Bolivia / Valle de Cinti

Valle de Cinti: Land of singani and wine

2 to 3 days, from Potosí

When the Spanish arrived in Potosí in the 16th century, they soon went looking for somewhere to grow grapes, so as not to depend on the scarce and irregular wine shipments from Spain. They found it in the Valle de Cinti, south of Potosí. On South America's oldest vineyards, small family wineries are once again producing wine, from well-known international varietals to endemic grapes such as Vischoceña and Criolla Negra. A stay in the Valle de Cinti might include visiting a winery to hear its story and philosophy and taste its wines, touring a colonial-era hacienda, hiking through the surrounding red mountain landscapes and admiring thousand-year-old rock paintings, bathing in natural pools, or simply putting your feet up at the lovely hotel in Villa Abecia and gazing out over the vineyards.

From Villa Abecia you can continue either to Tarija (and from there to Villamontes or Argentina) or to Tupiza (and from there to the Cordillera de los Lípez or Argentina).