Departamento de La Paz Travel Forum

I'm spending most of my trip in Peru but will end up in La Paz for about a day and a half. I'd like to see the Moon Valley and the Witches Market, any other 'must sees' that I could cram in ?

Cheers

Gary

How far is valley of the moon from La Paz and can you ride/rent mountain bikes or quad bikes near the valley and ride around?

I'm going to be flying from London with the intent to eventually end up in La Paz, but I've heard that flying to Lima and then bussing to La Paz is the cheaper way to go. What is the *least expensive* way I can get from London to Bolivia? I should mention that I am the kind of traveller who can endure any condition of train, plane or automobile for any amount of time. Money is of the essence in this situation. Any and all help is *greatly* appreciated. Thanks!

-Danny

I just had a very long trip from Cusco to La Paz because I didn´t know the road at the Bolivian side of the border in Desaguadero was closed..!
From Puno to Desaguadero takes 2 hours, and from there only another to La Paz.
Now I´ve learnt that from Puno to Copacabana takes 3 hours, and from Copacabana to La Paz about 3,5!

I do have to add that it´s annoying me because I´m only on a quick round trip to La Paz and back, but for travelers I do recommend going via Copacabana because it is muuuch prettier and has way more services than Desaguadero.

Hello everyone,

I know there have been many postings about visa requirements for Bolivia and Peru. I will be flying into La Paz and then travelling overland into and through Peru and eventually flying to Quito and then out of South America. Will both Bolivia and Peru immigration be happy at the fact that I have an international flight booked out of Equador but not booked flights out of their countries?

Hey all,
I am finally returning to my beloved La Paz on Oct. 21 (after a very long time). I have family there so they will be helping me tour around. If you are there, you are more than welcome to join us rather than hire expensive guides and you would get a local feel to it.
Our itinerary so far includes:
Tiwanaku (1 day); Sorata (2 days); Copacabana (3 days); Coroico (2 days or 3 days). I will spend a bunch of time in La Paz as well especially for TODOS SANTOS.
If you are interested in meeting up, email me at forbes19(at)gmail(dot)com.
About me: I'm 24 yrs old, male living in the US for 15 years. My sister (26 yrs old) is coming along, she's from Washington DC. For more about me, go to: http://www.amnestyusa.org/Board_of_Directors/Veliz_Erick/page.do?id=1121024&n1=2&n2=1328&n3=1388

My son is in Peru. He left La paz, Bolivia on a bus on Tuesday. When would he have arrived in arequipa and/or Ica? Thanks!

I am trying to book a tour of Lake Titicaca from La Paz to Puno. Have tried emailing the likes of Transturin and Crillon but it seems that they dont want my business as they never reply to my emails! Can anyone recommend a tour company who can do something like that?

many thanks
David

Hello, my friend and I will be in Bolivia until September, and we were wondering if anyone out there is willing to team up with us to climb Huayna Potosi (6100m) and Illimani (6400m). I have climbed Huayna Potosi before, and while it was tough, anyone in good shape should be able to do it. Prices are much lower for larger groups, and the agency provides more guides as well. More guides means more chances to summit, as anyone who drops out due to altitude sickness or exhaustion needs a guide to take them back down the mountain. The rates for a single person are $160, but a group of three or more means the rates drop to $130 for a three day trip. This includes equipement rental, all you need is your sleeping bag and clothes.

I was wondering what prices are currently for a decent 2 bed apartment ni a decent neighbourhood?

We are going to be travelling around South America and will be arriving in Arica and then will then be travelling to La Paz (perhaps via tacna) to Manu Picchu and then onto Lima.

What is the best way to handle getting passport stamped should we visit embassy before we leave each city or are there border controls where we can get our passport stamped?

Thanks to everyone

My wife and I are going to Peru and Boliva for one moneth in September, starting from Boliva, La Paz. Does anyone have any recommendations on the best places to visit in both countries? We will be backpacking, like camping, want to see rivers and beautiful sceneries, relax and enjoy the holiday. Prefarably without pre booking. Is it possible to do something similar to the inca trail to machu picchu without prebooking?

any suggestions and tips are welcome.

thanks
Jesmar

How long does it take to get Tiahuanaco from Puno? Is it possible to get Tiahuanaco, walk around the ruins and get back for one day? If the answer is yes how I can do it. Thank you in advance.

We have booked flights from La Paz to Buenos Aires in September, but have heard the airline has been suspended by the Government. We will try and get refunds on our tickets, but our main concern now is finding another route that will still get us to BA in one day. Any idea's?

In Mid June I'm looking for the best way to get from La Paz to Isla Del Sol (Spend a night on on island) and then carry on from there to Puno. Does anyone have a recommendation on the best way to do this? - I'm not on a tight budget. Is there a boat from Isla Del Sol to Puno or do we have to go back to Copa and take a bus. Can we get from La Paz to Isla Del Sol in an afternoon? Any recommendations of where to stay on Isla Del Sol - somewhere pretty nice? Thanks for the info. Janet

We are looking in September to travel between Arica and Lima via La Paz taking in major sites Machu Picchu etc, and time permitting wandering a bit off the beaten track.

Can somebody suggest how long this route would take if we were pretty much all the time on the move? We have allowed 10days would this be okay on public transport if we didnt book!

Any suggestions would be great

Thanks

Does anyone know if you can get a direct flight from La Paz to Arequipa? If so is there a website for booking?

We will be traveling to La Paz at the beginning of May, coming from Peru via a boat/bus trip from Puno and Lake Titicaca. Originally we planned to spend 3-4 days in La Paz. But is there enough to do and see? I thought it would be possible to use La Paz as a base and take some side trips, but the only ones seem to involve Titicaca, which we will have already done. We won't do anything that involves long bus rides over treacherous muerte-inducing roads, and we don't hike.

Any suggestions would be appreciated

We are coming to La Paz in late late september and would rather stay in accommodation that contributes to the local economy rather than a chain hotel!!
This could be in a family home or family run business. Does anyone know any contacts or have details based on experience?

Looking for a sound hostel in La Paz.......any suggestions....

Thanks in advance...

Hi guys,

I´ll be visiting La Paz for a couple of days in September and then the plan is to take a bus to Cusco, Peru. I was wondering how much time that busride will take? Also do you recommend any overnightstops along the way, f.e. somewhere near Lake Titicaca?

Finally, since I wont be in La Paz for along time, I was wondering if there was possible to get a guide to walk me and my friends through the city for a day or so and point out the major sights?

Best wishes,
Bearzy.

Is it possible to get a flight from La Paz to Iquitos, Peru?! This would be FABULOUS if it were possible!!

Peace,
Justin.

(I've posted this in the 'La Paz Departamiento' forum before, but it didn't show up in 'La Paz' forum, so I'm posting it again. So apologies in case you've read this before.)


Hi all,

Early January I'm packing my bags (hurray!), leaving for Argentina, do some travel, and planning to get settled and work for half a year in La Paz, Bolivia from early February.

I am looking to do something in this line of work: community-building and enhancing the self-organisation of indigenous and other more vulnerable groups in society, helping out in contacting officials/municipal offices, etc. Generally trying to give those groups more of a voice and making them more aware of their rights and possibilities.

Maybe that is a bit ambitious for a half year volunteer stay. So, to make it less specific, I would say I 'would like to work with people'. Preferably grown-ups, not children.

Now, most offers I found come from international organizations that sell all-included packages for pretty high prices. I've traveled a whole string of countries in Central and South America already, and from experience I know there's usually a lot of on-the-spot work to be found where you either just work for free, or get a roof over your head and/or some meals included - not paying these fees.

Would anyone reading this have any experience finding volunteer work on your own in La Paz? And if so, could you provide me with some adresses, names, emails, websites, any other info of what you've been doing and how you found the experience?

As said before, I have more than a bit of traveling experience in the region and speak decent (not fluent) Spanish.

Thanks in advance,

Peter
habrie@xs4all.nl

Hi all,

Early January I'm packing my bags (hurray!), leaving for Argentina, do some travel, and planning to get settled and work for half a year in La Paz, Bolivia from early February.

I am looking to do something in this line of work: community-building and enhancing the self-organisation of indigenous and other more vulnerable groups in society, helping out in contacting officials/municipal offices, etc. Generally trying to give those groups more of a voice and making them more aware of their rights and possibilities.

Maybe that is a bit ambitious for a half year volunteer stay. So, to make it less specific, I would say I 'would like to work with people'. Preferably grown-ups, not children.

Now, most offers I found come from international organizations that sell all-included packages for pretty high prices. I've traveled a whole string of countries in Central and South America already, and from experience I know there's usually a lot of on-the-spot work to be found where you either just work for free, or get a roof over your head and/or some meals included - not paying these fees.

Would anyone reading this have any experience finding volunteer work on your own in La Paz? And if so, could you provide me with some adresses, names, emails, websites, any other info of what you've been doing and how you found the experience?

As said before, I have more than a bit of traveling experience in the region and speak decent (not fluent) Spanish.

Thanks in advance,

Peter
habrie@xs4all.nl

How long does the tour take? If you start at, say 1000 in the morning, at what time will you reach the end? Also, besides the Death Road, what else did you do while you visited?

Hello, my name is Taylor! Today at school in my spanish lass we learned about the Camino de la Muerte and it was really interesting to hear about so i was wondering if anyone could give me some facts on it? Thank You!!!
-taylor

Can anyone give me an adress of a bookstore where I can buy guidebooks for Argentina and Chile, Footprint or Lonely Planet.

Is it easy to find theese books, or should I bring them from home?

We already have Footprint for Bolivia and Peru, so I would really like not to carry more books.

What kind of clothing should we bring for La Paz in October?

I see at weather websites that the minimum temperature is extremly low (0 C = 32 F or below).

At what time of day does it get so low? How are the early evenings? What clothes should we bring?

Thanks!!

We are 2 adults and a child (12-yrs-old).

Our itinerary is Lima-Arequipa-Cuzco & MP - Puno - La Paz.
We fly each leg, except Puno-La Paz.

What should we do to prepare for soroche?

Hi there!

My name is Daniel. I am living in Arequipa, in southern Peru, since almost half a year. I am planning to travel to Bolivia for the end of september (starting around the 20th). I really want to visit the Parque Nacional Madidi, which seems to be a really unique place for people loving untouched nature and a huge variety of animals.

Now i have the following problem. The Lodge i want to stay in, called "Chalalán", has a price policy which is "a problem" for indipendent (solo) travellers. If i would book now, alone, they would have to raise the price by 50%. This in quite a lot. So i thought to search for another solo-traveller who had the same idea. Of course it would be possible to travel to other parts of Bolivia together. I plan to travel Bolivia for 3-4 weeks (including Chalalán).

What i want to do/see:

- Bike down the road from LaPaz to Coroico
- Parque Nacionál Madidi (Chalalán Lodge)
- Silvermines in Potosí
- Sucre
- Oruro
- Trip to Salar de Uyuni

So solo-backpackers! If some of you would like to see the unique Parque Madidi and save some money, please contact me right away!

For any question contact me at danielwohl@gmx.net

Hasta pronto and take care,

Daniel