La Paz is a metropolis of many nooks and crannies. I had visited La Paz once before in 2011 when I was living in Sucre, but when I was passing through again in 2015, I wanted to get a new perspective on the city. In order to become reacquainted with the cultural and historic highlights, I decided to take a a private alternative La Paz walking tour with Aracari travel, local experts in luxury travel Bolivia, to get to know the city. The tour consisted of taking the cable car (Mi Teleferico) on the yellow line from the center of La Paz to the last stop which is in the 'Satellite City' of El Alto, up above the valley. Afterwards, the guide lead me back down with panoramic views of the valley below through residential neighborhoods built into the hills and then markets before reaching the center. Expert guiding on my La Paz Walking Tour My tour guide, Alejandra, was very punctual and was waiting for me at my hotel at 2 pm. We took a public taxi to the cable car stop and along the way she pointed out various things such as the Alasitas Fair, a market of miniatures open for about a month each year. Bolivians buy miniatures of things that they hope to have in the New Year, such as food, a new house, a cell phone, a car, or a baby. Alejandra provided me with a bottle of water, but as open food and beverages are not allowed on the cable car, it had to be stowed away in a bag for the ride. The cable car ride lasted about 15 minutes and had amazing views of the entire city spreading out into the mountains. Alejandra explained and pointed out different neighborhoods along the way and answered any questions
La Paz is a metropolis of many nooks and crannies. I had visited La Paz once before in 2011 when I was living in Sucre, but when I was passing through again in 2015, I wanted to get a new perspective on the city. In order to become reacquainted with…
La Paz from the air Sitting at an altitude of 3,650m (almost 12,000 ft), the cable cars in La Paz offer an unbelievable view of the city spreading as far as the eye can see, including the historic center, neighborhoods built into the mountains, and the snow-capped Andes. Cable cars are gaining popularity in Latin America as a way to escape vehicular congestion while traveling in the city. La Paz is the latest South American city to implement a cable car system. Rush hour traffic can be especially frustrating for those with long commutes to and from work, or just anyone trying to get somewhere! When some think of cable cars, they may think of the classic trolleys like those in San Francisco. The La Paz cable cars, called Mi Teleférico, are gondola lifts, and are actually similar to ski lifts in that they are suspended high above the city and move along a cable to transfer passengers from one location to another. Last week, April 23rd, was the first anniversary of the inauguration of cable cars in La Paz, Bolivia. It also happened to be the day when the twenty millionth passenger rode on Mi Teleférico. Construction of the first part of the cable car system started in July, 2012. There are currently three lines operating, the red, yellow, and green lines representing the colors of the Bolivian flag. There are 11 stations including a double station that serves as the end of the yellow and the green lines. Six more lines have been approved and are in the planning stages. The red and yellow lines connect La Paz with El Alto, a neighboring city and home of the international airport that serves La Paz. Because of the large Aymara population living in and around La Paz and El
La Paz from the air Sitting at an altitude of 3,650m (almost 12,000 ft), the cable cars in La Paz offer an unbelievable view of the city spreading as far as the eye can see, including the historic center, neighborhoods built into the mountains, and the snow-capped Andes. Cable cars…
