Altiplano Travelers Recommend

Two days in La Paz give you the best of both worlds: You’ll have time to check out city sights and then ditch the pavement for soaring peaks, ancient ruins, and jungle roads. Some of Bolivia’s adventure highlights are an easy day trip away, making La Paz the ideal home base for an active excursion. Here’s how to make the most of two days in La Paz.

Day 1: City Essentials

**Morning:**The compact historic center is best seen on foot, so start the day with a walking tour that includes the San Francisco Church, the Witches Market, and Plaza Murillo, where you’ll find the best shopping in La Paz, from alpaca wraps to textiles.

**Afternoon:**You’ll need an aerial view to take in the astounding scale of La Paz and the mountains, so spend the afternoon riding the city’s network of cable cars. If you hop a ride to the high-altitude area of El Alto, grab an uphill seat to maximize your view.

**Night:**Because La Paz brings together people and cultures from all over Bolivia, you can taste your way across the country without leaving the city. Instead of sitting down to a single meal, try a little bit of everything on a food tour, with a guide to help identify unfamiliar dishes and ingredients.

Day 2: Active Exploring

**Morning:**Now that you’ve covered the basics, get out of the city to see Bolivia’s adventurous side. Favorite excursions include bike rides on the (surprisingly safe) Death Road, trips to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins of Tiwanaku, and hiking in Palca Canyon.

**Afternoon:**If you’ve got time and energy for another walk, catch the afternoon light at Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) on the south end of town. The orange spires and fins light up at sunset, so bring a camera to capture the valley from the trail.

**Night:**With one last night in La Paz, dabble in the city’s energetic bar scene; pub or club tours include transportation and offer perks such as free shots and VIP entry, while supplying a ready-made party crew of fellow travelers.

The world's biggest salt flat, the Salar de Uyuni, is a vast salt desert stretching nearly 400 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) in southwest Bolivia. It's a memorizing sight—unearthly beauty that offers endless inspiration for photographers. Here are some tips for capturing the best possible shots.

Use angles and perspective to create optical illusions.

The best way to achieve an optical illusion in your Salar de Uyuni shot is to have one subject super close to your camera and the other further in the distance. As a rule of thumb, the larger subject—a travel companion for instance—should be further away to create the illusion that they’re the same size (or smaller) than your foreground subject.

Pick your season wisely.

During the rainy season, from January to April, the flats are covered in a thin layer of water that creates a mirror-like effect reflecting the sky. Perspective photos tend to be more successful during the dry season when the flat plain of salt helps to trick the eye.

Bring some props.

Inanimate objects can help you create interesting illusions in your images, especially if you’re traveling solo. Toy animals and utensils will do the trick, but don’t be afraid to use your imagination (and whatever you might have tucked into your suitcase).

Get low to the ground.

Don’t be afraid to lay belly down in the salt to get the perspective you need. You want your subjects to look like they’re on the same level, and this is more difficult to pull off if you’re standing or kneeling.

Visit with a local guide.

The Bolivian salt flats are a popular photo op, and a local guide will likely have insider knowledge on the best locations, as well as how to set up some of the most popular optical illusion shots.

A high-altitude perch between the Andes mountains and lush jungle makes La Paz a perfect base camp. Come here to ride the Death Road, see Tiwanaku’s ancient adobes, hike Palca Canyon, and cruise Lake Titicaca, but save time for the city’s colorful markets and historic landmarks. Here’s how to spend three days in La Paz.

Day 1: Take in La Paz Highlights

While La Paz sprawls across a long valley and beyond, most key sites are packed into the walkable heart of the city. Start the day by exploring these landmarks, from San Francisco Church to the Witches Market and the National Museum of Archeology. Here in the city center, crooked streets lead into maze-like markets, so it’s a great place to opt for a guided tour that can unlock the stories and characters that make La Paz so fascinating.

After a morning of sightseeing, linger in the historic center for the city’s best souvenir shopping; check out stores with cozy alpaca sweaters, bright fabrics from Andean communities, and other treasures. Warm light and mild temperatures make the late afternoon a wonderful time to explore the city, so choose between two top activities for your sunset excursion: Ride a cable car to El Alto, or head to the southern zone for a tour of the Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna), an eroded labyrinth of spires and canyons.

Day 2: High-Altitude Adventures

Now that you’ve had 24 hours to acclimatize, make the most of your easy access to jungles, mountains, and the altiplano with an active day. Cyclists can take on the relentless descent on the Death Road—a surprisingly safe trip now that traffic is routed onto a newer highway—and see the dramatic transitions between ecosystems on your way down into the lush Yungas jungle.

You can spot native vicuñas, alpacas, and llamas among the peaks of Sajama National Park, or head to the frozen slopes of Huayna Potosi for a vertical day of ice climbing. For a full-day hiking trip that doesn’t require a long drive, discover the rock formations and hidden caverns of Palca Canyon, a wild, eroded landscape just east of the city.

Day 3: Delve into Andean History

With one more day in La Paz, step back in time into Bolivia’s ancient past. Visit a pre-Hispanic empire on a day-trip to Tiwanaku, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s full of adobe architecture and mysterious artwork.

For a trip into the Inca heartland, Lake Titicaca combines deep history with a unique landscape, and amazing views on the road to the lake. The most fascinating sights are clustered on Sun Island (Isla del Sol), so be sure to save some time for a cruise into the center of the lake, where you’ll find Inca ruins, ancient farming terraces, and views of the snowy Andean peaks. If you’re up for a long day of sightseeing, you can even visit Tiwanaku and Lake Titicaca on a single excursion.

Downtown streets have snowy peaks for a backdrop in Bolivia’s high-altitude, high-energy capital, and a soaring network of cable cars gives riders a condor’s view of it all. With one day in La Paz, you can sample a bit of everything, from the wares at the Witches’ Market to historic churches, eroded canyons, and exceptional museums.

Morning: Check out the Historic Center

Test your legs—and your lungs—on a walking tour of downtown La Paz, where modernity meets landmarks from the colonial era. The maze of streets disappears into markets that are even harder to navigate, making this a great place to check out with a guide. One highlight of downtown is the Witches Market, where offerings include llama fetuses and other important components of traditional ceremonies. You can also visit a colonial-era church and monuments honoring Bolivia’s hard-won independence. If you finish the morning with energy to spare, head to the nearby National Museum of Archaeology to check out exhibits that explore Bolivia’s diverse cultures.

Afternoon: Discover a Lunar Landscape

After a downtown lunch of Bolivian specialties, head to the southern edge of town to see Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley), where a hiking trail winds through an eroded labyrinth of spires and fins. Some tours make use of the cable car system that links downtown with the southern zone, which makes this activity extra special: You’ll have aerial views of neighborhoods that are far from the tourist track. On sunny days, be sure to bring a hat and sunscreen to the Valle de la Luna, as there’s little shade on the trail and the high-altitude sun can be punishing.

Evening: Watch Sunset in the Sky

Take advantage of warm afternoon light to ride the cable car all the way to the El Alto neighborhood, where you’ll have gorgeous views back across the valley. Hop out for a stroll or snack near the cable car station, then board a car back down toward downtown before the last light disappears. Try to snag an uphill seat in the cable car for the best possible views.

The bright-blue water of Lake Titicaca mirrors a big sky, snow-frosted peaks, and traditional villages in an area that was sacred to the Inca, whose ancient stone temples and farming terraces are preserved in the dry air of the Bolivian altiplano. Here’s how to explore this scenic destination on a day trip from La Paz.

Group Tours

A cost-effective alternative to finding your own way to Lake Titicaca, group tours coordinate round-trip transport from La Paz with activities such as cruises, walking tours, and trips to Sun Island (Isla del Sol). If you’re considering a trip to Sun Island, tours are an especially convenient option, as tour operators are able to secure a place on the boats that make the trip.

Private Tours

With more-flexible itineraries than group options, private tours of Lake Titicaca guarantee the full attention of your guide. You can cover the key attractions in Lake Titicaca—favorites include Sun Island and the lakeside town of Copacabana—with more time to browse, try the famous local trout, or take photos. If you’re hoping to visit the archaeological site of Tiwanaku, private tours can combine the two destinations, saving on overall driving time.

Things to Know

• At 12,510 feet (3,813 meters), Lake Titicaca is even higher in elevation than La Paz. If you’re not yet acclimatized, plan to drink plenty of water, move slowly, and consider medication to alleviate symptoms.
• When cruising to Sun Island from Copacabana, the finest views are from the open-air deck on top of the boat, but the high-altitude sun can be deceptively powerful. Bring a brimmed hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sunscreen to protect yourself.
• The drive from La Paz to Copacabana is at least three hours, and day trips last upwards of eight hours.
• Many tours include pickup and drop-off at hotels in La Paz.

The steep streets of La Paz house some of the world’s most distinctive markets, where vendors in petticoats and bowler hats sell everything from vibrant textiles to dried turtles to exotic fruit. Here are a few of the best markets in Bolivia’s sky-high capital city.

Witches Market The city’s best known market is the Witches Market (Mercado de Hechecería or Mercado de Las Brujas), famous for uncommon wares such as dried llama fetuses, withered frog corpses, and owl feathers. All are part of local Aymaran rituals meant to bring love, luck, health, and abundance. A market visit is especially rich with a small-group walking tour, as guides can explain the significance of products within Aymaran culture. It’s wise to be respectful when photographing vendors and goods in this sacred space. 

Mercado Rodríguez Foodies flock to Mercado Rodríguez, one of the city’s best spots to sample Bolivian cuisine. The stalls of this mostly outdoor market are bursting with exotic fruits, fresh fish from Lake Titicaca, and an incredible variety of colorful potatoes. Try a salteña, a baked empanada filled with meat or vegetables. Visit with a walking tour to learn about unfamiliar foods and make the most of the experience.

Mercado 16 de Julio This sprawling market in El Alto, open Thursdays and Sundays, is a local favorite for its vast range of products—food, clothing, electronics, and much more. Bargain for brightly colored handmade blankets and other souvenirs, or simply walk the streets and marvel at the surprising array of things for sale, from used cars to live animals. Mind your wallet as you work your way through the sea of shoppers. To arrive in style, combine your visit with a cable car tour to El Alto. An added bonus: As you float above the neighborhood, you’ll be able to admire the cholets, fantastical buildings by Bolivian architect Freddy Mamani.