Complete guide to La Paz Bolivia by Grupo Rosario

TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT LA PAZ

ATTRACTIONS

ACTIVITIES

TRAVEL PLANNING

GETTING HERE

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

WHAT TO BRING

ABOUT TURISBUS

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ABOUT LA PAZ Located 3640 meters above sea level, the city of La Paz is nestled high in the Andes Mountains, between Bolivia’s vast high plateau and the subtropical region of the Amazon basin. La Paz is a fascinating city full of steep, snaking streets and colorful Indian markets radiates. Hundreds of years of history linger in the air in La Paz, from the colonial mansions around the city’s central plaza to the pre-Inca ruins that dot the landscape of the windy altiplano. La Paz is the government site of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, with a total population of 2,741,554 inhabitants in the whole state (approximately 1.6 million inhabitants in the city only). Most of the people in La Paz are creole, an interesting mix of Spanish and local Aymara, however people of other Andean nations like the Quechuas and Guarani have immigrated throughout the past generations. Many people in La Paz are generally bilingual, with Spanish being spoken first and Aymara as a second language. Nevertheless, there are a high number of people who speak other foreign languages such as English, French, Portuguese and German.

ATTRACTIONS IN LA PAZ Moon Valley Located down in the southern neighborhoods of the city, approximately a 30-minute drive from most of the hotels in downtown La Paz is Moon Valley. This incredible attraction was formed by natural erosion caused by the rain and the wind, leaving an incredible setting of tall stalagmites and deep trenches. Locals refer to this as Moon Valley due to a popular belief that the moon has similar shaping to this naturally eroded site. The protected park offers hiking paths for visitors to spend a few hours taking pictures of the formations, observing the vegetation and catching glimpses of wildlife like the Viscachas. Witches Market Near the popular neighborhoods of La Paz, close to the colorful markets and the cultural area of La Paz is the traditional Witches Market. Rather than being afraid of this place like the name might suggest, instead, the Witches Market is a place that shows the millenarian Andean traditions of offerings and rituals given to Mother Earth (Pachamama). Candy, colorful llama wool, incense and lots of amulets are given in an offering tray assembled by an Andean Healer that offers his services on the street to anyone who requires his expertise. Jaen Street In the heart of the Spanish old neighborhood, still with the original architecture and stone pebble paved floor is the picturesque Calle Jaen (Jaen Street). Houses from the 18th century, mostly made out of mud blocks and stones are transformed today into some of the most popular city hall managed museums, such as the Gold Museum, Costumes Museum and the Colonial Art Museum, once the House of the lieder of La Paz revolution. Pedro Domingo Murillo, leader of the revolution against the Spaniards, held secret meetings at

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4 here at this house during the revolution. Another house along Calle Jaen is the mighty Green Cross House, where the façade of the house was designed to keep ghosts and evil away from the frightened neighbors.

Killi Killi Viewpoint An outstanding 360-degree viewpoint in the middle of La Paz, just a 10 minute drive from the main plaza. With the whole city in front of your eyes, it’s as if touching the skyscrapers is possible when you have this extraordinary view of the city. Murillo Square The main city plaza, receives it’s name in honor to Pedro Domingo Murillo who after the revolution against the Spaniards in 1809 was killed and hung in the middle of the square, previously called “Plaza de Armas”. The square was updated in the early 19th century with a strong influence from France, along with many other cities in South America. In between the significant buildings you can find the Government Palace, located next to the Minor Church of Saint Peter: the Cathedral of Our Lady of La Paz. On the other side of the street, is the Legislative palace, where the congress of Bolivia resides in 2 chambers: Senators and Deputies. Indian Product Market This colorful market in town, just some few blocks up the hill from “Hotel Rosario La Paz“, is a wonderful place to see local Andean people commercializing products coming either from the low lands and the high plateau. The market covers several blocks, and requires at least 2 or 3 hours to explore these interesting streets. People in the Andes tend to be very shy, therefore pictures are not always well accepted, in that case, we recommend to take photos from a distance or to ask for permission in order to avoid any negative confrontation.

ACTIVITIES AROUND LA PAZ Movie Theaters You can find several movie theaters in La Paz. One of the most popular theaters is the one managed by the City Hall named “Teatro Municipal” which normally has a live music show every weekend. Downtown the “Multicine” shows a great selection of films at various times and a large selection of fast food restaurants can be found in the same area. Very similar is “Megacenter” at the southern part of the city in the Irpavi neighborhood. Large shopping centers, restaurants and supermarket are all combined in the same location. Cathedrals & Churches La Paz has several important churches in the city, such as the San Francisco Church. Built in the XVII century and managed by the Franciscan priest, the Church has a fantastic religious museum open from Monday through Sunday. Here you can find paintings by famous Bolivian & Peruvian painters along with the recently restored architecture of the church and the convent. The main Cathedral of La Paz is not as old as it may seem, being built only at the end of the XIX century and before construction paused in 1935. Only after the arrival of former Pope, John Paul II was the Cathedral completed with the Towers for the bells being finished in 1988. The church has a strong Italian architecture

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5 influence due to the architect who originally designed and built it. Coming from Italy and he tried to imitate the Style of the famous Major Church of Saint Peter in Rome. Hiking While in the city you can hike around the markets or throughout the colonial districts in town. Moon Valley is a great place to do some hiking as well as the “Cañón del Aguila”, where a nice path can be found with great views of the city. The “Valle de las Animas” is similar to Moon Valley except that the enormous geological formations are known by the locals as the espirts o souls (The Valley of the Souls). This place is the beginning of a quite famous hiking route that goes down through the Palca Canyon towards the little town of Palca town, a 3 hour downhill hike with amazing views of the snow caped Illimani mountain. Make sure to arrange this hike with a tour operator so that a guide can lead the way and a vehicle will be available to drive you back to La Paz.

TRAVEL PLANNING WEATHER The climate in La Paz is relatively nice throughout the year with there being two clearly separate seasons: Rainy Season and Dry Season. In the winter the temperature drops to around -6 Cº (21 Fº) and gets up to around 17º (62 Fº). Weather in summertime has a low of about 7º C (44 Fº) and warms up to around 23 Cº (73 Fº). In general, La Paz is a very dry place and due to the altitude the air is very thin, so some visitors might require visiting a physician before arriving to the city.

MONEY & ATMS Nowadays, Bolivians prefer taking “Boliviano” rather than any other currency in the world. US Dollars are still accepted but with more regulations and are willing received at a lower rate than in the past. Today $1 is equivalent to 6.96 Bs. (Central Bank updated to April 24 – 2013). Throughout downtown La Paz, especially in the main avenues, you can find plenty of ATMs. It’s recommended to bring someone along with you to keep an eye out while you are completing a transaction on one of the ATMs in La Paz.

MEDICAL SERVICES Most of the major cities in Bolivia will have quality medical assistance. La Paz is privileged to partner with the best private hospitals in all of Bolivia, although this same quality is not available in some of the small locations or tiny communities along the high plateau or the jungle of the La Paz department. If you have International Medical insurance, some of these private hospitals can fill a form for you verifying your expenses and medical treatment you received during your stay at the hospital. However payment for medical assistance will still be needed in cash or Credit Card. (Visa and Master Card preferable).

SAFETY

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6 The city is relatively save, compared to some other cities in South America, however the numbers of pickpockets increased due to unemployment levels in Bolivia. Do not carry an expensive purse or backpack and never leave them unattended. Try to keep it in front of you so you can have better control of it while walking around the popular neighborhoods of La Paz. If a taxi is needed, please take an authorized “Radio Taxi”, they have a telephone number on top of the vehicle and along the door.

INTERNET Internet Connection in Bolivia is not very fast and is quite expensive, although it is widely available in all the major cities of Bolivia. Most hotels and a large number of restaurants in La Paz offer Wi-Fi service. If you don´t travel with your own Laptop, tablet or smartphone, you can get Internet access at several coffee shops around the main avenue. 3 Bs. is the normal price for one hour of Internet connection.

LAUNDRY Most hotels in La Paz offer laundry service at an extra charge, every day of the week. But if you wish, there also quite a few places open to public during regular office hours. Make sure it´s open during your pick up day so you will not be stuck without your clothes if it´s closed the day of your trip.

GETTING AROUND Most of the important attractions in La Paz are near the downtown area, so you will rarely need to take a Taxi or a Bus. If you’re coming to La Paz via the airport, there are two ways of transportation to La Paz. Located at 12 Km away from the airport, a regular Airport Taxi can take you straight to the address you want to go ($12 to the southern neighborhoods and $10 to the downtown area). The other system you can use is a shared minibus with a fixed route along the main avenue of La Paz. Make sure you have a map or the address of your hotel in a convenient place during the route. Regardless, most of the tour agencies will offer transportation service to the airport 24 hours a day. If your flight is later that 20:00 up to 7:00 in the morning, this option can be very helpful.

VISAS A huge number of nations aren’t required to have a visa to enter Bolivia, however you should check at the Bolivian embassy in your country to see if you need one or not before arriving in Bolivia. American citizens are now required to apply for a Visa, which is not difficult to get and the Bolivian embassy charges $135 per person. Only Americans can purchase this Visa at the border or at the airport, but you should bring a copy of your passport and have the appliance form filled and signed.

BORDER CROSSINGS Some Bolivian borders are quite crowded because of the amount of travelers or business people commuting in and out of Bolivia. If your coming to Bolivia from a country where a visa is required, it is important to

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7 remember to still have a copy of your passport and have a photocopy of the visa given at the Bolivian embassy. No extra charges are made. Never leave your luggage unattended. Especially if you don´t have a travel agency helping you with the paper work and transferring your luggage from one country to the other.

TIPPING Local Bolivians do not regularly tip at a restaurant or when using a taxi, but in the tourism industry, guides, drivers, porters, bellboys, room service and anyone providing service to tourist will expect a tip from foreigners. Of course this will depend on the efficiency and quality of service the person at the time is providing. Some suggestions when taking a local tour, is to tip $10 to your guide and $5 to the driver. For a longer journey a reasonable amount to tip is around $20 a day to your guide and $10 to your driver.

GETTING HERE FROM ORURO If coming to La Paz from Oruro, normally after an excursion on the Salt Flats of Uyuni, you can take a local Bus leaving every hour at a very low charge. Usually the normal price for this bus service is 25 or 30 Bs. per person on a bus drive that takes about 4 hours trip.

FROM PERU There are many ways to reach La Paz from Perú: a) By Plane –Amazonas and TACA Airlines are companies providing air transfers from Cusco, Lima and other connections from Peru to Bolivia. b) By Bus – A variety of Bus companies make daily service from Peru to Bolivia and vice versa. They can be caught at the local bus stations. These Bus companies can provide a straight trip from Cusco to La Paz or some companies offer transportation via Copacabana, which, depending on your trip schedule can be ideal to spend some days at this picturesque town on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

FROM CHILE The easiest way to travel from Chile to La Paz is on the route coming from Arica – Tambo Quemado – Patacamaya – La Paz. This trip takes roughly 9 hours due to the immigration control in both countries at the Chilean-Bolivian border. There are not many bus companies making this service, therefore you must get a ticket far in advance, otherwise you might miss the bus and waste 1 full day for the next bus leaving to La Paz or Arica (Chile).

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ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS ALTITUDE SICKNESS When planning a trip that visits multiple cities, it is important to remember that affects that the altitude can have. Altitude sickness can result from the lower levels of oxygen in the air at elevations above 2,500 meters. Altitude sickness presents itself as a collection of symptoms not unlike a mild hangover. Symptoms can include drowsiness, nausea, headache, shortness of breath, upset stomach, lightheadedness or trouble sleeping. In most cases, the body acclimates in 1-2 days and the symptoms disappear on their own. The best advice for travelers arriving at high elevation destinations is to get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, to avoid alcohol and to not overexert yourself. There are inexpensive over the counter medications available in drugstores such as Diamox that treat symptoms. Coca tea, or mate de coca, is commonly recommended by locals to treat or prevent altitude sickness as well has carb-heavy meals and snacks high in potassium. Serious cases can also be treated with oxygen. In extreme cases, altitude sickness may require medical attention, with victims treated with steroids, medication, or hyperbolic chambers. Casual travelers are unlikely to reach elevations high enough to pose a serious danger in Bolivia.

SUNBURN & HEAT EXHAUSTION With Bolivia being close to the equator and most of its cities being at high altitude, the sun is extremely intense. Even during the rainy season and winter, the rays of the sun are strong, so regardless of where you are in the country, it is important to carry sun tan lotion with you, frequently applying it on exposed skin. Having sunglasses and wearing a hat can be essential in preventing sunstroke as well as always having a bottle of water with you, especially since remote areas of Bolivia may not have drinking water available. If you begin feeling lightheaded or begin experiencing symptoms of sunstroke, make sure to stop and rest in the shade with some water close at hand.

ANIMAL BITES It is important to avoid direct contact with all animals in order to prevent the chance of any disease, injury or illness. Any bites or scratches should be immediately washed and treated. Make sure your vaccinations are update before you travel Advise children of the dangers and make sure to supervise them whenever around animals Alert your doctor after your trip if any scratch or bite occurred while traveling

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FOOD The leading cause of illness with most travelers is disease from food and water. Here are a few tips for safe eating and drinking to pay attention to: • •

Wash your hands as often as possible and traveling with some hand sanitizer is also a smart idea. Make sure that your water is bottled with a fastened cap or at least boiled before drinking. Avoiding ice cubes and tap water is recommended.

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If you are purchasing food from street vendors make sure the meal is fully cooked before eating. Avoid non-pasteurized dairy products Vomiting and diarrhea can occur from food and water diseases, so make sure to purchase diarrhea medication before your trip to treat mild cases.

WHAT TO BRING Around La Paz and Bolivia in general, the high altitude can bring intense heat during the day as well as cold nights once the sun goes down. Packing for a variety of conditions like this while trying to keep your pack light can be a challenge. The best recommendation is to consider bringing layers that can easily be added and removed. A simple process to remember is that base layers (lightweight polyester or synthetic) manage moisture, middle layers (fleece or wool) are meant for insulating and outer layers (rain/wind shells) protect you from them the elements. A suggested packing list is provided below: − Comfortable boots/shoes with good ankle support. − Light weight trousers/shorts − T-shirts. (Avoid cotton. It holds moisture and keeps you cold) − Long-sleeved shirt (also helps protect from the sun) − Lightweight underwear and socks (thermal underwear can be extremely beneficial since it is light and warm) − Fleece or wool jacket − Rain shell − Hat or cap to protect from the sun. − Sun tan lotion, lip balm, sunglasses. − Money belt − Camera with spare batteries or a charger − Plastic sandals (useful for in the shower) − Binoculars − Water bottle

ABOUT TURISBUS

We are one of the most important operators of Incoming Tourism in Bolivia, with decades of experience in culture and nature trips around Bolivia and southern Peru, providing services operated by us and from selected tour operators that allow us to provide responsible, efficient and dependable services. We develop strategic partnerships to support communities and local enterprises of lake transportation and food in Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna, boosting job creation and tourism development in Bolivia. We have an excellent team of professionals that guarantee the quality of services, and turn every customer into a friend. We have a large fleet of modern vehicles of different capacities, in addition to trekking equipment that with the work of the guides team and sales staff, become our greatest assets available to the customer. We are recommended in the tourist guides South American Handbook, Bolivia Handbook, Guide Routard, Lonely Planet and many more. However, the best recommendations are from our own customers every day.

CONTACT US La Paz, Bolivia C. Illampu 704 Tel (591-2) 245 1341 Tel (591-2) 245 1658 La Paz - Bolivia experiences.turisbus@gruporosario.travel

Visit us at online:

www.GrupoRosario.com

Santiago, Chile Ebro 2869 Dept. 801, Las Condes Tel (56-2) 2717 4645 Cel (599) 8201 9838 Santiago - Chile gerencia.chile@gruporosario.travel