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Voykit pocket guide · Bolivia
Quime
Go only if you want unmarked cloud-forest hikes and a mining town with no other tourists: 2 nights, and hire a local guide or you will not find the trails.
Quime sits at about 3,000 m in a deep forested valley in the Yungas of Inquisivi, roughly midway between La Paz, Oruro and Cochabamba. It is a mining and campesino town of about 10,000 people, not a resort: there is no ATM, no marked trail network and almost no English. Come for self-guided adventure, cloud forest, a working tungsten mine and the Santiago Fiesta, or skip it and go to Sorata instead.
- Country
- Bolivia
- Best months
- Apr–Oct (dry season; clearer trails and less rain)
- Avoid
- Dec–Mar (wet season, muddy and slippery trails)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BOB
- Money
- Currency is the boliviano (BOB, Bs). Cash rules outside larger hotels and restaurants in La Paz and Santa Cruz.
- Daily spend
- Budget Bs 100–180 excl. bed · Mid Bs 180–350 excl. bed · High Bs 350+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Entel, Tigo and Viva sell SIMs with passport registration in their own shops.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Ambulance 118 · Fire 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C · 230 V · 50 Hz · Some La Paz buildings have 115 V — check.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: Round up; about 10% in tourist restaurants.; Uyuni driver and cook: Bs 50–100 per traveller for 3 days, shared.; Guides: Bs 30–70 a day.
- Water
- Not safe from the tap; bottled or filtered.
- Toilets
- Pay a boliviano or two; bring paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Plate at the Sunday fair | about Bs 10 |
| Beer or a fruit-juice coktél | Bs 10–25 |
| Minibus Konani → Quime | Bs 20–25 |
| Direct bus La Paz or El Alto → Quime | about Bs 35 |
| Servis Quime → La Paz | Bs 25–35 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LPB · El Alto International, La Paz
- The practical gateway: bus or minibus from La Paz or El Alto to Konani, then onward to Quime, roughly 5–6 h total
Typical fares
- Konani → Quime, minibus or truck
- Bs 20–25, about 1.5–2 h
- La Paz or El Alto → Quime, direct bus
- about Bs 35, about 3.5 h
- Quime → La Paz, servis
- Bs 25–35
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
On foot. The town is small and everything is within a short walk, but the hills are steep at 3,000 m. Radio taxis wait on the Alameda near the Flota Inquisivi stop. Local trucks and buses leave from the Alameda for villages across the province; mules are used for longer treks.
See and do
Known for
- Cordillera de Quimsa Cruz access
- Chambillaya tungsten mine and ghost town
- Naranjani waterfalls and glacial lake
- Santiago Fiesta (from 23 July)
- Huatia (earth-baked food)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chambillaya mine and ghost town | Mining truck from the bridge east of the centre at about 05:30 (Bs 5), or hike up on the western trackMining truck from the bridge east of the centre at about 5:30 AM (Bs 5), or hike up on the western track | Half day; about 1 h up by truck, 1 h back on foot |
| Naranjani waterfalls and glacial lake | Walk from town; no marked trail, guide recommended | About 3 h up, 1 h down |
| Devil's Slide | Walk from town; visible from Quime | 2–3 h walk |
| Huichincani hot springs | Two-day hike over the Miguillas River valley; mules and a guide can be arranged in town | Overnight |
| Cumbre de Tres Cruces downhill ride | Bus or van up with rented bikes, then coast back to Quime | Half day |
Sleep
- Town centre around the plaza and Alameda
- Almost everything is walkable from here; radio taxis wait on the Alameda by the Flota Inquisivi stop.
- Hillside above the centre
- Guesthouses and hostels sit up the slope; the walk up is steep at 3,000 m, so take a taxi with bags.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syahs |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| Where is the trail? | ¿Dónde está el camino?DON-deh es-TAH el kah-MEE-noh |
| I need a guide | Necesito un guíaneh-seh-SEE-toh oon GEE-ah |
| Is there an ATM? | ¿Hay cajero automático?eye kah-HEH-roh ow-toh-MAH-tee-koh |
| Cash only, please | Solo efectivo, por favorSOH-loh eh-fek-TEE-voh por fah-VOR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'buenos días'; avoid: Rushing into business
- Photos: Ask, and accept a no; avoid: Photographing rituals uninvited
- Sea question: Listen; avoid: Joking about Bolivia's lost coast
- Queues and blockades: Patience; avoid: Arguing with protesters
Scams and watch-outs
- No ATMs in Quime: bring enough bolivianos in cash for your whole stay.
- Trails to Naranjani, the Devil's Slide and the mine are not marked and are poorly covered on OpenStreetMap and Google Maps; a local guide is the reliable option.
- The Chambillaya mine is a working operation: ask in town before visiting and follow the miners' instructions.
- Cane-alcohol coktéls are strong; pace yourself and eat first.
- Road blockades are common elsewhere in Bolivia but Quime transportistas usually know bypass routes; still confirm your onward bus the day before.
Quime is quiet and locals are used to the occasional traveller, but this is a remote mining town: no ATMs, limited English, unmarked trails and steep ground. Go with a guide for anything beyond the town, carry cash, and treat the mine as a workplace, not an attraction.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Quime yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cordillera de Quimsa Cruz access
- Chambillaya tungsten mine and ghost town
- Naranjani waterfalls and glacial lake
- Santiago Fiesta (from 23 July)
- Huatia (earth-baked food)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- OpenStreetMap — Quime area: www.openstreetmap.org/#map=14/-16.9958/-67.2132
- Bolivia Ministry of Cultures and Tourism: www.minculturas.gob.bo/
- Wikivoyage: Quime, revision 5217140 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5217140
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Quime
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Quime; most are in La Paz. The US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all maintain embassies in La Paz — check addresses and hours before you travel.
Cash is king: no ATMs in town, so change money in La Paz or El Alto before you leave.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/quime). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.