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Travel guide
La Paz and the Yungas Road
3 days · 5 things to do
Best time to go: May to October (dry season)
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Welcome
La Paz and the Yungas Road, in a few days
One of the highest cities in the world, clinging to the sides of its canyon and crossed by the largest urban cable car network anywhere. Come for the Witches' Market, the views from El Alto and the long mountain-bike descent of the Death Road.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Mi Teleférico cable cars · about 1 hUrban cable car lines used as everyday public transport, linking La Paz with El Alto above the rooftops of the canyon.
- Afternoon · The Witches' Market free · about 1 hStalls around Calle Linares selling herbs, amulets, potions and dried llama foetuses used in Aymara offerings to Pachamama.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Rosario La Paz€70 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Valley of the Moon · about 1 h 30Clay and sandstone eroded into spires and gullies on the southern edge of the city, explored on short marked trails.
- Afternoon · The Death Road by mountain bike · a full dayA guided downhill ride on the old Yungas Road, a narrow cliffside track dropping from a high Andean pass into subtropical forest.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Presidente€75 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · El Alto and its views · about 1 h 30The city on the plateau above La Paz, with views into the canyon and across to Illimani, a huge street market and colourful cholet buildings.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Illampu Art Boutique Hotel€90 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Salteñas: baked pastries holding a sweet, juicy stew, eaten as a mid-morning snack.
- Pique a lo macho: beef, sausage, chips, egg and hot peppers piled on one plate for sharing.
- Sopa de maní: a peanut soup, the best known of the filling soups of the highlands.
- Quinoa and potatoes: the Altiplano grows hundreds of varieties, including chuño, freeze-dried in the open air.
- Api morado: a thick, hot drink of purple corn, served at breakfast with a fried pastry.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Rushing the altitude: take the first two days in La Paz slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol.
- Drinking tap water, or diving into street food in the first days.
- Choosing a Salar agency on price alone: ask about its drivers, its vehicles and its safety record.
- Planning to the hour: road blockades are common, so leave a spare day or two.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyBolivian boliviano (BOB)
BudgetAbout €65 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to October (dry season)
PlugA/C · 220V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingRound up, or about 10% in restaurants
Emergency110 / 118
EntryVisa-free for up to 90 days a year for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports, and for EU citizens except Cypriots. US citizens have been exempt since December 2025. Make sure your passport is stamped on arrival: a missing stamp means a fine on the way out.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Yellow fever vaccination is advised for the Amazon lowlands, where malaria is also found; this route stays well above both. The real risk here is altitude.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/la-paz
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.