La Paz Overview

Overview

La Paz is known as the de facto capital of Bolivia because it is the seat of government while the judicial centre remains in the official capital, Sucre. The main part of the city sits in a huge crator, built here by the Spanish to protect the city from the harsh winds of the altiplano, but now surrounded by its poorer, higher-altitude subburbs such as that of El Alto. The crator gives the city a dramatic horizon: surrounded by cliffs and overlooked by a huge snow-capped volcano.

The city is mostly a functioning city with not a huge number of activities for tourists, spending time here however is certainly one of the best ways of getting to know the country of Bolivia and its people. La Paz has a small but pretty collection of colonial buildings and churches although they are less well cared for than in Bolivia´s richer, neighbouring countries they are certainly worth a look. The city´s markets are rich with food, everyday items and in the witch´s market, the somewhat more bizaar llama faetuses and frog charms. The notorious prison of San Pedro, made famous by Thomas McFadden in his book ´Marching Power´ can also be found in the city although is not easily visited by tourists. More tourist friendly is the excellent museum of the coca leaf which tells the visitor all there is to know about the traditions of the plant grown for centuries in the Andes and its relationship to local communities, Coca Cola and the Cocaine industry.

La Paz can also be used as a stepping stone for reaching other areas of Bolivia but with an altitude of 3800m, aclimitisation time is recommended to all those flying into the city. Leave a minimum of 2-3 days for this.