La Paz

La Paz
Located 3,610 meter above sea level, is known as the most important Andean cities. It almost rises as the feet of the majestic Illimani. At first sight it looks like a moon crater, for the light and color are not found in its strange landscape, but in its people and rich culture.

Although the capital city of Bolivia is Sucre, the government seat which centralizes a big part of the financial and public administration activities is found in La Paz. It possesses unique topographic characteristics, steep streets and wide avenues; it is a unique metropolis, were modernity and ancientness mix through ethnical diversity and its people’s culture.

La Paz is also the starting point to get to know one of the only countries in the world which conserves its identity and the same time offers wonderful landscapes: ranges plateaus, lakes, jungles, colonial cities and spring valleys. Bolivia seems to live in another historical period and in a world worth of dignity and exuberance.

The historical center of the city, maintains its unmistakable air of seniority, in its antique colonial buildings and churches, and its main style of baroque.

In 1831 the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de La Paz, was built. It is located in the main square of La Paz, the Plaza Murillo. It is built with a neoclassic style and the façade is divided into two bodies. It also counts with a sacrum art museum. The convent and temple of San Francisco dates since 1549. Though it was destroyed by a snowstorm in the XVIIth century, it was restored; however these restorations are not completed yet. Its baroque façade was constructed towards the year 1790 and its tower in 1885. The inside has a baroque style also, which was finished in 1753, after 40 years of work. Its retable is famous for its delicate weft, done in golden bread. The church also counts with a picture gallery which presents a famous art collection of the Renaissance, mannerists, baroque, mestizo, and neoclassic.

San Pedro’s Temple was built in the year 1790 after the fence Tupac Katari did to the city. The portrait is from the end of baroque style to the beginning of the neoclassic. In its base and columns it has lions and shells and on the floor the names of the priests are carved.

The church of Santo Domingo was projected in 1609; the façade is totally worked out in stone and it has a baroque style. In the superior part there is a window done in the typical decoration of baroque-mestizo, from which you can see great peacock figures and fruits. The inside was restored in the XIXth century in neoclassic style. The little chapel owned by the artisanship is done in mudejar, a very notable material.

Another interesting building is the Palace of the Arana lords, which is now the National Art Museum, built in 1775. It corresponds to the late baroque and it counts with 10 acres of a stones art gallery. It also has an important collection of colonial pictures, Gregorio Gamara’s linen, Melchor Perez de Holguin, painters of the XIXth century and other contemporary.

Another important museum is The National of Archeology popularly called Tiwanaku. It is located in a modern building which cherishes the valuable ruins. It has collections from the great civilizations of Tiwanaku, considered to be the oldest and most advanced of America, and a special room dedicated to the golden deities found in Lake Titicaca.

La Casa del Marques de Villa Verde, the ethnic and folklore museum, dates from the year 1790. It shows our handicrafts, typical suits, and musical instruments. Another old house contains the Pre-Columbian Museum of precious metals, constructed in the XVI’s th century.

In the Witch market, in the old part of the city around the San Francisco church, you will find more specific sales in the middle of colonial streets like Sagarnaga street and Linares. The Fair carries the name “the Witch Street” because in it you can find traditional curative products of the Callawaya culture.

Tiwanaku
This impressive and subtle archeological complex is found 72 km away from the city. Only 10 percent of the ceremonial and administrative city has been uncovered. It dates back from the XIIIth century. It is believed that the oldest American civilization was developed here around the year 1600 A.C. A straight architecture line draws a crowned horizon of the massive Andean mountains.

The great sun Door, one of the best conserved ruins, is an agriculture calendar. In the Kalasasaya sector you can see two monolitos. There are also underground temples whose walls have painted on them face pictures. In an ancient pyramid, on top of a hill, you can find Acapana’s remainders.

 

Lago Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is located 65 km from the city of La Paz. It is the highest lake of the world, containing crystalline waters, with populated islands, such as the Sun Island, Moon Island, etc. The Sun Island is known as the place where the Incan Empire was said to have started. It shows some pre-Columbian arquitechtonic works, such as the Pilkokaina Palace and the Chincana, which means maze or a place where people get lost. There are the Yumani stair cases, the three water fountains of the pre-Hispanic terraces, and the very well structured water canal systems.

The Moon Island is known as Koati, which means that it is only inhabited by the chosen one’s of the king. Its special, subtle, and beautiful works in trapezoidal and terraced elements made of stone give great value to these constructions. Their doors point to the Illampu, a mountain covered with snow.

Chacaltaya
Located in the Andean Cordillera Real (royal mountain range), about 30 km (19 miles) from La Paz, with an average altitude of 5,300 metres above sea level (17,388 ft), the Chacaltaya provides a spectacular panorama of lagoons and altiplano (high plains), particularly between the months of April and October, when the climb by vehicle takes around two hours.

 

Copacabana
Its principal place is Copacabana. Here you find comfortable hotels and good restaurants where you can delight yourself with delicious fish such as trucha, pejerrey and Karachi. This city is crowned with a marvelous church of the XVI th century which contains the marvelous Virgin of the Candelaria, patron of Bolivia. Its festive is celebrated on the first and third of February with great and colorful processions. Other collective and religious parties take part the first days of May, June 23rd for San Juan, and the first days of August.

You can take any boat from the Copacabana harbor and go to the Sun Island, or the Moon Island. The Sun Island is full of vines and old rock passages, as well as small houses and places where you can stay. The legend says that the first Incas Mama Ocllo and Manco Capac, were born here. This used to be a place where there was no electricity, hardly populated, very calm, far from civilization. Now it counts with many hotels ranking from very elegant ones to small ones where you even sleep on the floor.

These hotels though have not yet disturbed the calmness and beautifulness of this place. It is convenient to stay for more than one day to see all of its wonderfulness.

Other options you can visit in Lake Titicaca are Huarina and Huatajata. You get here by taking the Achacachi road. In both of these places you can find excellent hotels and restaurants such as: The Bolivian Yatch Club, Crillon Hydroharbor, and The Inca Utama Hotel.

Pre Columbian roads -Takesi
This route takes us to the Southern part of Los Yungas, through Chojlla, the mine center, and to the town of Yanacachi. It takes two days of walks and hikes through beautiful landscapes.

Pre Columbian roads - Choro
This route takes us to through the Cumbre of Coroico, in a walk which up to 3 days, also enjoying the beautiful landscape.

Yungas - Coroico
Los Yungas is located 4 hours away from the city of La Paz. The road reaches an altitude of 4,725 km which then descends to only 80 km. You go from the coldness of the Altiplano to the tropical hotness of Los Yungas. The4 best season to visit these places is during May and June, because there is less danger in the roads due to the less rainy season. You can also go down this road in a bike but its preferable if you are an expert.

Through this road you will get to Coroico, a lively town, which hangs from a mountain 1.700 m high. Here there is a banana and coffee production center, which also counts with touristic centers. Here you can get a guide to lead you around the dangerous jungles.

Pilón Lajas- Mapajo
The Mapajo accommodation was built the communitarian people of the Quiquibey River. Most part of the material was from the place and they used their traditional style to build it. The accommodation is the starting point in order to get to the different streams and rivers, forests, serranias and communities, which are parts of the places to be discovered in our territory.

Mapajo Indigenous Ecotourism takes you to the heart of Pilon Lajas, the Quiquibey River, where one can experience the natural state of the Amazonic forest, observe many species of the flora and fauna, discover the Moseten and Tsimane cultures, and enjoy our lifestyle.

The Mapajo Complex is only three hours by sailing from Rurrenabaque and at 10 minutes from the Indigenous Community of Asuncion.

Mapajo Indigenous Ecotourism belongs and is operated by the Quiquibey River’s community people. The income generated by tourism goes to protect our forests, animals, and life style. All the incomes of Mapajo go to the financing of small projects to improve our family and community’s lives.

We hope that you enjoy our humid forest and our culture, and all that which they offer, with a minimum impact. Our tourism philosophy is based on respect for our nature and inherited culture.

Apolobamba
The Apolobamba protected area, located in the Department of La Paz in the Franz Tamayo and Bautista Saavedra provinces, covers an area of 4,837 km2 (3,006 sq. miles) and encompasses a large range of ecosystems as well as a vast wealth and diversity of flora and fauna. It is home to animals like the vicuña, jucumari (Andean bear), taruca (Andean deer), titi (Andean mountain cat), giant coot, huallata (Andean goose), and cóndor. It is estimated that there are approximately 1,500 difference species of flora in this area. The ancestral lifestyles and traditions of the Aymara and Quechua inhabitants of Apolobamba, including the Kallawaya healing communities, are preserved nearly intact.

The breathtaking scenic beauty of Apolobamba is primarily due to the imposing snow-capped Akamani, Presidente and Katantika mountains, the glacier-fed lagoons and towering glaciers like Mount Chaupi Orcko, one of the highest in the world. The region has archeological sites and pre-Colombian trails. It is the main centre of the Kallawaya culture, and is also famous for its high-quality textile weavings and traditional music known as Kantus.

Carabuco-Charazani
These are places with turistic, cultural, natural and mystic values such as the sightseeing places and harbors as the Lake Titicaca, the church of Ancoraimes, the mural painting, and the Carabuco ridge, and the Escoma town. Your can observe the costume of the lakeside Aymaran civilizations as well as the dominical fair of Achacachi.

The principal attractions are the towns of Charazani, Curva and Amarete. Its principal natural attractions are: its view from the different ecological floors, its close view to the Cordillera Real and its climate.

Its principal cultural attraction is the world of religious syncretism that is identified with the region. It is the Callawayas and doctors territory as well as many natural medical plants.

It is also an ethnotourism center because the already mentioned towns, specially Amarete, conserve their garments and traditional costumes.

Huayna Potosí
Cordillera Real Or Cordillera de La Paz is the most beautiful part of the bolivian Los Andes. The mos important pic ins this range are: Illampu (6.380) Huayna Potosi ((6.095) and Illimani (6.402)

Sajama National Park
This park is located at the far northwest corner of the Department of Oruro, in the Cordillera Occidental (western mountain range) region that borders on neighbouring Chile. It is one of the first protected areas of Bolivia. It is best known for the snow-capped peaks of the Sajama Volcano at 6,542 metres above sea level (21,463 ft) and other surrounding mountains, interspersed with extensive forests and grassland where llamas and alpacas co-exist with a variety of wildlife. Its flora is composed of ancient forests of Keñua (Polylepis tarapacana), believed to be the highest growing trees in the world, bofedales (peat-bog wetland systems) and scrublands. The local fauna includes species like viscachas (of the Chinchilla family), suris (Andean ostrich) and vicuñas (small camelid).

There are also archeological and historical sites, such as ancient ruins, chullpares (burial structures), pukaras (watchtowers), and colonial churches.

National Park Madidi
It was declared the National Park of Madidi in 1995. It covers from the Andes to the Amazonic Cuenca and also all the unsharable biodiversity. It is located in La Paz, to the Northeast, occupying 1,800,00 hectares. Not only is it the home of more than 1.000 species of tropical birds, but of 44% of all the tropical mammals. The region is also a great center of endemic plants.

Chalalan
Chalalan is found in the National Park of Madidi, to the shores of Lake Chalalan, being used as an ecological refugee for tourists. It was built very carefully taking into account the environment that surrounded it. They used the material from the woods and solar energy. The community shareholders of San José de Uchiopamonas own it.

Navigation activities can be carried out in its rivers, such as: Beni and Tuichi. Chile sailing you can observe and monitor the birds and mammals, as well as go on canoe trips and night strolls.