Bolivia La Paz and the altiplano

  • Indigenous ladies sitting on a pavement in La Paz
  • View of La Paz with mountains in the background
  • Lake in grassland in Sajama National Park
  • Yellow pods of the Cable Car in La Paz
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At a dizzying 3,632m above sea level, La Paz is easily the highest capital city in the world. Overlooked by the icy Mount Illimani, the city bustles with quirky street markets.

Overview

Driving along the flat, windswept plains of the high-altitude altiplano, you are taken by surprise when you find yourself on the lip of a broad canyon brimming with the colourful, closely-packed buildings of Bolivia’s capital.

At a dizzying 3,632m and overlooked by the ice-jacketed Mount Illimani, La Paz is a busy place with a compact historic centre from which endless quirky street markets fan out. There are also modern boulevards with cool bars and ice cream parlours, where Aymara Indian ladies shuffle by in their traditional ponchos and bowler hats.

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Holidays La Paz and the altiplano

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

Atacama Desert Death Valley, Chile

Group - Classic

Peru / Lake Titicaca / Bolivia / Chile

Andean Flamingo: Andes laid bare

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Sun over Machu Picchu in Peru

Group - Discovery

Peru / Lake Titicaca / Bolivia

Condor: Peru in depth

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Car on the Uyuni Salt Flats

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Discover Bolivia and northwest Argentina

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Things to do

We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.

Accommodation

Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.

Hotel Rosario
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Where to go when - our guide to La Paz and the altiplano

View of La Paz with mountains in the background

The weather in La Paz and the altiplano is wide and varied

At a dizzying 3,632m above sea level, La Paz is easily the highest capital city in the world. Thanks to the high altitude, temperatures in the capital and the surrounding windswept plains feel chilly year round. The summer months (November - March) are rainy and humid with dull skies, while the winter (Apr - Oct) sees colder temperatures but brilliant blue skies and radiant sunshine. The Fiesta del Gran Poder (held annually in May or June) ignites the city with colourful street parades and costumed dancers.

View our La Paz and the altiplano weather guide

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Maggie
    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

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    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

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    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

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    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

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