Coroico printable guide

Coroico

Go for 2 nights from La Paz: 2.5–3 h by minibus, Bs 20–30, 1,750 m lower and warm. Skip if you only want colonial sights.

Coroico sits at about 1,750 m in the Yungas, a 2.5–3 h minibus ride down from La Paz, and the drop in altitude is the point: warm days, green valleys, pools and a small plaza. Two nights covers the town, the Uchumachi ridge walk and a slow day by the water. Most travellers come for the downhill bike ride on the old Yungas Road and stay one or two nights after it.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

Country

Bolivia

Best months

Apr–Oct (dry, clear valley views)

Avoid

Dec–Mar (rain, mud on trails and the old road)

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 120–200 excl. bed · Mid Bs 200–350 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
Set lunch at a comedor	Bs 6–20
Pizza or pasta main	Bs 25–50
Buffet lunch	Bs 32
Cheese empanada from a plaza stall	Bs 2
Beer, 660 ml	Bs 10–20
Yoga class	Bs 30
Massage, 75 min	Bs 120
Private taxi to La Paz	Bs 300–350

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

LPB · El Alto International, La Paz: All arrivals go via La Paz; no airport at Coroico. Minibuses leave from the church area, roughly 03:00–17:30.All arrivals go via La Paz; no airport at Coroico. Minibuses leave from the church area, roughly 3:00 AM–5:30 PM.

Typical fares

Minibus Coroico → La Paz: Bs 20–30, 2.5–3 h
Shared taxi Coroico → La Paz: Bs 30–35, about 2 h
Private taxi Coroico → La Paz: Bs 300–350

Get around

The town is small and walkable; taxis cover the hills and the bus terminal. For anything outside town, agree the fare first. The old Yungas Road is a bike-tour route, not a walking route.

See and do

Known for

Yungas (Death Road) downhill bike ride
Warm Yungas climate below La Paz
Chutokollo Uchumachi ridge walk
Plaza, church and municipal pool

Day trips

Where	How	Time
La Paz	Minibus from near the church, Bs 20–30, 2.5–3 h	About 3 h
Chulumani	Local bus or shared taxi along the Yungas road	1–1.5 h
Sorata	Back via La Paz, then a separate bus north	6 h+
Quime	Long shared transport via the Yungas roads	5 h+

Sleep

Around the Plaza: Walk to everything: church, market, comedores, minibus pickup. Cheapest beds, Bs 25–80.
Uphill by the phone masts: Hotels with pools and valley views; a steep 10–15 min walk up from the plaza, or a short taxi.
Further up the hill: Cabins and eco stays with gardens; take a taxi with bags, the climb is real.

Phrase card

English	Say or show
How much is it?	¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-tah
The bill, please	La cuenta, por favorlah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR
Where is the minibus to La Paz?	¿Dónde sale el minibús a La Paz?DON-deh SAH-leh el mee-nee-BOOS ah lah PAHS
I need a room for two nights	Necesito una habitación por dos nochesneh-seh-SEE-toh OO-nah ah-bee-tah-SYON por dos NO-ches
Is it safe to walk there?	¿Es seguro caminar por ahí?es seh-GOO-roh kah-mee-NAR por ah-EE
Help!	¡Ayuda!ah-YOO-dah

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

Altitude drops fast on the way down: the road is winding, so take motion-sickness precautions.
The old Yungas Road is used by downhill bike tours and local traffic; ride only with a licensed operator and a helmet.
Trails are unmarked in places and slippery after rain; start the Uchumachi walk in the morning.
Weekends bring Paceño crowds and beds fill; book ahead for Friday and Saturday.
Road blockades can cut the La Paz road with little notice: keep a buffer day before flights.

Coroico is a small, low-crime town; the real risks are the winding road, unmarked trails after rain, and altitude change on the way down. Use a licensed bike operator and keep a buffer day before any flight.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Coroico yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

Yungas (Death Road) downhill bike ride
Warm Yungas climate below La Paz
Chutokollo Uchumachi ridge walk
Plaza, church and municipal pool

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Wikivoyage: Coroico, revision 5241426 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241426

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Coroico

A esta dirección, por favor

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Police110
Ambulance118
Fire119

No embassies in Coroico; most are in La Paz. US, UK, Canadian and other missions: check the La Paz listings.

Cash is king in Coroico; carry small bolivianos and expect few card readers outside the bigger hotels.

Voykit · checked 2026-09