Vacations Blog

Bolivia is not your run of the mill travel destination. To visit this country is to visit the true heart of South America. Where else can you see indigenous ladies wearing their traditional colorful layered dressed and bowler hats, a tropical paradise and snow-capped Andean mountains all in the course of one day?

La Paz is sure to leave you breathless in more than one respect. At 4000m it is not only the world’s highest capital, it also has the world’s highest commercial airport, and nearby is the world’s highest ski resort. Driving into the city from the airport, you will feel like driving down the rim of an extinct volcano… The city is surrounded by snowy mountain tops all year round.

One of La Paz’s top tourist destinations is the so-called witches market. Should you be looking for a Llama fetus to bury underneath your house for good luck, look no further. There are also numerous other markets. In the massive open air market of 16 de Julio you will be able to buy not only the latest electronics, but if that’s what you want you will also find a wireless reading device, a 5 piece drum set or one of the cute local musical instruments known as a rain pipe.

Don’t leave La Paz without bringing a visit to the famous coca museum, depicting the history of coca farming in Bolivia. If you thought that coca was only used to produce cocain, you are in for a surprise. The indigenous people have been using it for centuries to make tea, for medicinal purposes and to chew as an antidote to altitude sickness.

You are most likely not aware that a certain soft drink used all over the world, not only contains the word coca in its name, but that it actually contained cocaine for many years. How much coca it really contained is sort of a trade secret, but it is known that this practice lasted deep into the 20th century.

The festival of Gran Poder is the biggest and best known festival in La Paz. It is held yearly during winter and draws more than 30 000 participants. It’s a truly world class extravaganza of costumes, music and dance lasting from about 9 in the morning to deep into the night – by which time most dancers must be half dead with exhaustion.

If you are lucky enough to have brought your Alpine skiing equipment, why not take a day trip to Chacaltaya – the nearby ski resort. The top of the lift is situated at 5400m – the same height as the base camp at Mt Everest – so make sure you are properly acclimatised. Many people find it hard to read a book at this altitude, never mind do physical exercise!