Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia. It is situated at the altitude of 3000m. Sucre is also known as white city and it is the most beautiful city of Bolivia. Sucre feels different compared to other Bolivian cities like La Paz and Potosi. Sucre is more modern and there is beautiful Spanish architecture all around Sucre. Sucre is a UNESCO world heritage site and there is Spanish colonial vibe in the architecture of Sucre buildings.
Sucre is situated by about 3hour bus ride from Potosi. Bus Tickets can be bought online via ticketsBolivia.com. It was a five-star bus ride from Potosi to Sucre. I was not expecting the bus ride to be that good. The buses were very comfortable and the roads were pretty decent. On our way to Sucre we crossed some small towns. I captured some excellent shots of Lamma roaming around the Andean grasslands. The snowclad mountains were giving perfect complexion to the grasslands situated along the Andes mountain. I reached Sucre at around 9.30 Am. I was worried about the weather at Sucre because I had to face very bad weather at Potosi. But to my surprise the weather was completely opposite to Potosi. It was a great sunny day with little wind. Sucre bus stop was situated little far from the main tourist center. I booked my stay at hostel near the Plaza 25 de Mayo. There are lot of hostels near the Plaza and it is the most suitable location for stay in Sucre. I walked from the bus stop to my hostel and it took me about 20 minutes.
1.Plaza 25 de Mayo
Plaza 25 de Mayo is the main square of Sucre. If you visit any city influenced by Spanish architecture you will definitely notice a plaza at the main square of the city. The Plaza offers a great place for local people to relax and enjoy the beautiful views of colonial building around the area. There is also a fountain situated in the middle of the park. The entire park is surrounded by huge trees and there are enough benches for everyone to just relax and read newspaper. The Cathedral and Casa de la Libertad buildings are located near the Plaza. You will find many high end restaurants surrounding the Plaza. If you are keen to try some local foods, then I would strongly recommend to explore the main market situated near the Plaza.
You will find lot of souvenir shops, college students, juice vendors, tourists and office workers around the plaza. I visited the Plaza at the evening time and I was able to witness some street shows performed by locals. Plaza 25 de Mayo is also an important landmark for Sucre. Buses to airport and famous Dinosaur Park leave from here.
2.La Recoleta
La Recoleta is a small plaza located on a hill top. It takes about 30 minutes-walk to reach La Recoleta from the Plaza 25 de Mayo. The walk from Plaza to La Recoleta is steep but it is completely worth it because you will get incredible views of the city from the hill top. There is a straight road from the plaza to the hill top and you pass by some beautiful buildings on the way. It is a popular hangout spot for tourists and local youths. The plaza featuring museum and church plays host to various events throughout the year. I was really impressed by the beautiful cobblestoned plaza situated at the top of the hill. The plaza features a huge corridor of arches. The white and red color of the Plaza represents the color of Sucre.
During the evening time the area was full of street vendors selling local snacks. I tried some fried chicken and French fries from the local vendors. The vendors near the plaza includes ice cream, sweet jelly, fried chicken and small toys. The plaza was full of soccer player during the evening time and I saw some nice skills from the kids. Café Gourmet Mirador is a perfect place to enjoy an incredible lunch. The seating area of the restaurant is brilliant and you will get great views of the city from the restaurant. La Recoleta is not crowded like other plazas and there is lot of space for taking amazing pictures around the plaza.
3.Convento de San Felipe Neri
Convento de San Felipe Neri is the most attractive colonial building in the city. The mirador located at the top of the building gives perfect views of the city. The convent opens at around 3pm and there is a small museum at the entrance. The place is not very well known among tourists. I didn’t notice any tourists at the top of the Mirador during my visit. Most of the buildings in Sucre are painted in white color and they have red colored roof top. I took some great photos from the of the building and the view was insane.
4.Dinosaur Park
Dinosaur park in Sucre showcase around 5000 footprints of Dinosaur. The park also features different lifesize models of dinosaurs. Million years old footprints of the dinosaurs can be found in the park. The footprints of the dinosaur are situated on a vertical cliff. The average length of the footprint inside the park is 25-30m. The cliff was flat millions of years ago but because of tectonic shift the flat surface became a cliff. The park is located around 5 km from the plaza. The park is open from 9am till 5 pm. You can reach the park by taking a shuttle bus from Plaza 25 de Mayo.
The bus leaves in front of the cathedral and the ride takes about 20 minutes. The shuttle bus leaves every day at around 11 am and 3 pm. The bus is easy to spot because it is painted with the pictures of Dinosaurs and it has open rooftop. The admission fee for park is around $ 5 and you have to pay extra fee if you are carrying a camera. The guided tour starts every day at 10 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. I took the 11 am shuttle bus from the plaza and I took the 11.30 am guided tour at the park. I spent around 2.5 hours at the park and took the return bus at 2pm.
The footprints were discovered only in the year 1990 when Francesa company was mining in the region for the production of the concrete. The park features footprints of about 15 species of dinosaur. The park features world’s largest sculptures of Titanosaurus. It was good fun to take pictures of the Dinosaur sculptures. There is also a museum, restaurant and gift shop at the park. There is a T-Rex skeleton inside the museum. T-Rex is the most popular Dinosaur because it is featured in Hollywood movies. I was able to see the footprints from a very close distance. There is a steep downhill path from the park till the dinosaur footprints area. The entire guided tour lasted about 1 hour and the guide was speaking both English and Spanish.
The park is situated near a cement factory so I strongly recommend to use a mask if you are visiting the park. The track is facing erosion because of the presence of soft limestone. The local government is trying their best to raise funds for the conservation of the park. I will strongly recommend everyone to visit the park if you are visiting Sucre. There are very few places in the world where you can see the footprints of the dinosaur.
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