From Wikitravel

Potosí is, at around 4000 meter, the worlds highest city. It's located at the Altiplano in Bolivia.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 10 Get out

Understand

Potosí was founded in 1546 after the discovery of the rich silver deposites in the Cerro Rico. It soon become one of the wealthiest and largest cites in the Americas. Millions of African slaves and indigenas labourers perrished in mines in the three centuries of colonial ruling. In 1800 the silvermine depleted, leading to a slow economic decline.

The wealthy history of Potosí is still reflected in the narrow streets, colonial mansions and the many churches, which makes the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Get in

From the bus terminal it's a 30 minute walk uphill to the city center. There are several daily busses from Oruro (about 7 hours). There are frequent connections with Sucre (3~4 hours).

Collective cabs that travel slightly quicker than the buses can also be arranged between Sucre (35B) and Oruru (120B). These leave when full and can be a godsend during bus strikes.

Get around

Taxis are generally cheap and plentiful around Potosi. However, always check the price with the driver. Some charge per person which could get you into arguements when it comes time to pay.

See

• Casa Nacional de Moneda, Cl. Ayacocha s/n, is de former royal mint, but now houses one of the better museums in South America. A visit is by guided tour (English and French if there is enough demand) which takes about 2~3 hours. The museum has a collection of religous art, contempary art,and artifacts from it's time as mint. Entrance is Bs. 20 for foreigners and Bs. 10 for Bolivians.

Do

• A visit to Potosí isn't complete without a visit to one of the cooperative mines. It's a shocking experience as the methods of working haven't changed much since the colonial times. Working conditions are terrible: most miners die of silicosis in their forties. Still, many people don't have another choice and around 10.000 people work in the mine. A tour starts with a visit to the miners' market to buy gifts for the miners like coca leaves, cigarettes or dynamite. A typical visit will have you walking and crawling through the mine for about 2~3 hours. You can talk, take photographs and share your gifts with the miners.

There are many tour agencies in Potosí offering this tour, shop around before buying. The price is around Bs40. The maximum price allowed by the municipality is Bs80. Koala Tours, one of the oldest tour agencies, offers the tour for this price, for example. Koala Tours allow you to let off your own stick of dynamite on request!

Buy

Eat

• The cheapest meals can be found in the Mercado Central.
• Sumaj Orcka, Cl. Cobija 34, serves big plates, also a good place for lunch.
• Chifa Rosa, Cl. Cobija 38, cheap but not special chinese food.
• Pasteleria Cherrys, Padillo 8, for pastels and breakfast.

Drink

• Cine de Universidad, Bolivar 893, for Hollywood movies.

Sleep

• Koala Den, Junín 56, (02)6226467 (ktour_potosi@hotmail.com). The travellers' favorite. Part of the Koala Tours mini-empire.
• Residencial Felcar, Av Serrudo esq. Bustillos 345, (02)6224966. Another favorite spot by travellers. It has a nice, sunny patio and hot showers from 8am to 10pm. Some of the singles are tiny. Single Bs25.

Get out

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!