Bolivia - Part 1: La Paz

5 May 2025

It was a steep climb from the sea level of Arica into the high altitude of the Bolivian Altiplano, almost 4’000 metres at its highest point. We stared through the grubby windows as we left the coast behind us. The bus laboured up the narrow dusty road which meandered its way ever upwards towards the mountain pass. On either side, a sheer drop; the clouds edged closer as we took in the breathtaking views.

The terrain levelled out after the border crossing into Bolivia and we sped on through the barren landscape, the monotony broken by the occasional little village and our first sightings of the cholitas, the indigenous women with wide skirts, braided hair and bowler hats. We finally arrived at the bus terminus in El Alto and took an Uber to our hotel in downtown La Paz (Mitru Express, recommended).

It is safe to say that we had never seen a city like La Paz before. Its setting is unique and dramatic, occupying a deep, bowl-shaped valley surrounded by towering, snow-capped Andes mountains, including the majestic, triple-peaked Illimani volcano. The city's altitude ranges from 3,200 to 4,100 meters making it the highest capital in the world. We felt it too, struggling up and down the many hilly streets and stopping every few steps to regain our breath.

We saw a mad carnival of jostling pedestrians, honking, diesel-spewing minivans, street marches, and cavalcades of vendors. Overhead, the world‘s largest urban cable car system ferried people to all corners of the valley.

A Guru walking tour took us around the key landmarks – the Murillo Plaza with the Cathedral and the Presidential Palace, San Francisco Church, El Alto Market and the notorious San Pedro prison. We learnt about the country’s turbulent political and economic past and the struggles of the its 36 recognized indigenous peoples for equality, now finally entrenched in the constitution.  We stopped by Calle Jaen, the city’s best preserved colonial street and popped into the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore. We also took the cable car to the City Cemetery and marvelled again at the fervour with which the Andeans celebrate their dead.

After two days in the sprawling mass of La Paz, we left the city behind and headed off on the overnight bus to our next stop, the Uyuni Salt Flats.