Things to do in La Paz

Before I write about the things to do, I should mention about some interesting points about La Paz.

• La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia. At about 3,650 meters, it is the highest capital city in the world.
• El Alto, part of metropolitan area of La Paz is at the height of 4,000 meters!!
• La Paz had varying altitudes of 4,000 meters at El Alto to 3,100 meters at the base. Hence walking usually involves climbing up or down. Walking from one of the city to other end is like climbing Kumaraparvatha!!
• The social differences in the city is linked to the altitude of various parts. Poor people live in higher altitudes while middle and upper class people stay in lower altitude areas. Amount of Oxygen people get also depends on social status!!
• Cable car is a mode of transport in La Paz.

My experience

I had about two full days in La Paz, out of which, I spent a day on the Death Road (Read my experience here). I decided to take it easy and got up late on the second day. My schedule was very tight before La Paz and some additional rest was necessary. The first place of visit was to Witches market. People talked a lot about it but I felt it was hyped. Unlike my expectation to see some witchcrafts in actions, people were just selling some stuff.

San Francisco square

A colonial age building, the area in front of it is very vibrant. Though I visited it in the morning, I came back again in he evening to spend some time enjoying the lively atmosphere.

Valle de la Luna

I took a mini bus towards Mallasa from San Francisco Square. The journey was downhill and took about 45 minutes. It just costed 2 Boliviar (About 20 INR). I was dropped near the entrance just before Mallasa village. 

I spent about an hour in the Moon valley. The place is formed by erosion of the mountain leaving tall spires. 

While returning, I took a shared cab which dropped in at the centre. Very easy!!

Teleferico

I had only seen cable car as a tourist attraction everywhere. But in La Paz, it is used as a main transport service. Considering the hilly area, it is indeed a good idea. The Teleferico cuts the travel time between places dramatically. Like a kid who plays in the elevator, I just travelled from one line to another in the cable car!! The views were superb and there was no reason to go to any view points!!

Teleferico was also super cheap. I had to only pay 3 Boliviar (INR 30) for journey between two stations!! I do not think it would be cheaper anywhere else in the world!! Unlike other places in La Paz, the stations are world class.

Few points to note

• La Paz is not known for safety, especially places like El Alto. Even in central district, the streets kind of wore a deserted look after 8 PM with homeless people around. But I did not face any untoward incident. General awareness should be sufficient. US cities are known to be more dangerous!!
• Be careful about altitude especially if you arrived by air directly from sea level.
• Food for vegetarians is not an issue as there are many vegan and few Indian restaurants. I sticked to vegan restaurants!!