Brasil and Bolivia 2015 not only Cacti

Ute and Konrad Müller

Part 2

The tour through Bolivia will continued from the region around Sucre to Potosi, theSalar de Uyuni and the vicinty of Tupiza.

Back to Santa Cruz de la Sierra we travelled via Cotagaita, Potosi, Valle Grande and Samaipata again.

Towns and villages – with the exception of Potosi and Uyuni – were not in our focusbut landscapes and plants were shown.

Only a few kilometres out of Sucre thebig Weingartia sucrensis was found on a flat area near ruta 5.

Neoraimondia herzogiana shows impressiveplant populations in valleys near Sucre.

Between Sucre and Potosi the smallAustrocylindropuntia shaferi can beseen up to nearly 4000 m.

Echinopsis species can be seen at loweraltitudes on the way from Sucre to Potosi.

Weingartia longigibba and Weingartia neocumingii we have found on the ruta 5 often.

This Weingartia neocumingii was called millaresii for a longtime and is nowadays ssp. pilcomayoensis of W. neocumingii.

The left plant is about 20 cm in height. This species is growing under shrubbery - not in full sunshine.

Cerro Rico (4800 m) is one of thelandmarks of Potosi the former wordcapital of silver. Nearly 500 years, silverwas removed from Cerro Rico. Mining activities still continued for lead, copper, tungsten, tin, zinc and rare minerals.

The Casa de la Moneda in Potosi is one of themost important museums in Southern America.

From 1542 til 1909 coinage took place here.

Freshly squeezed Orange juiceis recommended in all cities.

The cathedral of Potosi is located at 4067 m above sea level.

This place to park our car inside ourhostel in Potosi I could reach only withretracted side mirrors.

This rural architecture is typicalfor the higher Andes up to now.

The northern end of the distribution areaof Soehrensia tarijensis is near Potosi.

Without flowers the very small bodies ofRebutia pygmaea were not to find.

Cumulopuntia boliviana is a variable speciesin a great distribution area in Bolivian, Chilean, Peruvian and Argentinian Andes.

Lobivia ferox even is a species with a wide distributionin the higher Andes in Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

The barren Puna landscape feeds llamas, goats and sheeps.

Oreocereus celsianus forms thick population in some regionsat both sides of the border between Bolivia and Argentina.

Parodia maassii you can find in between.

Lobivia ferox was seen at the same places.

Oreocereus trollii may be seen in theenvironment of Uyuni and Tupiza.

Up to the middle of last century Uyuniwas an important railway hub – todayit is a touristic town for tours to theSalar de Uyuni.

The waste yard for old railway locomotivesis now a tourist attraction near Uyuni.

On the way to the Salar de Uyunimy wife bought a sunscreen.

With an area of about 10.000 km² the Salar de Uyuni isthe biggest salt pan of the earth at a height of 3653 m.

Several years ago the rallye Dakar took placehere in the UNESCO-World Natural Heritage.

The characteristic honeycomb structureof the salt surface covers the biggestknown Lithium deposit of the world.

Tour provider organise such joke photosin the clear sky over the salar.

Nearly in the centre of the salar the Isla de Pecados presents thousands of Echinopsisatacamensis at its northernmost location.

A juvenile plant with long and hardspines infront of adult plants ofEchinopsis atacamensis

Smal amounts of the salt were removedfor animals and human nutrition.

Lobivia ferox with yellowflower on the way to Tupiza.

The mine settlement Santa Barbara isthe highest permanently occupied smalltown in Bolivia at 4774 m above sea.

The Cerro Chorolque (5600 m) is for a long time seen between Uyuni and Tupiza.

In the sandstone area around Tupiza not onlythese big species of Echinopsis are found.

Lobivia species aregrowing here, too.

Cleistocactus tupizensis is one of thehighlights with its extremely dense spinesin different colors.

Cumulopuntia rossiana shows mostlyyellow flowers but orange and redflowers at some plants occur.

Lobivia lateritia

The extremely small plants of Weingartiakargliana can be found only during flowering.

Parodia maassii

Lobivia pugionacantha var. cornuta

Weingartia westii

Parodia yamparaezii werefound on stony meadows.

At a height of only 4 cm thisplant has a diameter of 10 cm.

In this region near La HigueraErnesto Che Guevara 1967 was catched and killed.

Tillandsia species give hints to a morewet environment in this region.

At the same location thefollowing species are found:Pereskia spec.,

Vatricania guentheri,

Parodia mairanana, Weingartia neocumingii var. and Gymnocalycium zegarrae.

Weingartia neocumingii var.

Gymnocalycium zegarrae

At a pleasure of excellent coffee and a delicious piece offlan our tour through Bolivia is finished now in Santa Cruz.