Take a deep breath – the air is thin in
the high-altitude city of La Paz. Bolivia’s
capital sits in a bowl-shaped valley,
surrounded by the peaks of the Andes
mountains. This part of the South
American Altiplano
, or ‘high plateau’,
is the long-time home of the Inca and
Aymara peoples. Today modern
skyscrapers rise up from the canyon
and urban cable cars sway overhead.
THE HIGHEST
CAPITAL IN THE
WORLD
At an altitude of 3,660m (12,007ft)
above sea level, La Paz is the
highest capital city on Earth. The
locals go about their everyday lives
at the same elevation as the world’s
loftiest ski resorts! Buildings cling
precariously to the steep slopes
around the edge of the canyon,
spilling down towards the centre
of town. La Paz often has its head
in the clouds, but residents have
to be wary of other weather
conditions, too. Sun, rain and
snow can be much harsher than
they are down at sea level.
SNOWY PEAKS
Even on a warm, sunny day in La Paz, snow glitters
in the distance. The city is set against a dramatic
mountain range called the Cordillera Real. The tallest
of its peaks, the Illimani, is snow-capped all year round.
The highest tip of the Illimani’s four summits clocks
in at a soaring 6,438m (21,122ft)! As well as being
famously difficult to climb, the mountain has become
an iconic symbol for both La Paz and the Bolivian
nation. As the local song goes, ‘Illimani, Illimani,
patrimonio eres de Bolivia’
– ‘Illimani, Illimani,
you are Bolivia’s heritage’!
HIGH-ALTITUDE
HEADACHE
Feeling dizzy or drowsy?
Finding it hard to catch your breath?
It can take a little while to adjust to the
thin air in La Paz. Many people need
to spend a few days taking it easy before
their lungs adjust to the city’s high elevation.
Locals call altitude sickness soroche
and
they have a special remedy for it – the
coca plant. Its green leaf is brewed
like a hot tea infusion.
A NEVERENDING RUNWAY
Aeroplanes come into La Paz via El Alto airport,
the highest international airport in the world. Up at
this altitude, the low pressure creates reduced air
resistance, making the planes move incredibly fast.
They need special tyres to handle the high speeds
and extra-long runways to land on. When an aircraft
has touched down it has to taxi for longer in order to
bring down its speed and finally reach a stop.
A RIDE IN THE SKY
La Paz is very crowded, so traffic congestion can prove a problem. When the streets
get too full, many skip the bus and go for a ride in the sky instead. La Paz has the
largest urban cable-car system in the world, with three lines in operation, and
plans for six more in the works. Many travellers commute between La Paz and the
neighbouring city of El Alto this way. When the proposed system is complete, the
sky-high cars will carry as many as 27,000 passengers in a single hour!
DEATH ROAD
The Camino a Los Yungas, nicknamed the
‘Death Road’, plummets from the heights of La
Paz to the depths of the Amazon rainforest. The
two-lane road measures a mere 3.2m (10.5ft)
across, lined with solid rock on one side and
the edge of a high cliff on the other. Hundreds
of people die on the hairpin turns of the Death
Road every year, but intrepid cyclists and
adventurers are constantly turning up to test
their luck. As well as tight bends and plunging
ravines, the road often succumbs to mudslides,
falling rocks and thick, rolling fog.