5 Things to do in La Paz

Precariously perched in the Andes Mountains at between 10,500 and 13,500 ft, and practically in the clouds themselves, La Paz can be a tiring city to navigate. That said, the de facto capital of Bolivia has some unique attractions that make its near-vertical streets well worth visiting. Here are five things to do in La Paz to get the most from your stay.

Look over the city from El Alto

Flying into La Paz does certainly have its pitfalls (altitude sickness isn’t much fun, even with coca tea to take the edge off!) but the view over the city from El Alto is certainly a plus. La Paz is a city full of dramatic photo opportunities but for the most impressive view over the city, the higher the better.

Bucking the usual trend that dictates that the higher the area, the richer it is, La Paz’s highest districts are actually its poorest. From up high in El Alto however, the full sprawling mass of La Paz is fully visible stretching into the valley below. Anyone flying into La Paz airport during daylight hours will be treated to a spectacular view on the descent into the city and again on the taxi/bus ride down the mountain (main image).

See Moon Valley

La Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is found at the bottom of La Paz in the Pedro Domingo Murillo Province. Whilst it doesn’t compare to the scenery of the Salt Flats, it makes a nice change from the hectic city streets and is just a short bus ride from the centre of La Paz.

There are some wonderful photo opportunities of the clay and sandstone monoliths which can change in appearance as the sun moves across the sky. It’s best to follow the trail that winds between the otherworldly rock formations.

Cholita Wrestling

Whether you’ve any interest in wrestling or not isn’t really an issue. Seeing two middle-aged women in traditional dress doing battle in the ring is certainly not an experience you get in every city around the world and is an interesting way to spend a Sunday evening. Yes, just like WWF it’s a bit of a pantomime - complete with mock arguments and even flirting with crowd members - but it’s a fun evening out.

Visit the Witches Market

One of La Paz’s most photographed areas is the el Mercado de Brujas (Witches Market), a colourful hotchpotch of small shops and stalls on Calle Jimenez and Calle Linares in the Rosario district. The market sells all sorts of unusual things like soapstone figurines, aphrodsiac remedies and the ubiquitous dried lama foetuses – customarily buried in the foundations of new buildings as an offering to the goddess Pachamama.

Tucked away just between the stalls is the Coca Museum – a small but comprehensive homage to Bolivia’s most notorious export. The museum also includes a café selling various coca-related products such as coca cake and sweets.

Grab a Street Market Bargain

There are some weird and wonderful bargains to be had on the streets of La Paz outside of the Mercado de Brujas. Taking a lung-busting walk up the almost vertical streets of Rosario, there are lines of small market stalls selling some bizarre football shirts amongst other things. 

More intriguing still are the frail old women that perch on the pavement of the city streets, selling the kind of items you’d expect to see in a chemist rather than a street corner. There’s toothpaste; shampoo; soap; stationary; all at a bargain price on the kerbside. These street side entrepreneurs have embraced the digital age too; I picked up a cut price USB stick which is still serving me well.