Tarabuco market in Bolivia with Oasis Tours
I still remember clearly that after visiting absolutely stunning Uyuni salt flat, my sinusitis got the best of me and completely destroyed me. I realised planning in Bolivia was not a good thing to do. My days in Sucre I spent sick, sipping on my hot green tea and not seeing much.
When I thought I was getting better, I got an offer from Oasis Tours travel agency I went to Uyuni salt flat with. They invited me to Tarabuco market on Sunday. I didn’t hear of the market ever until after my few days in Bolivia, but it was a pretty famous thing to do once I got to Sucre. And each time I have a chance to see something very traditional, I grab the opportunity. And the same happened with Tarabuco open-air market.
The bus from Sucre leaves on Sundays at 8.30 am from Sucre from outside the Cathedral at Plaza 25 de Mayo. The best thing is to get your ticket before in the travel agency as sometimes the bus/buses are full if you only get to the Plaza on Sunday morning.
mountains close to Tarabuco
Tarabuco is located 2 hours by bus and I was more than happy to spend them sleeping on the bus to get more energy as the sinusitis was still killing me.
Once we got to Tarabuco local village, I was so amazed! The houses reminded me a bit of those in San Pedro de Atacama, all in earth grey colours. We walked to the main square where I had a look at the imposant white Iglesia de San Pedro – St. Peter’s Church. There were some local restaurants at the square with surrounding stalls selling everything from silver jewelry to local clothes.
Iglesia de San Pedro in Tarabuco
Iglesia de San Pedro
Many streets of Tarabuco were full of locals recognized by wearing the traditional Yampara costumes. Yes, believe it or not, different Bolivian provinces or even towns have their own local costumes that preserves their identity. I never paid enough attention to learn the differences, or maybe I just needed more time. But no wonder that if you wanted to get a glimpse of the Yampara culture, the easiest way to do so would be spending your Sunday at Tarabuco market.
locals at Tarabuco market
woolen jumpers at Tarabuco market
hand-made woolen clothes
It was a very cold day when I visited so hand-made gloves, hats, woolen socks and jumpers, were what the tourists were interested in the most. Remember that the wool Alpaca ones are the warmest and that you should and most of the time you can bargain the price.
fresh vegetables at Tarabuco market
potatoes
Different weavings, other textiles, medicinal herbs, souvenirs, shoes, coca leaves, fresh vegetables and fruit are available all around Tarabuco market. I bought Alpaca socks to fight the cold weather, coca leaves to beat the altitude and a pair of silver earrings of llama shape.
selling everything
offering also cheap local meals
It even started pouring down so I aimlessly walked around the most colourful streets of Tarabuco market one more time before making my way to Samay Wasi. Samay Wasi is probably the most famous Tarabuco restaurant with organic food.
Our Oasis tours group met there for lunch. I won’t lie if I say that we all enjoyed hot drinks, warm soup and second meal warming up our bodies and trying to defrost our fingers. We also fed the hunger for cultural experience when Yampara Bolivians, including a 10-year-old Diego and other children showed us a traditional dance.
vegetarian meal in Samay Wasi restaurant in Tarabuco
I was pretty tired after all the shopping and tasty meals. I could not imagine how exhausted must be the Yampara locals after waking up at 4 am, spending a few hours walking to cross the hills to get to Tarabuco and then spending the whole day sitting in the cold and trying to sell as much as possible. On the way back to Sucre, through my sleepy eyes I observed the beautiful mountains I could never get enough of.
My trip to Tarabuco was a press trip organized by the great travel agency Oasis Tours. For more information about Uyuni Salt Flat trips, please visit Oasis Tours website or send them an email to uyuni@oasistours-bo.com. All the opinions in this post are mine as usual and I was not asked to write a favorable review.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
| #
Comment@ Andrew Graeme Gould:
Aw, I miss Santiago!
Andrew Graeme Gould
| #
A great post, Alexandra, on what looks like wonderful destination for market lovers — and that includes me! All the best from Santiago de Chile…
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
| #
Comment@ Salika Jay:
I know, I felt the same about it. Many locals are so brave doing all this!
Salika Jay
| #
Everything is so colorful and beautiful. Love the photos. It’s kinda heart breaking to hear what they have to go through though.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
| #
Comment@ Suzzane from Travel Universally:
And trust me, Suzzane, you would buy a lot of stuff in Tarabuco :)
Suzzane from Travel Universally
| #
Bolivia’s Tarabuco market semms to have many more things for me, from handcrafts to the cloths, everything is attention drawing. I would like to get myself in front of those shops to buy something for me.
crazy sexy fun traveler
| #
Comment@ The Guy:
Uf, allergies, not good! Any kind of sickness makes it so bad when traveling, right?
The Guy
| #
Sorry to hear you were so unwell on such a unique trip out. I can relate to some degree as I suffer badly from allergies and had terrible hayfever as a child.