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Before you go
Your trip to Tarija.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Tarija – Tarija Capital
How to get there
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Aeropuerto Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza (TJA) 4 km
Approximate road distances. Check flights and bus schedules before you travel.
Capitán Oriel Lea Plaza Airport (TJA) is about 4 km from the center and has domestic flights. The interdepartmental bus terminal is in the south of town. By road, Tarija connects to Potosí and to Bermejo on the Argentine border. Confirm schedules and connections before traveling.
How many days
Two days cover the center, the Casa Dorada, the San Francisco convent, the fossil museum and an afternoon at the bodegas in Valle de la Concepción. With three days you can add San Lorenzo, about 15 km to the north.
When to go
From May to September there is little rain; in June and July nights are cold and frost is possible. Rainfall is concentrated from December to February, the warmest months, with average highs near 27 °C.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Do you need a car?
Not for the center, which is walkable. For Valle de la Concepción and San Lorenzo, having a car, booking a tour or using a taxi helps.
Suggested itinerary
An order that works
Built with the places on this page. No rush: it's paced so you have time to see them.
One day in Tarija
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Morning
Luis de Fuentes square, Casa Dorada and San Francisco
Start at Luis de Fuentes y Vargas square and walk to the Casa Dorada for the guided visit. Continue to the San Francisco convent, founded in 1606, and see the Franciscan museum and the old library.
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Afternoon
Fossil museum
Visit the Museo Nacional Paleontológico y Arqueológico, with skeletons and fossils of giant sloths, glyptodonts and mastodons found in the Tarija valley, and the archaeological collection on the upper floor.
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Late afternoon
Valle de la Concepción
Head to Valle de la Concepción, about 25 km away, to visit a bodega and taste high-altitude wines and singani. Confirm visiting hours in advance.
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Evening
Dinner in the center
Back in the center, look for a chapaca cuisine restaurant to try saice tarijeño and other local dishes.
Check before you go. Opening hours and days change, and places may close for renovations, holidays or events. This itinerary is a suggestion from Cidade Turismo, not a commitment: plan yours by checking directly with each place you intend to visit.
Before you go
Frequently asked questions
What to do in Tarija in one day?
In the morning, Luis de Fuentes y Vargas square, the Casa Dorada and the San Francisco convent; in the afternoon, the fossil museum; at the end of the day, a bodega in Valle de la Concepción. At night, a chapaca cuisine dinner.
Why does Tarija have so many fossils?
The valley of Tarija is one of the richest Pleistocene mammal fossil deposits in South America, with remains of giant sloths, glyptodonts and mastodons. Part of that collection is housed in the Museo Nacional Paleontológico y Arqueológico in the city center.
What does chapaco mean?
It is the popular demonym for someone from Tarija and also names the culture and cuisine of the region, as in Carnaval Chapaco and Vendimia Chapaca.
What is Tarija’s typical dish?
Saice tarijeño, a meat stew with peas and ají, is cited by the municipality as the most representative dish of Tarija’s cuisine. The city is also known for its high-altitude wines and for singani.
What is the Entrada de Comadres?
It is the parade of the Comadres festival, held on the Thursday one week before Carnival, with thousands of dancers. Tarija’s Comadres festival is Bolivia’s intangible cultural heritage.