Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nuts & Bolts
The trip begins around 7am in La Paz. Your agency will arrange a hotel pickup. From there, you bus it up to the
cumbre (summit), about 45 minutes outside La Paz. Trips cost anywhere from B$310 to B$750, but you get what
you pay for. Advanced riders can include a fun section of single track up top for an extra B$100. Most operations
provide a solid buffet lunch in Coroico, and some even have arrangements with hotels for showers and swimming
pool rights. There is a B$25 surcharge to use the old road. Bring sunscreen, a swimsuit and dust-rag (if they don't
provide one), and ask about water allotments. The bus takes you back up in the early evening; expect to arrive in
La Paz around 9pm.
La Paz on Foot
(
7154-3918, 224-8350;
www.lapazonfoot.com
;
400 Prolongación Posnanski, Mira-
flores)
This is a tip-top operation run by the passionate English-speaking ecologist Steph-
en Taranto, and offers a range of activities, including walks in and around La Paz, Apo-
lobamba, the Yungas, Chulumani, Madidi and Titicaca. The fascinating, fun and interact-
ive La Paz urban trek (half-day tours B$160 to B$175, day tours B$295 to B$315, de-
pending on group size) heads from the heights of El Alto to the depths of Zona Sur. Other
tours include art and architecture, living history, stimulants (think coca, cocoa and coffee)
and a mural explorer tour. Trips further afield include a three-day Pacha trek, a four-day
Condor trek, a Yungas coca tour, and various nature trails. Multilingual guides are avail-
able.
ECOTOUR
Courses
For musical instruction (in Spanish) on traditional Andean instruments (such as the
zam-
poña, quena, charango
) inquire at the Museo de Instrumentos Musicales (
Click here
)
.
Note that not everyone advertising language instruction is accredited or even capable of
teaching Spanish, however well they speak it, so seek local and personal recommenda-
tions, and examine credentials before signing up. Plan on paying around B$60 per hour
for individual instruction and B$30 to B$50 for group lessons. Many schools can offer
homestays (on a weekly or monthly basis) that include three meals a day and cost around
US$350 per month. Living with a Bolivian family is an amazing cultural experience and
the best way to learn the language.
ie Instituto Exclusivo
LANGUAGE COURSE
