Luxury Travel to La Paz, Bolivia

Most travelers will encounter La Paz at some point during their personalized tour of Bolivia, and it’s an encounter they won’t easily forget. La Paz, Bolivia is one of the highest cities in the world and enjoys a gasp-inducing high-altitude setting among a rising and falling Andean peaks. It isn’t fully Bolivia’s capital – that honor belongs to Sucre further south – though it is Bolivia’s political and commercial center.

Things to do in La Paz Bolivia? – Spend a few days in there and you’ll quickly get a feel for its dual identity. On the one hand, the city is thoroughly cosmopolitan, with international banks, recognizable brands, stunning cable car system and an urbane feel. On the other hand, it retains its unique indigenous customs, which are particularly evident at the city’s Witches’ Market. A fascinating insight into the indigenous Aymara culture, this market is stocked with all kinds of intriguing potions, remedies and paraphernalia designed to appease the spirits, which are said to live in the mountains and in nature. Among the unusual items on offer are dried llama fetuses. These are placed in the foundations of new buildings and offered up to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Often mulling around the market are witch doctors, or yatiri, who offer fortune-telling services and can be identified by their dark hats and coca pouches.

Just outside the city, the Valley of the Moon – so-called for its carpet of eroded lunar-like rock pinnacles and formations – makes interesting hiking terrain. With Kuoda’s personalized travel to Bolivia, you can also visit several archaeological complexes, which are within easy reach of the city including Tiahuanaco, a sprawling village settlement that dates back to 1,200 B.C.

La Paz, Bolivia makes for a great place to kick-off any private Bolivia tour, with many natural attractions – from the desert to the snowy mountain slopes – just a stone’s throw away from the city.