AP PHOTOS: Bolivian street food finds its place at the fine dining table
From the world's highest navigable lake, Titicaca, comes a culinary treasure: crispy-skinned fish, cooked in a hot copper pan and served with Andean boiled corn and dehydrated potatoes in traditional clay dishes.
It's a signature dish of Chef Dennis Llusco at La Rufina, a restaurant in the Bolivian capital, La Paz, that was recently lauded by the U.K.-based organization 50 Best Discovery as one of the world's best restaurants.
'La Rufina started as a very small kitchen,' said the 30-year-old chef, a native of the Lake Titicaca region. 'We never dreamed of having two locations or being included in the 50 Best Discovery list.'
Llusco is one of a growing wave of Latin American chefs drawing inspiration from their roots, elevating the humble street food of Bolivia to haute cuisine.
Stepping through La Rufina, opened in 2021, is like taking a journey through Bolivian traditions. Diners can mingle with cholitas — Indigenous women wearing the traditional, multilayered Andean skirts and black hats — and sample the flavors of street corners and markets.
The menu highlights local favorites, such as the baked potato stuffed with savory minced meat stew, a downtown La Paz staple. Another signature dish prepared by Llusco is 'anticucho,' a popular Peruvian street food dish of grilled beef heart fillets served with potatoes and yellow chili pepper sauce.
Chef and food researcher Marko Bonifaz said Bolivia is undergoing an interesting movement that involves integrating haute cuisine with street food, and it is no longer just an attractive option for tourists, but for Bolivians themselves.
Llusco's cuisine, deeply rooted in the teachings of her mother and aunt, who sold food on the streets of Bolivia, embodies this movement.
'These simple dishes reconnect us with our culture,' she said. 'They make me very happy.'
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Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
Peru should be your next travel destination – and not for Machu Picchu
While most of us are familiar with Machu Picchu, the country that lays claim to this wonder of the world has only recently come to the fore of global travel consciousness. Drawn by the ancient Incan citadel, a growing number of travellers are waking up to the wealth of attractions that Peru has to offer. Blending indigenous, Spanish, and international influences, the rich cultural fabric of this South American destination rewards visitors with breathtaking landscapes, wondrous wildlife and fascinating history — plus top-tier hotels and some of the finest cuisine in the region. Here, Metro makes the case for Peru, with six reasons it should be next on your holiday hit list. Kicking off with the obvious big ticket item, this stone fortress is perched some 2,500 metres above sea level, shrouded in clouds, and ringed by a crown of mountain peaks. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. Regarded as one of the world's most important archaeological sites, Machu Picchu is UNESCO-protected and was chosen as one of the 'New Seven Wonders of the World' in a worldwide internet poll in 2007. Cut through the queues and get to the heart of it by joining a Mountain Lodges of Peru walking journey to this historic icon. The prestigious locally owned and operated Andean Lodge travel organisation offers a unique route paired with expert guides to facilitate the best possible experience, traversing uncrowded trails and traditional communities before reaching the jaw-dropping ruins themselves. For proximity to these ruins, the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo is your check-in of choice. Sitting in the shadows of the Lost City, the luxury lodge resembles a quaint Andean village with terraced hills, waterfalls, stone pathways and only 83 whitewashed suites tucked into the lush cloud forest. 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The Guardian
20-05-2025
- The Guardian
‘I'm in love with the birds and the river': how ecotourism helped a small Colombian town recover from war
Ten years ago, violent conflict made it impossible for tourists to enjoy the natural riches of Mesetas. The town was one of the centres of the armed conflict that ravaged Colombia for decades, claiming nearly half a million lives. But since the historic peace treaty in 2016, with efforts to uphold it now led by the leftist president, Gustavo Petro, the people of Mesetas have had their hopes raised for a better life, thanks to those natural assets. While Mesetas, in the department of Meta, was beset by clashes involving the army, police, leftwing guerilla groups, rightwing paramilitaries and criminal organisations competing for territory, natural resources and control of drug trafficking across the country, the idea of a thriving tourist industry was unimaginable. But with the arrival of peace, came a growing number of visitors. And as the region's unique biodiversity, which brings together three different ecosystems – Andean, Amazon and Orinoco – attracted more foreigners, local people began to recognise the great potential and value of the nature on their doorstep. 'We didn't appreciate the beauty around us and we didn't think people would be interested in coming here until others showed us that we have stunning waterfalls and impressive viewpoints,' says William Rodríguez, a peasant farmer from Mesetas, who is now involved in reforestation projects and rural tourism. Mesetas' most popular attractions include the Güejar River canyon and the Telares and Charco Azul waterfalls. Yet, residents and local groups are working to promote other attractions, such as Guácharos Canyon and the Danta waterfall. The area's biodiversity is impressive, featuring species such as the western mountain coati, the Amazonian motmot, ocelots and giant anteaters. As tourism increased, the positive effects were almost immediate: 2023 was – along with 2019 – the year with the lowest level of deforestation in Mesetas since the peace treaty was signed, according to Global Forest Watch reports. Officials at the mountainous Sierra de la Macarena national natural park, an area of 630,000 hectares (1.6m acres) of rainforest, dry woodland, shrubland and savanna, attribute the imporvements in deforestation rates to environmental restoration and ecotourism projects carried out by local groups backed by the UN development programme (UNDP). The Corredores de Paz (peace corridors) programme helped people in the region become more sustainbable by focusing on environmental conservation and tourism. As part of the project, 40 families helped to restore the river basin, with each family planting one hectare of native trees, including the sebipira (Caesalpinia pluviosa), pink trumpet (Tabebuia rosea) and Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata). Omaira Achury, who took part in the project, says: 'Through the UNDP, we received the materials to fence the reforested area to stop cattle getting in. Now, the trees are one year old. The idea is to restore as much as we can.' Another project saw community members launch a bird guide that mapped the region, with instructions on where to find certain species and notes on whether they were vulnerable or endangered. The guide now includes 800 species of birds in the area. 'Before, we didn't give importance to birds and animals,' says Argenis Buendía, a member of the Catypsa co-operative, which brings together local people and signatories of the peace treaty in sustainable economy projects. 'Now we learn to take care of nature.' Jairo Roncancio, 25, a tourist guide and birdwatcher, believes that 'the development of nature tourism has changed people's mentality'. He recalls carrying rocks for his brother when they hunted birds with a slingshot. 'Now, I'm in love with the birds, the river and nature in general,' he says. People in the community see environmental protection as essential for tourism. Achury has 29 hectares (72 acres) of land, but now only nine are pastures for cattle breeding. The rest is kept as natural forest, with areas for agroforestry and avocado and wood plantations. 'We create a sense of belonging to nature. Before, people only worried about cutting down trees. Now, as a result of these mistakes, we must restore [nature],' says Achury. 'We need water and forest to have life. Tourists need this, we need it, and the world needs it.' According to Arbey Barrios López, a member of the Camaxagua Youth Corporation, a collective of young people who work in sustainable tourism and biodiversity monitoring in Mesetas, conservation areas such as the highest part of the Sierra de la Macarena mountain range are well preserved. 'At the foot of the mountain, we have 'bald' spots, as some people call them, with small remaining forest areas. Our commitment is to make these spots grow,' says Barrios. Sign up to Global Dispatch Get a different world view with a roundup of the best news, features and pictures, curated by our global development team after newsletter promotion However, the armed conflict has been resurfacing in several regions of Colombia, including the Meta department. 'Recently, we heard that [armed groups] were offering 10 million pesos [£1,800] to young people. It is a strategy they use to recruit those with family problems or other issues,' says Luis Eduardo Molano, the head of Camaxagua. 'When we see young people in this situation, we try to attract them to tourism and sports. Through kayak and rafting lessons, we are snatching them away from war.' Although there have been no incidents in the area where the collectives operate, some fear that reports of violence in other parts of Meta are already affecting tourist activity in Mesetas. 'I think that if the armed groups had not reappeared, our situation would be much better,' says Rodríguez, lamenting a fall in visitor numbers this year. With the resurgence of the conflict, chronic problems linked to organised crime have also returned. Rodríguez and his wife removed their project from the internet after receiving extortion calls – which turned out to be not from guerrillas or militias but from inmates inside prisons. 'Many of us live entirely from tourism. That is why it's worrying that the war brings chaos again,' says Molano. Catypsa is also facing its own challenges after reports of threats from dissident groups of the Farc (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). Still, the collectives plan to maintain their projects and hope to expand, even as the UNDP project comes to an end. 'We hope that our organisation will soon have its own resources, and will continue to advance in a type of tourism that benefits the community as a whole,' says Barrios. Camaxagua would also like to see greater government support for people in the area. 'If we start paying communities for conservation services, if they become forest rangers, this would be more effective than having five professionals on 650,000 hectares,' Barrios says. Nicol Castillo, Mesetas' environment secretary, acknowledges the role the community plays in preservation and restoration but says her municipality has limited resources. 'The administration needs to continue looking for alternatives,' says Castillo, adding that payments for environmental services or carbon credits are being considered. Roncancio, who started birdwatching and monitoring the area's biodiversity five years ago, compares the conflict with the country's environmental issues. 'If there was a peace treaty during the conflict, why not a peace treaty with nature?' he says. 'I know it's not easy – now, protecting the environment can cost us our lives.'
Times
20-05-2025
- Times
This is the stylish way to see one of the world's greatest deserts
'Do you like rollercoasters?' inquired my long-haired, rocker-style Chilean guide with a grin as we turned off the tarmac and on to a rock-littered track across the Valley of Patience. 'Because for the next half hour it's going to feel like one — so hold on.' My heart was already thundering after a day's hike at 3,300m in the cold, oxygen-depleted Andean air outside the town of San Pedro de Atacama. By the time we'd careered over the compacted ash, wound through vertiginous orange cliffs and then gingerly manoeuvred down a rocky, 45-degree slope, I had begun to badly need the glass of Chilean carménère that Sebastian del Campo had been promising. But reward came when, just around the corner, he suddenly stopped the car. Our jaws dropped in amazement. Before us lay a panorama of the Atacama desert in all its sunset-bathed glory: the snowcapped, volcano-tipped silhouettes of the Andes glowing burgundy and purple; the sky above awash with pastel yellows, pinks and apricots; the rising full moon's soft beams shimmering over the parched crusty skin of the earth. Wherever we looked, the scars of our ravaged planet were plain to see in the celestial light. Parallel lines of giant orange turrets, eroded into fantastical shapes, rose like an army of spiny-backed dinosaurs across the plains. Horizontal layers of squashed white gypsum crystals sparkled across cliffs. Rounded, wind-scoured hillsides rolled in waves. For a few minutes we just stood there, poleaxed by the splendour. Then, as darkness descended, Del Campo came to his senses. 'We'd better come back to earth,' he said, shaking his head in wonderment. 'We still have to climb down to camp — ideally before dark.' This wasn't a camp as most of us know it. The site, on the banks of the San Pedro river, 20 miles outside the town, was a temporary one, chosen specifically for me as a fun add-on because I was en route to the Tierra Atacama hotel in nearby San Pedro, which has just been redesigned and relaunched. But its tents could be set up pretty much anywhere to suit a bespoke traveller's itinerary, according to Ivan Costa, the founder of Glove Travel. He conceived the idea of a roaming place to stay in seven years ago, so that luxury travellers could 'get in touch more with nature and have the experience of being on their own, in silence, in the desert'. When, five minutes later, we came to a stop and I looked down into a canyon, I couldn't quite believe where I was about to sleep. Below steep cliffs, on a wide riverbed, sat two tiny white bell tents: my bedroom and my bathroom. To the right a fire had been lit beside two pouffes: my bar. And along a path a string of solar lamps had been planted next to a dining table. Other than those, there was nothing around but desert and sky. 'Don't worry, you won't be totally alone,' Del Campo said by way of assurance. 'My tent is round that corner and you'll have a radio.' After a tour of my accommodation — the bedroom cosily floored in Andean rugs; the wood-slatted bathroom fitted with a compostable WC, basin and gas-heated shower — we settled at the campfire, where a feast had been laid out by the charming local chef Leonelo Cuevas. As I happily sipped carménère, Cuevas delivered Chilean treat after treat: first olives, guacamole, quinoa crispbreads, purple crisps, cured local meats and cheeses; then soft slow-cooked beef with four varieties of coloured Andean potatoes; and finally a caramel-like mousse made from the syrup of a local fruit, chañar. If I hadn't been dead on my feet and almost comatose with carbs, Cuevas would have apparently also serenaded me with his guitar. Instead, following a surprisingly hot shower, I reclothed myself in every layer I'd brought and, after another besotted gaze at the thick, sparkling, almost-purple whirls of the Milky Way, I climbed into my big double bed. Although it was about 2C outside, in bed I felt as cosseted as Rapunzel, sandwiched between a thick mattress-topper and heavy blankets, duvet and llama-wool throws. Lulled by the comforting trickle of the nearby San Pedro River — and smiling as I tried to imagine my position in this giant desert not far from Chile's borders with Bolivia and Argentina — I passed out. • The otherworldly desert that's brilliant for stargazing I could have stayed for days, breakfasting on espresso and dulce de leche-filled croissants from the acclaimed La Franchuteria bakery in San Pedro, but I had an appointment with one of the town's smartest hotels. In 2008 the Tierra Atacama was one of the first hotels designed to welcome luxury travellers in the Atacama desert. When it reopened in March, following a two-year, $20 million renovation, it had become the smartest. The Tierra Atacama has always been stylish. The founding owner Miguel Purcell, architect Matias González and interior designer Carolina Delpiano are well known for their sensitive collaborations, which combine the landscape, vernacular architectural styles and endemic crafts. But since Tierra was sold in 2022 to the Australian Baillie Lodges company (which itself had gone into partnership with the American KSL Capital Partners in 2019), the hotel has fixed its eyes on the ultra-luxury international market. Hence the transformation of eight rooms into four suites, the addition of an alluring wine wall and outdoor 'fire kitchen', and the expansion of its spa and gym. Although it is now more polished, the hotel's old spirit remains. Thanks to Delpiano, the four new suites are beautifully understated, their floors lined with local pitted, creamy travertine, and their walls clad in Chilean woods or painted the dark blue of the night sky. Chairs are adorned with Andean llama wool throws and there are photographs of Andean festivals by Andrés Figueroa and giant astral-inspired installations by Maria Edwards. Then there are the expansive patios on which to sit and gaze at the Andes. That is, if you're ever in your room. Each suite comes with its own private car and guide for excursions. That's possibly the greatest treat of all as you can dictate your route and your stop-offs. So every day, armed with a picnic lunch and binoculars, I went out with the enthusiastic 34-year-old Patagonian guide Carolina Wilson. In a desert that's more than 1,000km long and, at 105,000 sq km, about half the size of Britain, getting anywhere takes hours. In two days we could squeeze in just four key spots. One day it was Rainbow Valley (a multicoloured array of mineral-rich mountains), followed by a rock face carved with petroglyphs and then the white, mineral-encrusted salt flats, home to flamingos. And the next day, after exploring a high-altitude area punctured by boiling pools and spouting geysers, we hiked in a canyon, stopping to admire a wild black llama, herds of golden vicuña, a pair of viscacha (like a shortsighted fat rabbit with a long tail) and, rather thrillingly, a cave littered with still-bloody bones: remnants of a puma's dinner. • Read more travel advice in our South America guide Mainly, though, I soaked up Wilson's knowledge about the area's fauna and geology, learning to distinguish volcanic lava from meteorite, compacted ash from clay, copper residue from sulphur. I clocked up a list of my favourite Atacama plants: the llareta, which creeps over boulders like a luminous green carpet; the single-stemmed cardon cactus, used to make church roofs; and the 'mother-in-law's-cactus', a pincushion of spikes that glint wickedly in the sunlight. In between, Wilson and I talked about everything from the terrifying dictatorship of the 1970s and the landmines that still litter the desert to the devastating impact of lithium mining that is drying wetlands and the vast copper mines polluting entire towns. And as we drove through the world's driest desert, we discussed water. • Chile travel guide: what to do, where to stay and why you'll love it This is an area that gets only about 30 to 40mm of rain a year, mainly in February, so life depends almost entirely on snowmelt from the Andes. In fact, so precious is water in Chile that it's owned by the local communities across the country; in San Pedro, the community sells it by the hour from irrigation channels that crisscross the town. All potable water has to be bought in big plastic bottles. The Tierra Atacama hotel gets eight hours of community water every 20 days, much of which is wasted because the hotel has no storage tanks, and also pumps from a salty supply 42m underground. It needs every drop it can lay its hands on because every suite comes with not only an indoor shower but an outdoor one too, as well as a pool and a deep bathtub. The spa is equally aqua-centric. Alongside a steam room, there's a pool with hydro-massage jets (which often don't work because the speed of evaporation is so fast that the water level keeps dropping), a Jacuzzi and a pretty outdoor pool, whose towels (rather hilariously) are accompanied by a note asking you to reuse them to save 'limited resources'. When staff are so friendly (the young ones giving me kisses in the morning as if I was a favoured maiden aunt), when the design is so thoughtful and when the chef is clearly trying to incorporate local ingredients into menus (not always successfully), it feels ungracious to bang on about water. But when communities to the east are now unable to grow crops in increasingly dry soils, when village streams have dried up because lithium mines are diverting water south, when even flamingos are migrating to Bolivia to find new pans, I felt guilty even dipping a toe in the communal pool, never mind my own. In such a rapidly changing world, there must surely be smarter alternatives to therapies that use water. After all, the desert is littered with pumice stones, minerals, muds and salts. Just as animals and plants are having to adapt, perhaps it's time for hotels to do so too. Especially almost-perfect ones like Grainger was a guest of Audley Private Concierge, which has eight nights' full-board from £15,200pp, including four at Tierra Atacama (three in a suite and one glamping), one in Santiago, a city tour, two at a luxury wine hotel in the Apalta Valley, business class flights and transfers (
