The pre-Columbian El Choro trek once formed part of the famous Inca Trail network known as the Qapac Ñan. It begins an hour outside of La Paz, at La Cumbre, and ends in the village of Chairo in the tropical Yungas valley. Along the way, hikers are treated to striking views as they descend from the frosty heights of the Andean range, past the cloud forest, and into a semi-tropical ranforest.
Don’t let the exceedingly urban environment fool you- there’s plenty to see in and around La Paz, even if you only have one day to do it. These are some of our favorite daytrips and excursions.
At Pirwa La Paz, we’re excited for one of the biggest festivals of the year, the Fiesta del Gran Poder. El Gran Poder means the all powerful, as the festival is based on Christ the All Powerful, the 2nd figure in an early 17th century painting of the trinity in which the three entities display Indian or mestizo features. The artist is unknown; a novice nun had brought the painting with her it as her offering upon entering a convent, after which the painting changed hands many times amidst a growing reputation for granting miracles. Devotion grew and in 1939 the Parochial Church of the All Powerful was founded in its name. What began in the 1930’s with a handful of dancers has exploded through the years into a riotous celebration reminiscent of Carnaval, which falls a couple of months earlier.
Aside from its cultured, artistic air, Sopocachi District also boasts some of the best restaurants and night life in La Paz. It’s definitely worth a stop during your visit to Bolivia’s capital city.
In this post, we’ve compiled our favorite activities to do in Sopocachi:
The steep terrain, narrow streets, and dense population of La Paz caused years of transportation issues which have been alleviated in recent years by a novel solution: the world’s largest urban cable-car system. For a city shaped like a bowl nestling in a ring of Andean peaks, these lines running up and down the hillsides is ideal. At 13,000ft above sea level, this cable-car ride is also the highest in the world. If you’d like to know more about riding above the world’s highest capital, read on!