Hotel La Finca, Coroico
by Lawrence Rubey
Perched on a hillside at 1750 meters, Coroico is a popular tourist destination and a favorite weekend getaway for Paceños
(La Paz
residents). Unfortunately, the area surrounding the town is very disturbed, but
remnant forest patches remain. Hotel La Finca, outside of Corioco, on the road to Coripata,
fronts one such forest patch. Although the trail network is under-developed,
foraging flocks in the forest behind the hotel can be very interesting. The
hotel makes a great place to unwind and make morning forays into the forest
patches. Birding along the roadside can also be good for Upland Antshike and even Lyre-tailed Nightjar.
On the drive in, the town of Yolosa
just before Coroico is also worth a stop. Sharp-tailed
Streamcreeper has been seen from the bridge.
Logistics: Corioco is 93 kilometers
from the city of La Paz. The
Coroico (or North Yungas) Road has been called the "most
dangerous road in the world" by the Lonely Planet guide and it
certainly serves up a nerve-wracking experience. In a number of places, it is a
narrow dirt track, barely wide enough for a single vehicle, with steep
drop-offs and even a couple places where the road passes under a waterfall.
With heavy, overloaded trucks from the lowlands coming uphill (uphill traffic
has the right-of-way), drivers are forced to back up and seek out narrow
pull-outs to allow the oncoming traffic to pass. Municipal authorities have
experimented with various schemes to try and reduce fatalities on the road (usually
due to unsafe speeds and alcohol). For a time, the Coroico Road
between Chuspipata and Yolosa
was one-way downhill from 8AM to 3 PM and one-way uphill from 5 PM to 5 AM.
There are frequent buses to Coroico from the suburb
of Villa Fatima in La Paz.
For Hotel La Finca,
from Coroico
Plaza, take road toward
the hospital (anyone can point you in the right direction). At 0.8 km, pass the hospital
and continue on the road for 7.2
km. Hotel La
Finca will be on the left and there
is a small sign. Reservations for Hotel la Finca can be made in La Paz
at their office at: Avenida 16 de Julio 1615 (El Prado). Tel: 373965 and fax: 311570.
GPS reading at Coroico main plaza: S 16 11.306 W 67
43.640
GPS reading at La Finca Hotel: S 16 14.663 W 67 42.576