Tourism in the City of La Paz, Bolivia

La Paz is a cosmopolitan city. There, you will find excellent and distinguished hotel and lodging services and you will taste the varied gastronomy of the place.

The department of La Paz is composed by three regions: the highland plain or the plateau (El Altiplano), the valley and the subtropical zone (Los Yungas). It has 20 provinces and 272 cantons.

La Paz is a multiethnic and multicultural city. It is surrounded by the Andean mountain range; within it, two very prominent and majestic snow capped peaks dominate the landscape: the Illimani and the Illampu.

The Aymara culture is predominant in La Paz, however, a variety of cultures, coming from all Bolivian areas, are present there. During the religious celebrations, people dress their traditional costumes and perform distinctive folkloric dances.

Tourist Attractions

There are many tourist attractions in the city of La Paz: churches, museums and open air markets. The colonial architecture (from 1500) is preserved in impressive buildings like the Church of San Francisco and other constructions placed on Jaen Street. Among the museums, the Pedro Murillo`s House (a hero of the Bolivian independence) and the magnificent Gold Museum (which contains beautiful gold items from the pre-Columbian cultures) are important locations to visit.

Two other fine colonial architectural examples are the Art Museum and The Tambo Quirquincho Museum that has been recently remodeled. The Tambo Quirquincho contains an important national art collection.

Other interesting museums are the Tiwanacu Museum, civilization which is considered the cradle of the American culture (500 B.C. / 1200 A.C.), and the Ethnography and Folklore Museum that exhibits fine ethnic examples. Both have very complete and extensive libraries.

It is recommendable to visit the indigenous markets and the popular Magicians Market that is located behind the Church of San Francisco. Here, you will find many curious items offered by the Aymara Yatiris (traditional healers who use and recommend these items in order to practice "healing arts”).

Thanks to its geographical location, La Paz presents different eco-systems distributed between the plateau and the tropic. Los Yungas constitutes a beautiful example of tropical area. If you want to visit the Andean area, it will take you only one hour by bus through a paved highway. The beautiful and spectacular Titicaca Lake (the highest lake in the world) is situated 3.900 meters above the sea level. It contains magnificent islands: the Sun and Moon Islands, in which, the Inca culture established its most important ceremonial centers whose vestiges can be observed.

The Sun Island is a wonderful attraction since the view is really spectacular; from here, the everlasting snow-capped peaks of the Royal Mountain Range can be appreciated.

Other important island is Suriqui; its inhabitants are the builders of the world famous Totora floating planks which are elaborated by using traditional techniques. The enormous size of such crafts has been subject of transoceanic experiences and international studies such as RA II, Tigris and Uru which were made by the Norwegian Thor Heyerdal and the Spanish Quintin Muñoz respectively.

To the north of the Titicaca Lake, important populations are situated: Achacachi, Carabuco, Talaba and many others. In the Carabuco Church, the visitor will find important colonial pictures. Close to the frontier with the Republic of Perú, the Ulla Ulla Natural Reserve is placed. La Paz is also surrounded by picturesque indigenous towns where interesting weekly markets take place. Zones of high ethnographic value are Aukapata, with its pre-Tiwanaku ruins, and the towns of Charazani and Curva, home of the famous Kallawayas or “the doctors of the Andes” (traditional experts in the arts of Natural Medicine). Beautiful textiles can be found in Amarate town.

Copacabana is the most important center of the Titicaca Lake. Copacabana is originally a pre-Columbian ceremonial and astronomic observation center that was destroyed by the Spaniards; its ancestral traces remain in some ruins. In this place, the miraculous sculpture (made in wood by a native artist) of the beautiful Virgin of Copacabana is situated inside the Sanctuary of the same name. It was built in the XVI century. The altar of the sanctuary is lined with gold and silver and the costumes of the small image are crowded with rich and original jewelry from the colony.

The impressive and mysterious Tiwanaku ruins are located in the surroundings of La Paz. This was the see of a flourishing civilization that organized itself on the plateau, to the south of the Titicaca Lake. Such civilization became one of the greatest and most advanced populations of the continent. Particular information about Tiwanaku, its residents, its way of life, etc. has not been yet determined; in consequence, the location and its history are the center of a permanent and intensive national and international research. (Some researches believe that The Atlantis was placed here).

Ecotourism

La Paz counts with innumerable roads constructed before the Spaniards arrival. They constitute a wide net that communicates the plateau with the fertile regions of the valleys and the Amazon plains. At the present time, they can be traversed for those visitors who love trekking and will enjoy the view of the 15 pre-Colombian roads.

Only an hour trip from La Paz towards the north, it is possible to reach the majestic and imposing Royal Mountain Range of the Andes plenty of snow-capped peaks which are situated at an altitude of 5.500 meters above the sea level. The practice of alpinism finds in La Paz its most important center. The impressive Chacaltaya snow-capped peak is one of the most beautiful mountains in La Paz, it is a natural ski ramp.

Ethnic Groups

The ethnic groups that inhabit the highland plain and the valleys of La Paz are, mainly, the Aymara and Quechua. In the subtropical zone, The Yungas, the native groups of the Chamas, Guacanaguas and Lecos inhabit. These are wonderful areas with abundant vegetation, rivers, cascades, fruit trees and coffee and coca (an ancestral plant) plantations.

Hotels in the city of La Paz