I must admit I arrived to La Paz with fairly low expectations. Many friends and fellow travelers who had visited before me, gave this city mediocre reviews when I spoke with them. However, our experience here could not be further from that. Despite the downfalls of terrible traffic, chilly nights and dirty streets, La Paz is one of the most fascinating South American cities I have visited to date.

EXPERIENCE

Upon arriving in La Paz (at about 2am, thanks to flight problems), we got our first taste of the city with a windy drive down from the joining city of El Alto to our hotel on the main drag known as El Prado. The effects of the especially high altitude were immediately noticeable as we began our explorations after a nap. We made straigh for some of La Paz’s most famous sights including the San Francisco Church and Square, Mercado Lanza, as well as strolling the bustling Sagrana Street to the Witches’ Market. The food markets surrounding this area are gritty and authentic as well, in full effect Friday to Sundsy. We really enjoyed riding the beautiful (and very inexpensive) Mi Teleférico Cable Car and did it several times. La Paz is a gorgeous valley city surrounded by impressive peaks like Huyana Potosi and Huyana Illimani. From the cars you can really get a feel for the landscape and take it the sprawling and impressive nature of La Paz. We rode the yellow line up to El Alto to photograph the city from a higher vantage point. While up here we found a cabbie who was willing to drive us around to the many unique Aymara Architectural buildings created by Freddy Mamani Silvestre. I had read a piece in the New Yorker talking about how this architect who works without blueprints or a computer is transforming this portion of La Paz known for being especially poor and unwelcoming.

One of our evenings in La Paz we again ventured up to El Alto (more adventurously than expected after missing the bus) to check out Cholitas Wrestling. This was an odd event worth going to for an unexpected evening and a chance to rethink Cholita life beyond the impression you get in the streets.

We took a few day trips from La Paz, one was to hike the picturesque Cordillera Real. We set our early on a long drive to the base of Huyana Potosi. From here we drove through miles of rugged farmland and countryside and parked the car at a small mud built farmhouse. We set off on a six hour trek to Summit Pico Austria. We stopped at Tuni Condoriri Laguna Chiar Khota along the way. These beautiful mountain lakes were simply stunning. The altitude was felt strongly on what otherwise would have been an only somewhat difficult hike. Hit hard with food poisoning mid-hike, I pulled off at 16,800 feet and the boys continued to the summit of Pico Austria at 17,500 feet. This was an amazing and big day.

We should have planned to have some down time between our hiking excursion and Lake Tititaca day trip. Back to back these trips felt a bit much because of the excessive amount of driving and time spent in traffic jams sucking exhaust fumes… But despite the food poisoning and exhaustion, we pressed on to Lake Tititaca for out last day in La Paz. I had missed this site on my trip to Peru several years back and would have regretted missing another opportunity to visit the highest lake in South America. We enjoyed checking out Copacabana and the reed boats museum on the way. The Basilica Our Lady Copacabana is a nice stop too because we got to witness a few baptisms and several cars being blessed out front. The markets here were also nice and we enjoyed a nice lake trout lunch. Unfortunately we were too wiped out to make it to Isla del Sol this trip. Next time I visit I’d like to spend more time in this area and make the trip out to see the Escalinatas de Yumami Inca, Picocania Ruins and Laguna Chillata.

Despite spending an entire 10 days in Bolivia, we just couldn’t get it all in. If returning to this country I’d like to check out the white walled capital of Sucre as well as the rainforest. The rainforest of Bolivia sounds appealing just because of its contrast to the other parts of the country we saw, what impressive diversity of terrain. Fellow travelers gave mixed reviews to the Bolivian Amazon of Rurrenabaque. Primary criticisms were lots of bugs, lack of wildlife sightings and canceled flights.

If back in La Paz on another trip I’d seriously consider trying to summit Huyana Potosi. While this hike does require mountaineering gear, it sounds like one of the more manageable high peaks. A driver we met told us the trekking groups leave base camp at midnight and summit around 6am for sunrise at the top before descending. Other itinerary items we just didn’t get yo this time in La Paz include biking the World’s Most Dangerous Road near Yungas, visiting the witches at the Tiwanaku Ruins, Sajama Park, and the Valley of the Moons. I’d also love to check out Madidi National Park, Kaa Iya National Park for jaguars and the waterfall at Noel Kempff National Park north of Santa Cruz. 

STAY

We stayed at two different hotels while in La Paz. Both were very nice. The first of which, Stannum Boutique Hotel, felt very modern. They were very accommodating to a booking error I made and incredibly welcoming. Their facilities include a nice breakfast as well as gym and spa.

The second hotel we stayed at felt more like a guesthouse and was much smaller, called Hotel Boutique El Consulado. This hotel has less amenities but is located very close to the most happening parts of downtown while the Stannum is a few blocks further away. Though we stayed here three nights, I cannot speak to their breakfast since we left so early every day on adventures that we needed to take the boxed option each day.

EAT

As with many South American counties, food is not the highlight of this trip. The traditional Bolivian cuisine is heavy with potatoes, chicken, beef and sausage. While they grow lots of quinoa we were disappointed not to see more of this on the menus, as it gets exported.

We made a point to check out some of the best restaurants in La Paz and found our favorite to be a Mexican restaurant called Kalakitas Food n’ Drinks on Calle Sagarnaga. The place is super charming and the enchiladas and huevos rancheros were outstanding. This place defiantly caters to backpackers, but the experience is a great one.

We hit another spot that felt pretty up and coming, and mostly out of place in La Paz, called Chez Moustache. This French Bistro seems intimidating to locals who seem to have more familiar tastes. Here we enjoyed some what decent steaks and French cheese and by far the best bread we saw anywhere in Bolivia.

Our most unique dining experience was at the highly rated Vienna. This  Austrian/German/Bolivian themed restaurant is certainly regarded as the “fancy restaurant” for Bolivians. We felt extremely underdressed arriving here to find the rest of the clientele in ball gowns and suits with a pianist playing (despite menu items being around $10 USD). The food here was not very good, in spite of a high effort presentation and attempt at elegance. Go here for the experience, not the meals- or perhaps just stop in for a cocktail or imported beer to check out the atmosphere. Other restaurants we hoped to check out, but didn’t get the chance to, included Gustu (South American), Vinapho (Asian, Thai, Vietnamese), and Namas Te (Vegetarian).