DestinationLa Paz, Bolivia7 min read
La Paz: A City in a Canyon
Cable cars, witches' markets and the Cordillera Real
The world's highest seat of government spills down a canyon below Illimani. How to spend a few days in La Paz and El Alto before heading to the salt flats.
Up and down
La Paz is a city of vertical distances. The airport and the sprawling city of El Alto sit on the altiplano at 4,000 m; the centre is 400 m lower, wedged into a canyon; the wealthy southern suburbs are lower still. Above it all stands Illimani, 6,438 m, its three snow summits visible from almost every street.
The best way to understand the city is from the air. Mi Teleférico, the world's largest urban cable-car network, links El Alto to the centre and the south with ten lines named after colours. Ride the red line up to El Alto on a Thursday or Sunday for the vast 16 de Julio market, then the silver line along the rim of the canyon for the view.
Back in the centre, the Mercado de las Brujas sells dried llama foetuses, herbs and amulets for offerings to Pachamama, and Calle Jaén is the best-preserved colonial street. Give yourself two nights to acclimatise before an early flight or overnight bus to Uyuni.
Day trips from La Paz
- Tiwanaku, the pre-Inca ceremonial capital
- Valle de la Luna, twenty minutes from the centre
- Chacaltaya and a first look at the Cordillera Real
- Huayna Potosí base camp for climbers
Plaza Murillo
About this story
Camila MamaniAuthor
Andes TrailsPublisher
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