Sarah Ketchum of Ketchusifyoucan is sharing her native’s information to La Paz, Bolivia!
La Paz, Bolivia is a metropolis that may take your breath away—each actually and figuratively! Sitting at 13,00Zero ft. (about 4,00Zero m) above sea stage, La Paz is a metropolis in contrast to every other.
This metropolis tucked between towering Andean peaks is the place that I used to be fortunate to name dwelling for 2 years, and I completely fell in love with it. After I first accepted the educating job that took me to La Paz, I wasn’t positive what to count on.
I actually hadn’t heard very a lot about Bolivia, and it wasn’t on the prime of my journey want record. I rapidly realized that it ought to have been!
Outside adventures, mountain views, genuine tradition, and scrumptious meals await the traveler who ventures to this unimaginable Bolivian metropolis in South America.
Right here’s an area’s information to exploring La Paz, Bolivia!
When to Go to
Bolivia has two most important seasons: wet and dry.
Most individuals need to go to in the course of the dry season, which falls between Could and October. Bear in mind, since Bolivia is within the Southern Hemisphere, these are their winter months, so though you’re extra probably to keep dry, you could be chilly.
Throughout the coldest months of June and July, temperatures can drop beneath freezing within the metropolis. If you’d like to go to in the course of the hotter months, common temperatures in La Paz are nonetheless fairly gentle — you received’t see many days over 70°F (21°C).
In case you go to between the months of November and April, make sure to pack a rain jacket and water resistant footwear as rainstorms can blow in fairly rapidly and you might end up in a downpour.
For one of the best of each worlds, attempt to plan your go to someday within the “in-between” seasons; September or October, April or Could.
What to See and Do
Wandering the streets of downtown La Paz there’s a lot to see! From the elaborately dressed cholitas, to glimpses of snow-capped Mount Illimani overlooking the town, La Paz is a feast for the senses.
San Francisco Basilica
Holding each historic and spiritual significance, the facade is adorned with each Catholic parts and Bolivian natural world, symbolizing the mix of Outdated and New World traditions that make up Bolivian tradition.
To the left of the church, you may stroll up and down Calle Sagarnaga the place you’ll discover loads of eating places, tour operators, and outlets promoting virtually something you might need to be produced from alpaca wool or brightly coloured aguayo cloth.
The San Francisco Basilica is one in every of La Paz’s most iconic landmarks.
The Finest-Preserved Colonial-Period Avenue
Proceed your wandering to Calle Jaén, the best-preserved colonial-era road within the metropolis, to go to a number of museums and artwork galleries. Make sure to try the work of Mamani Mamani, one in every of Bolivia’s most well-known artists, and the Museo de Metales Preciosos which homes many Pre-Colombian, and Pre-Incan, metalworks.
Head to Plaza Murillo to get a have a look at the federal government buildings housed in La Paz, together with the La Paz Cathedral, Palacio Quemado (residence of Bolivia’s president), and Legislative Palace with its backward turning clock.
Valle de la Luna
For the Journey Seekers
For adventurous varieties, El Camino de la Muerte, or the Loss of life Street, has bought to be on the highest of your record for must-do actions whereas in La Paz. Generally known as the “World’s Most Harmful Street,” this cliff-hugging freeway will take your breath away!
Many corporations, together with Gravity, supply mountain biking excursions, taking you from mountainous La Paz down the Loss of life Street to the jungle city of Coroico.
In case you’re searching for a thrill, however not one for biking, try the City Rush Expertise and rappel down a 17-story constructing proper within the coronary heart of the town! You possibly can even put on a ridiculous costume whilst you do it so you may chuckle your nerves away.
Up for a hike? Head to the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) within the Mallasa neighborhood for a comparatively brief, straightforward stroll among the many unusual spire-studded panorama.
For Sports activities Followers
In case you’re a sports activities fan, catch a soccer sport on the Hernando Siles Stadium. The Bolivian nationwide group performs there, as do a number of native golf equipment. The El Clasico matches between two of the most well-liked native groups draw huge, excessive vitality crowds.
In case you’re on the town throughout a match, you’ll make sure to hear the roar of spectators even when you don’t seize a seat for your self! Tickets are straightforward to get hold of on the final minute from hawkers exterior the stadium, and normally don’t value greater than 140 BOB ($20 USD).
The place to Keep
There are a number of choices on your keep in La Paz, from fancy motels to budget-friendly hostels.
The Zona Sur
The Zona Sur (Southern Zone) is usually thought of to be the most secure space of the town, and additionally it is a spot the place yow will discover a number of luxurious motels. This space of the town additionally sits on the lowest altitude, so it may be a very good place to keep in case you are nonetheless adjusting.
The Casa Grande — the lodge is gorgeous, and you’ll typically discover rooms for underneath $150 USD. Even when you’re not staying at Casa Grande, it’s best to positively try their all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. The Casa Bar on the highest ground is a enjoyable, stylish place to seize a drink.
Atix Resort — one other extra luxurious choice within the Zona Sur, and it’s dwelling to the Ona restaurant, a superb dinner spot. The cooks pleasure themselves on creating distinctive dishes that showcase conventional Bolivian delicacies in new and thrilling methods.
Sopocachi
One other well-liked neighborhood located between the Zona Sur and metropolis heart is Sopocachi. Residence to many fashionable eating places, Sopocachi is a superb place to name “dwelling” throughout your keep in La Paz.
The Stannum Boutique Resort — situated in Sopocachi, it is a fashionable spot that provides spa companies to make it easier to loosen up after a day of exploring the town.
Coronary heart of the Metropolis
If you’d like to keep within the coronary heart of the town, shut to most of the most important vacationer points of interest and tour firm places of work, there are many hostels close to the Plaza San Francisco and Calle Sagarnaga.
The Journey Brew Hostel — fairly well-liked with younger vacationers in search of cheaper lodgings. It presents each dormitory-style or non-public room choices.
Outdoors the Metropolis
In case you want to spend your days exploring, however your evenings away from the hustle and bustle of a giant metropolis, Colibri Tenting could be the right place for you. This eco-lodge is a extra rustic, budget-friendly choice.
It’s separated sufficient from the town for you to get pleasure from nature and loosen up, however shut sufficient for you to simply see and do all you would like to whereas visiting La Paz.
The place and What to Eat
One Bolivian snack you must-try throughout your go to is a salteña. Like a chicken-pot-pie-to-go, salteñas are a scrumptious manner to fulfill your starvation with out lacking a beat. Out there in pollo (rooster), carne (beef), or vegetarian varieties, your journey to La Paz could be missing with out tasting a salteña.
There are many salteñerias to select from, however some of the well-liked is Paceña la Salteña, which has a number of areas all through the town.
One other snack you must-try throughout your time in Bolivia is a cuñape. These tacky rolls are completely addicting! (They usually’re made with yucca flour, so that they’re gluten-free!) My favourite locations to seize cuñapes had been Café Epico within the Calacoto neighborhood and Los Qñapes in San Miguel.
In case you go to Los Qñapes, make sure to pair your tacky delights with their superb scorching chocolate!
For a cup of espresso, you may’t beat Café Typica. This cute espresso store was my go-to after I wanted a quiet, cheerful place to grade papers. I used to be thrilled to see that it was named because the primary espresso store in South America final yr!
With two areas in La Paz, it’s best to positively cease in and seize a snack at Typica.
In case you contemplate your self a foodie, you have got to plan a go to to Gustu. This connoisseur restaurant was included on the record of Latin America’s High 50 Eating places in 2017, and for good cause.
The finest manner to expertise all of the flavors and creations that Gustu’s cooks have to supply is to order one in every of their rotating tasting menus. Add on the drink pairings, and also you’re in for a culinary expertise in contrast to every other! The better part is, you may get pleasure from a meal of this caliber for underneath $130 USD.
How to Get Round
La Paz will be fairly an awesome metropolis for foreigners with all its steep, winding streets. Fortunately, there are many choices for public transportation that may get you the place you want to go all through the town.
Most types of public transportation in La Paz are secure for vacationers to use, even in case you are touring alone, due to the truth that you’ll be surrounded by plenty of different commuters.
Concentrate on your environment so your pocket doesn’t get picked, however don’t be overly anxious. Embrace the Paceño public transportation with the following pointers!
The Teleféricos
One of many first stuff you’ll probably discover if you arrive in La Paz are the brightly coloured cable vehicles crisscrossing the sky. These teleféricos not solely present environment friendly
public transportation, but in addition a enjoyable manner for guests to see the town in its entirety.
Tickets will be bought at any teleférico station, and the route maps are very straightforward to perceive.
A one-way journey on one line solely prices Three BOB (lower than $0.50 USD), and in order for you to experience all of the traces, it can save you money and time by buying a chargeable teleférico card.
In case you’re susceptible to getting automobile sick, the teleférico is a a lot better choice for getting round to keep away from the stop-and-go visitors and hairpin curves that characterize La Paz’s streets. Even when you can deal with a harrowing automobile experience, I nonetheless suggest using the teleférico no less than as soon as throughout your time in La Paz as there actually isn’t any higher manner to get a chook’s eye view of the entire metropolis.
Puma Katari
One other nice choice for getting round in La Paz is to use the Puma Katari buses. These buses value 2 BOB per experience (lower than $0.30 USD) and run alongside set routes with set bus stops.
Pumas are an amazing choice for affordable transportation, they usually enable you to simply plan out your route. The buses even supply free WiFi on board so you should use a maps app in your cellphone to make sure you hop on and off on the proper stops.
Micros, Minis, and Trufis
If you’d like a extra native expertise, hop on one of many micros (multi-colored college buses), minis (15 passenger minivans), or trufis (shared taxis).
These varied types of public transportation run alongside routes specified by the indicators within the home windows. As such, you’ll positively want to know the neighborhood you’re heading to in order that you recognize which car to flag down.
Fairly than stopping at designated areas, these micros, minis, and trufis will be flagged down wherever to hop on.
Merely wait by the aspect of the street and flag down the one going to the neighborhood you’re headed towards. Equally, you simply want to use a phrase like “Aqui, por favor!” (Right here, please.) or “En la esquina, por favor.” (On the nook, please.) to let the motive force know that you really want to get out.
Venturing by way of the town in one in every of these choices will be an journey in and of itself!
I positively suggest utilizing a map app in your cellphone in case you are unfamiliar with La Paz so that you could higher know which automobiles to flag down and the place to inform the motive force you need to get off.
Micros are the most affordable type of public transportation in La Paz, costing just one BOB ($0.15 USD) per experience. Minis value 1-2 BOB relying on the space you journey (for instance, crossing from the Zona Sur neighborhoods to El Centro, or the town heart neighborhoods, prices extra). Trufis value 2-Three BOB, once more, relying on the space you journey. Most individuals pay as they exit the car.
Radio Taxis
The most costly type of public transportation is utilizing a taxi. In fact “most costly” nonetheless usually means lower than 20 BOB (lower than $3.00 USD) relying on the space. From the Zona Sur all the way in which up to the airport in El Alto, a good fee for a taxi is 90 BOB (lower than $14.00 USD), and most rides that you simply take will probably be far shorter than that.
Radio taxis are official taxis, which means the drivers work for a taxi firm and have radio contact with a dispatcher, making them a comparatively secure choice to use.
Sticker Taxis
In La Paz, you’re positive to see many vehicles driving round with no different markings moreover a sticker that claims “Taxi” within the entrance window. These sticker taxis aren’t affiliated with any official firm however are merely people utilizing their private automobiles to make some cash.
Many of those sticker taxi drivers are trustworthy, hard-working individuals who will get you the place you want to go with no downside, and normally for a less expensive fee than a radio taxi.
There are, nonetheless, some sticker taxi drivers which are related to extra nefarious actions, akin to kidnappings or worse. Since these taxis don’t work for an organization and subsequently aren’t in radio contact with a dispatcher, there isn’t a accountability for the passenger.
Please, particularly in case you are touring alone, don’t danger a sticker taxi to save a number of cents.
Coping with the Altitude
One factor you could be anxious about when planning your journey to one of many world’s highest cities is altitude illness.
The primary factor you are able to do to fight altitude illness is to drink tons of water! Staying hydrated is essential. Even for somebody who has lived in La Paz for a very long time, complications and different signs of gentle altitude illness can sneak up on you when you’re dehydrated.
Most locals will guarantee you that consuming a heat cup of coca tea will even assist with the altitude. On the flip aspect of that, when you’re battling the altitude, keep away from alcohol. You could be shocked how low your tolerance is that this excessive above sea stage!
Additionally, when planning your journey to La Paz, don’t schedule any huge plans for the primary day or two of your go to, simply in case you want to spend a while adjusting and resting in or close to your lodge room.
For me, normally, a pleasant lengthy nap after I arrived at my house from the airport was all I wanted to be prepared to hit the bottom operating the subsequent morning!
If La Paz, Bolivia wasn’t in your radar earlier than, I hope you’ve been satisfied that it needs to be!
There’s no place on earth prefer it, and I do know that the folks, tradition, meals, and rambunctious nature of this metropolis within the sky will endear it to you because it did to me.