Park or nature areaOutline guide

Tiwanaku

Archaeological site in Bolivia

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Anakin~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Tiwanaku is an archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage site in the La Paz Department of Bolivia.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By tour
You can also book a tour through the many tour operators in La Paz. Most of these appear to be in Spanish only.

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Getting around

This is where you should stay, nowhere else to go to. There are only small villages in the surrounding areas of Tiwanaku and the site around it.

Read in the guide

Airports and nearby hotels

Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.

El Alto International Airport

La Paz / El Alto · International · LPB

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Read before you go to Tiwanaku

Articles and travel topics about Tiwanaku and Bolivia.

Itineraries

Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos

The Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Chiquitania region of Bolivia's department of Santa Cruz.

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Itineraries

Gringo Trail

The Gringo trail is a term for places in Latin America visited by gringos, that is, people from North America or Europe. It is the Western Hemisphere's equivalent of tropical Asia's Banana Pancake Trail.

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Culture & history

Archaeological sites

An archaeological site (or archeological site) is any place with physical evidence of past human activity. Such sites might be from pre-history as well as history, and the oldest sites can be considered paleontology.

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Culture & history

Indigenous cultures of South America

Before Europeans arrived in South America, the continent was home to a variety of flourishing civilizations and cultures. Some of these cultures remain today; others have left incredible ruins.

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Full travel guide

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UnderstandTiwanaku is a Pre-Columbian archaeological site near Lake Titicaca, one of the largest sites in South America actually.

Get inGetting there is rather easy. If you are staying in La Paz, take a taxi to the cemetery (Cementerio), any minibus with the "Cementerio" flap on the window or the cable car (red line).

Fees and permitsThe admission fee for foreigners Bs. 100. Locals pay Bs. 15.

Get aroundThis is where you should stay, nowhere else to go to. There are only small villages in the surrounding areas of Tiwanaku and the site around it.

SeeTiwanaku is the main excavation site of the pre-Incan civilization of the ancient Aymara. The Aymara had a vast empire that stretched from the Atacama Desert to Cochabamba and today's northern Argentina.

DoWalk around, take photos, read the signs, visit the museums. Don't cross over signs or fences: you'll upset the security guards there and might be kicked off grounds.

BuyMany indigenous women will be selling pottery, scarves, clothes, crafts, and other handmade things. They do not really charge much, and some of the items are worth the price.

EatThere are a couple of restaurants near the museum. They are a bit expensive but the food is OK.

DrinkYou will find people selling water and beverages around. At the restaurants, they have more variety.

Sleep

CopeThe altitude at Tiwanaku is similar to that of El Alto, around 4,000 m. If your body did not have time to get used to this yet when visiting Tiwanaku, it might be wise to consult the article about Altitude sickness.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Tiwanaku" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Tiwanaku", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Anakin~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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