Devil's Carnival

Those wishing to combine a spot of altitude training with a fine festival should head to Bolivia this February.

The Devil's Carnival, known locally as La Diablada, takes place in the mining town of Oruro from February 24th to 26th.

It brings out a huge range of large carnival groups, each trying to outdo the other in the costume stakes.

Expect to see llama herders followed by witch doctors, with some Amazonian Indians not far behind, all dancing and singing to an infectious rhythm.

The history of devil dancing has its origins in the town's mining history.

As Oruro's inhabitants spent so much time underground they decided to worship the god of the underworld, Satan, and would perform regular sacrifices in the hope that he would guarantee their safety.

If this sounds all a bit sinister for you, fear not, as most of the celebrations these days concentrate on the patron saint of mining, the Virgen del Sovacón, with the last day seeing a large scale water bomb fight in honour of Mother Nature.