La Paz Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

By air El Alto airport is the world's highest international airport; at approximately 4,000 meters above sea level, it's almost half as high as a jetliner's cruising altitude, and takeoffs take a bit longer due to the thin air. There is an airport departure tax of $28 for international flights, Bs15 for domestic flights. From the airport, the official rate for a taxi into central La Paz is Bs 50 (about 6 USD). Shared vans cost about Bs 4 (0,50 USD). By bus The main bus terminal is located on Av. Ismael Montes, near the upper end of the Prado. Note that buses arriving from Lake Titicaca (the route for entering overland from Puno, Peru) terminate at a plaza near the city cemetery (Cementerio) farther to the west. Buses leaving La Paz usually stop in El Alto to pick up more passagers. It sometimes takes almost an hour until you really leave the city. Seven or eight hours by bus from Cochabamba.