Properties

FIND YOUR PERFECT VILLA

Kachi Lodge | Jirira | Bolivia

Jirira

Property Description

KACHI LODGE 

Standing directly on the Uyuni Salt Flats,at an altitude of 3’600 m, at the foot of Tunupa Volcano, our luxury domes lodge is waiting for you. From a distance, the white pods look like a space station designed by Buckminsterfuller. The dome camp also has something of an observatory, or a folly built for a passionate astrophysicist! Composed of repeated equilateral triangles, their metallic structure is the very essence of mathematical elegance. In front or on top of the dome, a transparent panel offers wide-open views on the Salar and its star-studded sky. Lit up at night, with solar panels placed in between the domes, they are one of the coolest, and most surrealist viewing station ever seen in the arid region.

 
THE DOME
Designed by Amazing Escapes. Kachi Lodge domes offer the comfort of a hotel room with a private bathroom, comfortable bedding, interior decoration and proper heating. Inside the domes, a wooden screen has been mounted to protect the shower area, the ceramic washbasins and the restrooms. Covered in soft beige carpet, the interior feels cozy; the double bed centrally placed for maximum view. A wooden trunk is placed on the side of the bed to host lanterns, while light wooden stools and a small ladder compose a minimalist set-up around the central stove. The décor naturally embraces the cold outside.
 
THE EXPERIENCE 
There are many options to make the best out of your experience on the Salar. The one not to be missed is  a hike in the morning to nearby «island» covered with giant cactus and offering amazing views on the Salar. We usually prefer to avoid the Island of Inca Huasi, the most famous but very, very touristic one, 30’ from the camp. Afternoon, another option is a visit to the charming village of Coquesa and its mummies sheltered in a cave 600 m over the village, again with beautiful views on the Salar.  At about 1h15  driving lies the interesting archeological site of Alcaya, an old pre colombian city near Salinas.  The fit ones  can hike to the lower lip of Tunupa volcano crater.  (2 hrs) When in activity, a visit to the Salinas ( where locals collect the salt from the Salar) will help you to understand how locals collect the salt form the surface. You can also borrow one of our moutain bikes and experience the flatness of the Salar around the camp At night, a telescope is at your disposal to observe the starry night of the Altiplano.
 
GUEST RESTAURANT
We consider that food is another way to discover a country and its culture. Who else could be the best at delivering authentic and inventive cuisine at Kachi Lodge if not muti-awarded Gustu Restaurant in La Paz? Gustu restaurant was established in early 2013, aiming to become a showcase of the great potential of Bolivia’s production, culture and biodiversity, with the dream of making Bolivian gastronomic culture an engine for national development. Aknowledged as one of the best restaurants in the continent, this team works uniquely and exclusively with Bolivian products. Gustu generates respectful relationships with each of its suppliers, seeking to consolidate the Bolivian productive chain, beginning with the boost of fair business activities. But Gustu is not only a fine dining restaurant. 
 
It is the first project of the Melting Pot Bolivia Foundation, a foundation dedicated to driving gastronomic projects that benefit people from vulnerable backgrounds aiming to provide them with opportinities to improve their life conditions, those of their families and those of their communities. Gustu believes that education is a fundamental basis for the progress of a nation. That is why Melting Pot (toghether with ICCO Cooperation) also runs an educational program called Manq´a, composed by several food schools that offer free technical training in gastronomy to youngsters from vulnerable backgrounds with the objective of imparting a craft and a career path for La Paz youth, making gastronomy a tool for social inclusion and job opportunities. Gustu also believe that the promotion and support of the native products of Bolivia is essential for the strenghtening of a united national identity, and the engine to propel economic development and food sovereignty. And, over all, they are convinced that changing the world through food is possible.
 
ARTIST RESIDENCE
The natural environment around  Kachi Lodge is inspiring in many ways. The Salar is like a blank page inviting creation. Beyond an exceptional place to stay, we also want to make Kachi Lodge a place of expression and exhibition featuring Bolivian and foreign artists. We are proud to start our first collaboration with Gaston Ugalde.   Gastón Ugalde is Bolivia’s best-known contemporary artist. Born in the city of La Paz, Ugalde is known, his long despite career, as the “enfant terrible” of the local art world for the subversive nature, both conceptually and materially, of his artwork. His provocative nature is grounded by an extensive and eclectic education, which includes a degree in Architecture from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz as well as a degree in Economics and Political Science from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, 
 
Canada. Throughout Ugalde’s extensive career, his works span a diversity of media, including painting, photography, collage, installation, and performance. He has had over 58 solo exhibitions and recently received two major honors. He was a winner of the 2002 Mercosur Konex Award, along with Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, and Uruguayan visual artist Luis Camnitzer. He was selected to represent his country in “Mundus Novus/New Worlds: Contemporary Art of Latin America” in the 53rd International Artdecades Exhibition held at the Latin American Pavilion for the 2009 Venice Biennale. Despite Ugalde’s outspoken and controversial nature, these prestigious accolades have helped to establish him as one of Latin America’s visual arts leaders.
Amenities
FEATURES

Each of our six domes offer all the comfort you can expect from a luxury lodge: 28 sqm bedroom, comfortable bedding, private bathroom, with running hot water. Inside design includes bespoke furniture crafted out of regional materials, bespoke textiles and a unique painting by Gastón Ugalde – internationally known as the Bolivian Andy Wahrol – set the tone in each suite. Decorative details also add a welcome twist to the interiors: state of the art bedding comes with a handmade woven blanket (in naturally dyed lama and alpaca wool), hot bottle cover and pair of cushions made and designed in La Paz by Andi’Art. On each side of the bed, handcrafted lamps are made out of reclaimed cactus wood, old water sieves or woven in straw.

In front of the bay window, a small table is sculpted out of Bolivian wood: next to it, is a rattan lounge chair and a low wooden stool. Small wooden trunks echo to the latticed wooden wall installed behind the bed to separate the shower and washroom from the room. A pellet stove delivers a comfortable temperature between 19 and 23°c. 

At Amazing Escapes, we believe that sustainable tourism, even top-of-the-range, is the best way to raise travelers' awareness of environmental conservation while bringing sound economic development opportunities to isolated communities.

Amazing Escapes made friends with the community of Jirira in 2015 when we chose the community's territory to set up a temporary camp for one of our expeditions. The welcome we received, the kindness and cooperation of the community members, not to mention the beauty of the place, definitely won us over. So it was naturally to them that we turned when we began to imagine Kachi Lodge. It was unthinkable to develop this project without their participation and from the beginning, they were integrated into the operations. Today, some of them hold positions essential to the functioning of Kachi Lodge.

Apart from the privileged relationship with the community, the preservation of the environment has been at the heart of our concerns since the beginning of the project. Before settling on the Salar, we wanted to be sure that we could deploy a building with the least possible impact. We have therefore invested in cutting-edge technologies in both water and energy management systems.

Basic Details
Property Type : Lodge
Listing Type : Luxury Camps

Check Availability

Please contact us for availability and pricing details