Tupiza

Tupiza is a small town in the Potosí Department of Bolivia.

Understand
The town is close to the border with Argentina and also gateway for the Salar de Uyuni tours, and therefore has its fair share of tourists staying over night or passing through.

By train
Tupiza has connections to Villazón on the Argentinian border and north to Uyuni and Oruro. Ask at the train station for the latest departure times. As of July 2019 the Villazón-Tupiza section of the line is out of service, but word is it will be back in August.



By bus
Bus schedules tend to change regularly, but Tupiza is well connected and has daily buses from/to all major and surrounding cities.


 * Villazón – Between 04:30-21:00, hourly (or when full) vans/servis/rapiditos run between the two cities, Bs. 20. There is also a 20 people minibus leaving Tupiza at 10:00, Bs. 15. 1-1.5 hr.
 * Uyuni – Buses leave for Tupiza leave at 06:00 and 20:00. Bs. 40-60, 5-6 hr. They stop in Atocha after just 1.5 hr, and often wait for 1 hr before continuing, even if they say "direct". Take the chance to see the nearby mine and stroll around a little. There is a market west of the rail tracks already in the morning as well. From there to Tupiza it is another 2 hr. As of July 2019 this last stretch is over very rough roads and dry riverbeds, but highway construction is underway. Rapiditos also run this route, Bs. 30 to Atocha and Bs. 60 to Uyuni, but you may have to change buses and wait in Atocha.
 * Potosí - Multiple buses, at least three every day (5-6 hr), both during day and night. Expresso Tupiza (sometimes written as ExP) seems to be a reliable option for around Bs. 40.
 * There are also at least 6 direct buses to La Paz (Bs. 80) and at least 3 to Cochabamba daily, mostly in the afternoon/evening, stopping at Potosí (6-7 hours, Bs. 40-50) and Oruro on the way.
 * Furthermore, at least three daily buses from/to Tarija.

Get around
Tupiza is a small town and the center is very walkable.

Weirdly enough, Tupiza features many tuk-tuks (aka rickshaws), which are certainly cheaper than taxis and can be used to reach the surrounding attractions like El Angosto and Entre Rios.

Outside of the town there exist many hiking and walking opportunities, as explained below. For reliable trails and GPS navigation in this region, consult OpenStreetMap, which is used by many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz. Or just download the according GPX or KML files through Waymarked Trails for such trails on OpenStreetMap. (Note, you just need to change the OpenStreetMap relation ID to download the GPX or KML files through the same link.)

See
The beautiful surrounding of Tupiza is full of quebradas, cañones and valles. It's excellent for exploring by foot, but it's also possible to go on horseback, mountain-bike or by jeep.


 * Mirador Cristo
 * Cerro la Cruz
 * Mirador Cristo
 * Cerro la Cruz
 * Mirador Cristo
 * Cerro la Cruz
 * Mirador Cristo
 * Cerro la Cruz
 * Cerro la Cruz

Do

 * If you'd like to be a little more independent or economical, hiking or biking along the same trails as the horses is also an option. See above for navigation details.
 * If you'd like to be a little more independent or economical, hiking or biking along the same trails as the horses is also an option. See above for navigation details.
 * If you'd like to be a little more independent or economical, hiking or biking along the same trails as the horses is also an option. See above for navigation details.

Buy

 * Tupiza has a biweekly local market stretching down from just outside the train station. Mainly consists of electronics, cheap clothes, and random knick-knacks. There are also many food kiosks and vendors past the main strip. Interesting drink and jello vendors, as well as vitamin quinoa juice.

Drink
On weekends there could be some local fiesta, ask around.



Cope
It seems common in Tupiza that the Salar de Uyuni tour is priced dependent on the number of people on the tour. However, do not fall for that trick, it is just a way to make more money off you. It is the tour company's job to find enough people, not yours. Your reference price should be the one for a 6 people tour. And from that "official price" actually you should take another 20-30% off to have the fair price. Best to tell them your price, and if they are interested, they shall contact you via WhatsApp. Do that with 6 or 7 companies (and if you got strong nerves even for leaving the next day), and certainly some will get back to you agreeing on the price. The price from San Pedro de Atacama is about US$150, but Bolivia is not Chile and should be less than that. The lowest prices from Uyuni are Bs. 600 (plus Bs. 50 for the bus until San Pedro). If you cannot get a similar price and feel you are overcharged, take the 5 hr and head to Uyuni&mdash;there are much more competing companies and number of tourists there, guaranteeing you the best price.

Connect
Most (newer) accommodations will have Wi-Fi for its guests.

Other than that there are many internet cafes which are reasonably priced but very slow at peak times.

Go next

 * Salar de Uyuni – There are several tour agents offering the 3-4 day tour finishing in Uyuni. Make sure you are well acclimatized if you're doing the trip from here, since you'll go from about 3,000 m to 4,200 m and sometimes even scratch the 5,000-m mark, climbing 1,200 m in just a few hours.
 * Tarija, Potosi or Sucre – These would be you next stops depending on your overall time and interests.
 * Villazón or Tarija – Your next destinations if you have finished Bolivia and are heading for Argentina or Paraguay.

There are also trains to both Villazon, Uyuni and Oruro every other day.