You've been where
Swinging over a city of contrasts in La Paz
From witches’ markets to moon-like landscapes, from funky bars to a workday commute involving the world’s highest and longest stretch of urban cable cars La Paz, in Bolivia, is quite unlike any other city.
It’s a city that doesn’t feature regularly on people’s bucket lists, but that delights even the most seasoned traveller.
And if you don’t believe us, our sister-in-law, Elyse Deyhew was in La Paz recently and agreed to share her thoughts for our latest edition of You’ve Been Where.
I love this response from Elyse: “I loved the vastness of the landscape compared to the colourful vibrancy of the city. It felt like two different worlds.”
Makes you just want to pack your bags and head to La Paz, doesn’t it…
We love hearing about the travel experiences of our friends, family and readers of AllAbroad. We pick up so many tips and find new places to travel to. We thought you might like to hear about their adventures too. So in this section we turn the website over to you, our travel family.
Read on for travel tips from the people that help inspire our adventures.
Who are you and what do you do for a living?
My name is Elyse and I work as a Medical Scientist in a laboratory. I love getting outside and exploring the world.
Where is home?
Perth, Western Australia.
Where have you been? When did you go?
Bolivia. September 2025
Who did you travel with?
The Duncan fam + Matt. (Dave, Ade, Di, Fee, Ally, Dan and Matt)
What were the highlights of your trip?
I loved the vastness of the landscape compared to the colourful vibrancy of the city. It felt like two different worlds.
We visited the mysterious Puma Punku in Tiwanaku, fascinating Valley of the Moon and The Valley of Souls, modern cable cars, unique Witches Market as well as very unusually themed bars.
What did you least like about your trip?
I just needed more time! I would love to visit Death Road, Salar de Uyuni (largest salt flats in the world) and explore more of the city.
The country can be tricky and time consuming to get around due to the extreme landscape and poor infrastructure. There was also a fuel shortage while we there, but this luckily did not impact our trip.
Do you have any funny stories from your travels?
Well, funny as in unusual… Using La Paz’s public transport system, the world’s highest and longest urban cable car network! Never did I expect this to be the way people get to and from work in Bolivia. We ate empanadas and donuts whilst admiring the view.
What were the locals like?
Despite much of the city living in poverty, the locals appeared happy and friendly. I felt very welcome and safe as a tourist in their city.
What was the food like?
The empanadas were delicious! They are a common local morning snack with a sweet outside and a savoury extremely juicy filling.
Did you learn anything about yourself or the world on this trip?
Travel is a different experience for different people. Bolivia is not the most popular tourist destination, but I found it safe, welcoming and fascinating. It is a place I would love to go back to.
Would you recommend others travel here? Why/Why not
Yes! It is a captivating place with lovely people. I just wish we had longer to do more exploring.
Do you have any tips for people thinking of travelling here?
Make sure you acclimatise to the altitude (3650m) before you start exploring. It can make even walking up the slightest incline a challenge.
Bring an open mind. Bolivia is not what I expected, it was so much more!
Been somewhere interesting lately? Drop us a line, we’d love to share your tips.
Read more reader adventures in our You’ve Been Where? series here.
Read more adventures from Bolivia here.
Read more adventures from South America here.
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