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Conwy Suspension Bridge
Conwy Suspension Bridge
The blue spruce on the right symbolizes the spirit of John Denver.
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Inside Sacré-Coeur Hospital lies an unassuming lab that peers into the mysteries of our sleeping minds.
Inside Montréal’s ‘Dream and Nightmare Laboratory’
Team Kwe's 2024 sculpture “Wenabozho and Dadibaajimad Journey on the River of Souls,” illustrating a traditional Ojibwe story of two figures—Wenabozho and his brother Dadibaajimad—on an otherworldly journey.
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Each fall, amorous male tarantulas prowl the Colorado plains in search of mates, who may or may not kill them.
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All Bolivia

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Bolivia

31 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Bolivia

Updated January 5, 2024

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Cities

Bolivia's Witch Market
La Paz
Salar de Uyuni
Daniel Campos
Flamingos in Laguna Colorada
Sur Lípez
Cristo towering over blooming jacarandas
Cochabamba
The Horca del Inca, a pre-Incan observatory
Copacabana
Attractions
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Stories

Unusual Attractions in Bolivia

Salar de Uyuni

Daniel Campos, Bolivia

Uyuni Salt Flat

A seemingly endless landscape of pure salt stretches far across Bolivia.
Bolivia's Witch Market

La Paz, Bolivia

Bolivia's Witch Market

Popular tourist destination where witches in dark hats sell dried llama fetuses for good luck.

Bolivia

Great Train Graveyard

On the outskirts of a desert trading village high on the Andean plain, steel giants have been destroyed by salt winds.
The refuge at Chacaltaya, home to the world's highest restaurant.

Milluni, Bolivia

Abandoned Chacaltaya Ski Resort

The world’s highest ski resort was deserted after an 18,000-year-old glacier melted away.

La Paz, Bolivia

Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon)

A valley of unique erosion patterns lends to a view like nothing on Earth.
Flamingos in Laguna Colorada

Sur Lípez, Bolivia

Laguna Colorada

This red lake 4,000 meters above sea level is home to rare flamingos.

La Paz, Bolivia

Valle de las Animas

Bolivia's needle-like rock formations.

Sucre, Bolivia

Dinosaur Dance Floor

Largest site of dinosaur footprints ever found includes more than 5,000 tracks.
See All 31 Things To Do in Bolivia
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Nature 4

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Stories About Bolivia

In western Bolivia and southeastern Peru, angels are armed and ready—like the one shown in this 17th-century painting, Asiel Timor Dei.

Decoding the Gun-Wielding Angels of Bolivia

The 'angeles arcabuceros' morphed from Catholic messengers to symbols of Indigenous independence.
by Amy Crawford
November 30, 2023

This New Species Is a Fish out of Water by Choice

The Juan Deriba killifish, found in a tiny area of Bolivia, jumps out of water to evade threats.
by James Hall
May 23, 2023
Heavy rains and wind turned the usually featureless Salar de Uyuni salt flats into a riot of color in late January 2022.

Wild Weather Has Turned Bolivia's Salt Flats Into a Work of Art

A satellite captures the stunning effects of heavy rain and high winds on a landscape that—coincidentally—is used to calibrate satellites.
by Gemma Tarlach
March 10, 2022
The Diablada dance pits the Archangel Saint Michael, in the uniform of the Roman legions, against the servants of the devil.

Bolivia's Dance of the Devils Is a Party and a Battle Between Good and Evil

Heaven and hell, music and dance at the Carnaval de Oruro.
by Matthew Taub
February 28, 2022
The muddy shores of Lake Uru Uru in Bolivia are awash in bright sunset colors, a sign of the lake's dire straits.

In the Andes, Bright Colors Tell the Dark Story of a Dying Lake

Bolivia's Lake Uru Uru faces an uncertain future: a growing city, toxic runoff, and drought worsened by climate change.
by Gemma Tarlach
May 3, 2021
The carved-shell llama and the gold roll are recurring motifs in Inca offerings, submerged and otherwise.

Found: A Miniature Incan Llama at the Bottom of Lake Titicaca

The centuries-old offering was nestled inside an underwater stone box.
by Isaac Schultz
August 12, 2020
A miner sits at the feet of El Tio, leaving offerings for safety and prosperity.

The Liquor-Soaked Devil Shrines of Bolivia's Deadliest Mine

In the heart of the Andes, Catholic miners also pray to satanic statues.
by Luke Fater
October 25, 2019
Fires are tearing through the Brazilian Amazon, including Altamira, pictured here on August 27, 2019.

Scientists of the Future Will Unearth Traces of the Scorched Amazon Rainforest

Long after the forest stops burning, the effects of this year's fires will linger in the soil and water.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
August 28, 2019

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