 32 artificial lakes were built to the southeast of the city to supply the ingenioswith a steady supply of water to grind down the ore. About 20,000 indígenasbuilt the dams over a 50 year period. On the afternoon of 15 March 1626 one dam wall broke sending a tidal wave through the city killing between 2500 and 10,000 people, depending on who you believe. It was said that the ghosts of the dead inhabited the dam until the survivors said enough prayers to placate them. Fifteen lakes remain, these proved useful in the drought of 1983, having enough water to supply domestic and industrial needs in Potosí. The series of lakes makes a pleasant trekking area, though for the acclimatized only. The average altitude is 4600 m. One- and two-day tours are organized by some of the tour operators in Potosí.

La Puerta

La Puerta is a village 6 km from town on the road to Oruro and site of the Capilla de San Bartolomé, which is visited by the people of Potosí during the Festival of San Bartolomé, or Chutillos in August. Nearby is the Devil's Cave, many legends have been told about it. Hacienda Cayara, which belonged to the Marquez de Otavi, is one of the best-preserved haciendas in the area, 25 km northwest of the city, with colonial paintings and furniture.