HIKES AND EXCURSIONS IN THE SURROUNDING OF LA PAZ

Here you will find information about hikes and excursions in the surrounding of La Paz. Most of the destinations can be reached by public transport, so it is possible to do these excursions by your own. The other trips have to be booked at a local tour operator. All hikes and excursions are one day trips.

For further information and offers please send us an e-mail.

Muela del Diablo - Valle de la Luna, Zoo - Mountainbiking La Paz - Coroico

With an altitude of nearly 3.900 meter the devil`s tooth is really tiny, compared to all other mountains in the region of La Paz. But the fantastic form it`s near to the city and of course it´s low altitude makes this peak a perfect beginning for hikes near La Paz.
Coming from La Paz the best way to get there is to chose a bus, a minitaxi, or one of the trufis. You can also take a regular taxi, but it will cost a little bit more. The costs for a bus or minitaxi will be around 1.50 to 3 bolivianos depending on the vehicle, which is about 0.15 - 0.40 US $. The taxi will be a little more. It will be good telling the driver where you want to go, so he will let you off on the right corner. The beginning of the tour is in Cota Cota.

After passing a small river one have to follow the road uphill. If you don´t want to follow the road it is also possible to follow a small path beside the road which crosses several times the road. After about 45 minutes you will reach a plateau where a small settlement is located. At this point you will have a great view to the devil´s tooth (look at the picture).

After passing the little village the path goes steep uphill. You have to cross another small plateau, before the path goes uphill through the rocks of Muela del Diablo. After the village it takes another 40 minutes to reach the summit. The peak is between the huge rocks and is marked by a stonebuilding and a wood bar.

From the top one have a great view over south of La Paz, the Valle de la luna (Moon Valley) and the great Illimani, 6.439 meter. If you`d like to photograph La Paz at night, with it´s wonderful shiny appearence it is recommend to begin the tour in the early afternoon. At the end of the road one will find a good path along the slope. Here it is possible to make some amazing pictures and enjoy the beauty of La Paz at night.

An alternative will be the descent to Mallasa.

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The Moon Valley is located about 10 km south-western from the city center of La Paz, just right before the village Mallasa. This valley is one of the most spectacular sites of Bolivia, where you will view bizarr stone- and rockformations. Different sorts of cactuses and bushes grow also in the valley. Photographers will find plenty of beautiful themes here. A loop road crosses the whole valley and the dangerous areas are safely because of handrails. Nevertheless visitors should wear proper shoes. The loop road will take you about 2 hours, this is enough time to visit everything without ruffle. The Moon Valley is open from monday-friday from 9 am till 4 pm. The entrance fee is for adults 15 bolivianos which is equal to 2 US $. Don`t forget sunscreen and enough liquid. Every taxi driver will know the spot and from the center of La Paz departure regularly buses and minitaxis.

To spend the whole day it is recommend also to visit the zoo, after Valle de la Luna. The zoo is in the village of Mallasa which is located very close. It is a easy walk of about 20 minutes to get there. One has just to follow the main road in direction Mallasa. On the way you will find some ice cream parlor and restaurants.
The zoo is open 7 days per week and the entrance is 3.50 bolivianos for adults and 1.50 for children. You will see a lot of domestic animals, like the jaguar, condor or the vicuña.
The zoo is huge and on the weekends a popular meeting point for families which play soccer in the park or having a picnic.
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This day trip have to be booked by a local tour operator. The road is called "worlds most dangerous road" and some of the agencies hand out t-shirts to their customers after these amazing ride, as an evidence that they did this adventure. For downhill freaks this tour is absolutely an obligation. Also people with no experience who`d like to do an adventure can book this tour, if they give enough attention.
It is really necessary to choose the right tour operator, because not all of them can be recommend, because often the equipment is not adequate.

Normally one will leave La Paz in the morning to Coroico. The start is at the pass "La Cumbre" at an altitude of 4.700 meter. It is a two hour drive with the bus. The distance to the end of the trip at an altitude of 1.400 meter is 64 km. At an altitude of 3.900 meter is a passage where the road goes a little uphill. For those who have little problems because of the high altitude it will be better to get in the van again.
Before starting the ride, the guides give a introduction about the equipment and tell you which is totally necessary and which things are forbidden. One guide rides always in the front, while the other is the "tail-light". They communicate by walkie-talkies with each other. Every 15-20 minutes they will stop for a little while so that the group don`t stretch too long.
The first 20 km of the ride is on aspahlt, so everybody have enough time to prepare for the rough part of the road. After half the way there will be a larger break, the lunchbreak. The endpoint will be reached between 1-4 pm, depending on the group. Depending on the tour operator every participant will get his t-shirt, while drinking the well deserved beer. The bikes will be stored again and after everything is finished one will visit Coroico where it is possible to take a shower.

Finally a buffet will be served to get the stomach filled with carbohydrate again. The bus will leave Coroico at 3-4 pm in direction La Paz. Now you have enough time to watch the cliffs and the surrounding. At 8-9 o`clock in the evening you will be back in La Paz.
Some tour operator offer also a CD-ROM with photos and videos from the tour for a fair price.

This tour will be a highlight of your Bolivia trip!

For further information please send us an e-mail.

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