Image: Letras de Oruro
Highlights
– Information about Oruro’s Carnival and our failed attempt to attend due to acute mountain sickness.
Time of Visit: February 2026
Duration of Visit: Two Nights
Description
The CIty
Oururo is a city about four hours south by bus from the capital city, La Paz. The city is at around 12,000 feet above sea level. It is not a modern city, instead it has many old buildings. The streets, especially near the old town, are narrow. There is not much green space.
What Is Special About Oruro?
In the week before Ash Wednesday, Oruro holds a carnival that is the second largest in South America. Participants parade through the streets dressed in colorful costumes. The streets are closed leading to and during the carnival. For 2026, the carnival festivities began on Saturday and ended on Monday before Ash Wednesday. Our host indicated that the carnival parade starts between 6 and 7 in the morning on Saturday.
Our Failed Plan
We were able to secure an accommodation from Monday night to Friday night, the day before the carnival started. Our plan A was to find accommodations for Saturday and Sunday nights while we were in the city. We walked the street and went into whatever hotel we could find on Google Maps. All had no availability except for three. The three that were available wanted astronomic prices (>2,000 Bolivianos or 288 USD per night) and two wanted a minimum of three night stay.
So we fell back to Plan B which was to watch the Saturday parade in the morning and head out to La Paz in the afternoon. We figured we would not come out empty handed by at least having witnessed part of the carnival celebrations.
Plan B quickly unraveled the day we arrived in Oruro. It was acute mountain sickness (AMS) that made us leave the city only after our second night. Arlyn, just could not adapt to the high altitude despite being at similar elevation eight months prior (more explanation later). So we caught a plane to Cochabamba on our third day to descend to a lower elevation and missed the rest of the city’s celebrations before and during the carnival.
Activities
The following describes what we were able to witness during the two days we were in Oruro and about AMS.
Oruro Birthday Celebration
The city’s birthdate is February 10th which was a Tuesday for 2026. The president of Bolivia was even there for the celebration. The celebration started at Plaza Principal. Different branches of the military paraded through the streets. The festivities started around 10 AM and concluded in the early afternoon.
Carnival Preparations
The following day, Wednesday, we witnessed more street parades. Unfortunately, this was the day we had to leave Oruro to head for lower elevation to provide relief for Arlyn’s AMS symptoms.
Grandstands continued to be erected along the streets. We also started to notice more tourists.
To witness the carnival celebrations, you will have to purchase tickets to avail a seat in one of the grandstands. The seats become more expensive at and around Plaza Principal than the rest of the parade route (according to our taxi driver and our AirBnB host). That is because the streets around Plaza Principal are a little wider so the parade participants do a little more dancing in the area.
Buying Carnival Tickets
There is no “Ticketmaster” or one place to purchase a grandstand seat.
Our AirBnB host accompanied us as we beat the streets asking people where to buy a grandstand seat. Most people our host talked to did not know. Finally, we figured out that we have to ask the people erecting the grandstands which pointed to the owner who happens to be on site.
The people owning the grandstands are private individuals. They just wear regular street clothes and do not have any official looking identification hanging around their neck. So buying a ticket is more like a leap of faith. There is no telling if who you are talking to is legitimate or not.
Can I Just Stand On The Street To Watch The Carnival?
The short answer is no according to our host. Grandstands fill both sides of the streets including intersections. There is no viewing space once the grandstands are full of people.
Acclimitization
If you are not used to high altitude, we would recommend acclimatizing between 8,000 and 9,000 feet for at least three days before heading to Oruro. We went straight to Oruro when we arrived in Bolivia and that was a mistake. We both felt the altitude with a slight headache, being always thirsty and lethargic.
My symptoms disappeared midway the following day but Arlyn didn’t. We do not know if it was because I hydrated frequently during the bus ride while she did not or because I have spent more time in high elevation compared to her. Arlyn had hiked to 12,000 feet eight months prior and had been to 16,000 ft two years ago so we thought she would be able to handle the higher elevation.
Arlyn got nauseous and vomited most of our second day despite only taking water and some crackers. We sought medical advice and were told to go down in elevation for her condition. Our other option was taking Acetazolomide (Diamox). We decided against it for two reasons. First, we do not know if her stomach would hold it given that she was nauseous. Second, Diamox is a prescription medication with side effects. Taking one without consulting a doctor would be a gamble.
We chose to follow the medical advice and went to Cochabamba after being in Oruro for two days. This caused us to completely miss the carnival. Arlyn’s headache and shortness of breath immediately disappeared when we landed in Cochabamba. We returned to 12,000 ft in La Paz three days later and she did not have any issues with the altitude.
AMS Dangers
AMS can lead to pulmonary edema and cerebral edema. These conditions can be fatal within hours or days if not treated immediately by descending to a lower altitude.
Tip
You may want to wear face masks while walking around town. The streets are narrow and the vehicles do not seem to have emissions control. We can smell the exhaust fumes as vehicles pass us by.
How To Get There
Oruro does have an airport, code is ORU. There are many buses and minibuses that travel between La Paz and Oruro. There is even a train between Oruro and Uyuni.
We took the bus from El Alto’s Metropolitana Bus Station which is a couple of kilometers away from La Paz International Airport. This bus station is different from the Terminal de Buses La Paz which is about 14 kms away from the airport. The bus ride normally takes four hours.
There are minivans outside of the Metropolitana Bus Station that also go to Oruro. They will have a sign in front showing the destination. The minibuses are faster and the fare costs more than the buses. However expect to be cramped inside the minivans as these are not the Mercedes Benz or Ford Transit class.
We did have a bad experience with the bus we took. Part of the highway between La Paz and Oruro was closed due to construction. So all traffic was forced to take unpaved and rutted roads to bypass the closed section. Our bus driver unfortunately misjudged the potholes and standing water on the dirt road and we got stuck. We had to wait for a mobile crane to get the bus unstuck. Making the long story short, our four hour bus ride took eight hours.
Where To Stay
Getting a place to stay around Plaza Principal or within walking distance from Calle 8 de Agosto would be best. Staying away would mean taking taxis and most of the roads are closed during parades. This means that you would either be sitting in the taxi for a while or walking if you are not staying near the parade route.
Booking early is key to securing a place to stay. We only decided on going to Oruro three months prior to the carnival and there was nothing available on-line during the Saturday and Sunday carnival events.
How To Get Around
Walking would be what you would end up doing during the festivities. There are taxis and minibuses that can take you around. We only used taxis and did not ride the minibuses. Taxis do not have meters so you have to negotiate the price with the driver beforehand. Rideshare app like Uber are not available in Oruro.
Expected Expenses
Costs are in Boliviana, abbreviated as Bs and per person (USD rounded up to the nearest $).
Taxi from La Paz Airport to Metropolitana Bus Station: 60 Bs ($9 USD)
Bus from Metropolitana Bus Station to Oruro Bus Station: 40 Bs pp (6 USD)
Taxi from Oruro Bus Station to about five blocks away from Plaza Principal: 30 Bs (4.5 USD)
Taxi from our AirBnB to the Airport (much further than Bus Station): 35 Bs (5 USD)
Grandstand seat: we were quoted 600 Bs (90 USD)
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Summary
Oruro is a city at 12,000 feet about a four hours bus ride from Bolivia’s capital city, La Paz. This city hosts the second largest carnival in South America. Streets are closed and costumed participants parade and dance through the streets on the Saturday and Sunday before Ash Wednesday. Oruro also celebrates its birthdate of February 10th. During our visit, it seems like the entire Bolivian armed forces were there participating in the festivities.
Book early to secure accommodations during the carnival. There are limited hotel rooms and AirBnB in town, particularly within walking distance of Plaza Principal which is where most of the festivities are held. Expect to pay much higher prices during carnival time and do not be surprised if a three night minimum stay is required.
If you are not used to high altitude, plan on spending at least three days acclimitizing between 8,000 and 9,000 feet in elevation before going to Oruro. Medically, there is no magic pill for acute mountain sickness (AMS) except to go down in elevation. ChatGPT may recommend taking Acetazolomide (Diamox) a couple of days prior to ascending to elevation. But Diamox is a prescribed medicine with side effects. Best to consult with a medical professional before taking one.
Though we failed to witness Oruro’s spectacular carnival in 2026 due to AMS, we look forward to trying again in the future.