Roaming South America

Potosí and Sucre, Bolivia - No Thank You

June 29, 2026

Sucre, BO

Sucre, Bolivia - founded in 1538; population about 300,000; elevation: 2790 meters (9150 feet). Climate: yearly average daytime high about 22° C (71° F) and night lows average 10° C (51° F). It doesn't rain much in Sucre. They get an average of 646mm (25.4 inches) of rain per year. Sucre is the capital city of Bolivia. This city is the second-highest capital city in the world, the highest being Quito, Ecuador. Quito sits at 2,850 meters (9,350 feet). Bolivia has two capitals - Sucre and La Paz. La Paz sits at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet). Sucre is the constitutional capital and La Paz is the administrative capital.

Before the Spanish conquered the city and founded it as a Spanish city in 1538, Sucre was an Inca city called Chuquisaca, which is still the second name of Sucre.

I'm not so sure the population number is correct, it seems to me there are a lot more people here than that. Regardless, I didn't much care for the city and left a day earlier than planned. There's too much smelly traffic polluting the air, and too much noise. Would I ever go back for another visit? Not a chance.

Potosí, Bolivia

Potosí, BO - founded in 1545; population about 270,000; elevation: a nominal 4067 meters (13,343 feet) making it one of the highest cities in the world. The city is built up the side of a mountain. Why? There's a valley floor far below, but the city found its way to the highest part of the mountain and then keeps going up. Potosí is well known for its colonial architecture which is well preserved. Most of the buildings in Potosí, whether historical or not, are white.

Potosí is cold all year round, and especially now, in June and July, which is winter. Nights drop into the single digits and below zero. The year-round average daily high is only 17° C (63° F). The average nightly temp is 1° C (34° F). And across the year there is only 430mm (17 inches) of rain in total.

I came here expecting to stay a few days. My second day I left. It was too cold for my bones. Especially considering the hotels don't have heaters in the rooms. In my room, there were 5 heavy wool blankets plus a thick bedspread. It felt like I was laying under 10 pounds of blankets. It was awful. Like Sucre, this is a place I will not be returning to.