La Paz: City in the Andean Valley

La Paz lies in an Andean valley surrounded by impressive mountains and stretches across elevations of 3,200 to 4,100 metres above sea level. The city’s vertical layout, views from above and striking landscapes nearby give your trip a variety of possible focal points. If you are looking for a holiday apartment, you can start by considering whether you would like to focus primarily on the city from different perspectives, unusual rock formations or destinations in the Department of La Paz.

Experience La Paz from different elevations

Mi Teleférico connects higher and lower-lying neighbourhoods of La Paz and offers aerial views of the city. The connection makes the differences in elevation a defining part of finding your way around: La Paz should not simply be viewed as one uniform plain. When planning your days and choosing where to stay, it may therefore be helpful to consider which perspectives of the city interest you most. This can bring either the views from above or other sides of the city more to the fore.

Valle de la Luna lies close to La Paz. Covering around 44.2 hectares, it features clay rock formations, including obelisks, channels, erosion gullies and craters. This creates a striking contrast with the Andean valley and the city’s neighbourhoods. Also located there is the “sapo de la abundancia”, about a 20-minute walk away. The site has a flat area with log seats and a small fountain with a toad sculpture. These unusual formations and this small detail make Valle de la Luna a distinct focus for planning your excursions.

Activities and nature within the municipality

The Mallasa macrodistrict is within the municipality of La Paz. It has an adventure area offering activities such as rock climbing and rappelling. The local fauna includes viscachas and bats, which can be observed in their natural habitat. In Parque Nacional Mallasa, known as Valle de Sol, outdoor walks and cycling are among the activities available. This means that different ways of spending time outdoors are available within this municipal area: active pursuits as well as walks and bike rides.

In the Department of La Paz: routes and history

Beyond the city, the Department of La Paz offers further themes to consider when planning your trip. The Parque Nacional y Área Natural de Manejo Integrado Cotapata is suited to environmental education and tourism thanks to its ecological, scenic and archaeological features. By road, it can be reached via the La Paz–Coroico road or through the Río Huarinilla valley. You can travel by bus as far as Coroico or La Cumbre; from there, the trekking route continues to the settlement of El Chairo. The pre-Columbian El Choro route can also be used as a walking trail to access the national park. Trail conditions and access logistics may change, so check them before setting out.

Another route is the Camino Chairo–Socosani. It continues from Puente Inca en Chairo along the lower slope of Cerro Nogalani to the ruins of Socosani. Along the way, you can see old agricultural terraces, retaining walls and paved paths. This route combines scenic views with traces of earlier agricultural use, complementing Cotapata’s nature and archaeology.

Tiwanaku is also in the Department of La Paz: near the southern shore of Lake Titicaca in the Altiplano, at an elevation of 3,850 metres and in Ingavi Province. The ancient city was built largely from adobe bricks; most of it is now covered by the modern settlement. The same department therefore offers a choice of different interests for further trip planning, from the natural landscapes and trails of Cotapata to the history of Tiwanaku.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Calacoto, Huancané, Chulumani, Huatajata, Tiawanacu, Comunidad Challapampa, Mecapaca, Comunidad Yumani

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