Living happy in Coroico, Bolivia

A tranquil small town in the hills of the Bolivian Jungle, I was instantly enamored by Coroico. Incredible views of the Yungas valley, extremely friendly people, and delicious food, coffee and ice cream convinced me to stay twice as long as I was planning.

My first night I arrived late and was greeted by a colorfully lit up fountain and children running freely around the plaza. After finding a cheap hostel (Anturius, ~$5/night), I went out for some good grub before packing it in early. The next morning, I had a WARM shower! What a concept (Actually, Bolivia is proving to be much better than Peru about hot water)! Then after a big breakfast of eggs and tortillas accompanied by fresh papaya juice, I spent my first day hiking and swimming in a natural pool fed by a waterfall above. During the hike, I was surprised by huge lizards running across the path right in front of me. At the waterfall, I talked to a nice Bolivian family for a while and took commands from one of the kids on swimming like different types of fish. That night I got some delicious, cheap (<$2) traditional Bolivian food and then bought two scoops of fresh mango ice cream for about 30 cents. Did I mention that Coroico is CHEAP?

My second day I spent eating great food and talking to a proud coffee maker while sipping a delicious cup of joe. That night I went a little over-budget for a great cause to spend a night in “La Senda Verde” (roughly, the green path), a wildlife refuse that rescues exotic animals from the illegal pet trade. I stayed in a rustic little “eco-cabin” and fell asleep to the sound of monkeys hollering and rain pounding hard on the sheet-metal roof. The next morning I had a decent breakfast at their dining hall followed by a tour of the facilities, something I had kind of already done by myself before knowing that it wasn’t allowed. I doubt I will ever again in my life have so many monkeys crawl all over me at once, it was an unforgettable experience and we’ll worth the money to support an important cause. 

I have so many great things to say about my time in Coroico, but more than anything it was the perfect change of pace, especially after climbing Huayna Potosí. Tranquilo is a great Spanish word basically meaning chilled out, and that’s exactly how I felt in Coroico. The people there value family, peace and happiness over money and commerce and it’s not hard to see that there likely aren’t many happier places in the world. Viva Coroico!