Tupiza and south to Argentina

Tupiza is a very pleasant town set in a beautiful landscape of red, brown, grey and violet hills, with stands of huge cacti. It lies in the narrow, fertile valley of the Río Tupiza with a microclimate, much warmer than other towns at an equivalent altitude. Beautiful rose-red skies can be seen at sunset over the valley from the hills around town.

Tupiza is 200 km southeast of Uyuni, making it a good alternative base for visits to Reserva Eduardo Avaroa and the salar. The surroundings, with striking canyons and valleys, also make it an ideal place for walking and horse riding. Tupiza is 95 km north of the Argentine border at Villazón-La Quiaca, and fits well into an itinerary spanning the two countries.

Capital of the Sud Chichas province of the department of the Potosí, the town was a centre of the silver, tin, lead and bismuth mining industries. The statue in the main plaza is of Victor Carlos Aramayo, the founding member of the Aramayo mining dynasty, which was pre-eminent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An Aramayo company payroll was held up by two Wild West outlaws going by the names of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid .