Tupiza is a small town in southern Bolivia set in a spectacular landscape of red rock canyons, eroded pinnacles, and dry river valleys that looks like something out of a Western film. This is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid met their end — or so the story goes, up at San Vicente — and horseback riding through the canyons is the classic way to experience the scenery.
The town itself is quiet and unremarkable, but it has become a popular base for jeep tours to the Salar de Uyuni and the high-altitude lakes of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. The southern approach via Tupiza is less crowded than the more common route from Uyuni, and the four-day tours are remarkably affordable.
The surrounding valleys — the Quebrada de Palala, the Cañón del Inca, the viewpoint at El Sillar, the freestanding Puerta del Diablo — are ideal for hiking and mountain biking as well as riding. The canyon floors are flat and open, and the red rock formations are at their most dramatic in the late afternoon light.