Built within a deep caldera-shaped canyon gauged into the high Bolivian altiplano, lofty La Paz is a city that cannot fail to impress. Overlooked by the snow-capped Mount Illimani, ramshackle houses cling to the sides of the canyon as far as the eye can see. The city is Bolivia's political and commercial hub and has always had a dual identity with two distinct societies; the indigenous and the "Europeans" (descendants dating back to when it was once a centre of Spanish power within the Andes) which coexist in this unique geographical space. Streets and plazas throng with pedestrians and bowler-hatted women known as cholas, dressed in wonderfully colourful attire. Not to be missed is the famous "Witches Market", a bustling indigenous market full of weird and wonderful wares from dried llama foetus', herbal potions and the offer of fortune telling services. For a bird's eye view of the city, take to the skies on the teleferico cable car up to El Alto up on the altiplano. To the south of the city is the eerie Moon Valley, an eroded hillside covered in tall pinnacles that create a maze of otherworldly geographical formations.
