La Paz travel information
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Arriving in La Paz is a strange experience. The city lies in a bowl in a steep canyon at 4000m, surrounded by the snowy peaks of the Andes. The high altitude is immediately perceptible; the views are literally breathtaking. If you’ve arrived here from the lower lying areas, make sure you plan at least a day to rest and adjust to the altitude. For more details click on our altitude sickness info page. La Paz is sheltered from the Altiplano winds by the surrounding mountains. The warm, sunny climate, the people in bowler hats, the colonial churches and the colourful Indian markets; this is Bolivia as we know it. |
A day in La PazAt your own (easy!) pace, go for a walk around the city. The centre is quite compact and easy to find your way around, but remember there’s little point studying a map to see how far it is to walk; it won’t tell you how steep the streets are. Because of the altitude the sun’s very bright here, but the temperature drops rapidly the second the sun disappears behind a cloud. It’s best to wear layers; a t-shirt and a sweater and an extra sweater or jacket for the cold.La Paz has plenty of noteworthy museums like the Coca Museum, several picturesque squares filled with locals in bowler hats and wide skirts and lots of street markets. Make sure you see the witch market, where besides lama-wool sweaters, lama rugs and fetching knitted hats with lama motif, you can also find lama foetuses and other bizarre items used for sacred rituals. |
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Further afield from La PazThere are several interesting hiking trails and excursions in the La Paz area, ranging from very relaxing to very challenging…Tiwanaku ruins, 70 km from La Paz towards Lake Titicaca is believed to be the central ceremonial complex of the Tiwanaku, a pre-Inca civilization, in the heart of the Trans-Andes trade route. Valle de la Luna (moon valley) on the outskirts of La Paz and easy to get to by taxi, is a fascinating landscape of lunar-like eroded rock formations. |
Chacaltaya (35km from La Paz) is the world’s highest ski run at stratospheric altitude of 5230m. Well, it’s not officially a ski run anymore because you can’t actually ski there (poor maintenance) but you can walk to the top for a magnificent view towards Lake Titicaca to one side and an infinite expanse of snow-capped mountain including Bolivia’s highest mountain the Illimani (6400m) to the other. The walk from the ski hut to the top was just 70m, but it took us 50 minutes there and back. The ski hut is still open, so pop in for an invigorating cup of coca tea on your way back. The views are indescribable. Outdoor activities from La PazIn terms of outdoor adventure sports La Paz effortlessly rivals Kathmandu. Once you’ve adjusted to the altitude, the downhill mountain bike ride from La Paz to Coroico is a fantastic challenge. You’ll begin high up in the eternal snow of the Andes and whizz downhill to the Yungas Valley. The valley lies in between the Andes and Amazon basin and has a subtropical climate. The ride is spectacular; in four hours you’ll slowly (or not so slowly) ride down a narrow dirt track, dropping 2000m in altitude, starting in the snow and ending among the tropical palm trees in Coroico. |
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There are over 200 trekking routes in the Andes, following the well-preserved pre-Columbian routes. The Taquesi Trail is a popular three-day trek across the Andes to Yungas. It’s the Bolivian version of the Inca Trail, but shorter and it doesn’t end at Machu Picchu but it’s just as interesting and challenging. You can arrange all these activities locally, or if you prefer we can book them ahead for you. Just let us know in your Quote Request Form and we’ll take care of it for you. If you want to travel on to Peru from La Paz have a look at our Peru tours, or, if you want to continue into Bolivia, click here for our Bolivia tours. |
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