Previous Next

El Alto Heights

Description:

Highlights:
La Feria del Alto
On Thursdays and Sundays, the longest market in the world (according to Guinness) is assembled between La Ceja and Plaza Ballivian. Anything from used plastic bottles, through rusty iron parts belonging to unidentified machines, twenty years old newspapers and brand new, though black market, cars can be bought here (see separate entry).

El Alto International Airport
The city of El Alto is split in two parts by the El Alto International Airport (see separate review); it can easily be reached by foot from La Ceja. La Ceja is where these two parts meet and thus it is the city’s nexus.

El Alto Bus Terminal
Locals prefer the El Alto Bus Terminal to the one in La Paz because it does not charge a use fee, does not request identification and shortens trips by at least half an hour. However, bus tickets are more expensive here, there are less companies competing for the passengers, and getting good places is harder.

La Ceja
The few streets comprising this area are one of the main commercial centers in the country and it may be the biggest travel hub in the country. South of the unused railway, the area belongs to La Paz; the much bigger part north of it to El Alto. The area is crowded day and night, providing an additional proof to the claim that El Alto is the fastest growing city in Bolivia.

Chacaltaya
The summit of this mountain is at 5395m above the sea level and just half an hour away from El Alto. It is possible to reach with a car up to 5300m and then continue by foot to the summit; it may be the only above 5000m peak in the world offering such a luxury.

Huayna Potosi
The Huayna Potosi Mountain separates the Andean Plateau from the Zongo Valley and is almost ubiquitously visible from El Alto. Roughly an hour away from the city, it reaches 6088 meters above the sea level and is covered by snow during the whole year. The summit has a solid cornice and one of the best views in the Cordillera Real. It can be climbed by amateurs.

Quick Tips/Suggestions:
During the dry, cold winter, the Altiplano is amazingly dry. Metallic surfaces would usually carry a static charge and should be approached with care. Lip balm is essential. In the cold weather the sun looks inoffensive, but due to the altitude it burns quickly; a wide hat and good sunglasses are imperative.

As in La Paz, packs of wild dogs take control over the city during the nights and early mornings; they should be avoided.

El Alto is almost unavoidable if travelling on the Andean Plateau; sadly it may be the most dangerous place in the whole country. Bolivians are slow and well natured but don’t let the outward sloppiness mistake you: criminal gangs control the area and according to the local newspapers they cooperate with the ubiquitous local police. Walking alone is not recommended even during the day; at night it would be a suicide. However, maintaining a no-nonsense attitude and moving quickly and efficiently through the area would ensure an eventless visit.

Fried local food should be avoided, since the oil is re-used; sometimes it seems to be so for years. The tucumanas are the safest snack and can be found easily on the main avenues surrounding La Ceja; they are sold for around a dime each. The ubiquitous “sopa de fideo” (a plate of noodles with cheese sold for a dime) are dangerous and can cause a severe diarrhea. “Pesje” is a dish of quinua with milk and cheese; an excellent breakfast which is a bit hard to find but worth the effort.

Best Way to Get Around:
The El Alto International Airport is the main gateway to the country, albeit an almost desolated one. A tax of almost fifty American dollars on departures (to be paid in cash) transformed it into an unpopular option. The main Bolivian air transport company had collapsed recently due to corruption; thus the only reliable company connecting Bolivia to America is American Airlines.

Roughly circular, at first sight Bolivia looks as an easy country to plan a trip on it. The second sight reveals difficulties. A big part of the country is occupied by the Altiplano (the Andean Plateau) which rises up to four kilometers above the sea level. The oriental part of the country is within the Amazonian Basin and is partly flooded during January and February. The third important zone is what the locals call the Valleys – the steep slopes connecting the Altiplano with the Amazonian Basin. Such a complex environment is an invitation for troubles.

Sadly, there are no good roads in the country. The only highway is a four lanes avenue (two in each direction) connecting downtown La Paz with El Alto and is only fifteen kilometers long. This reality transform any travel by car or bus into an almost Herculean task, even before taking into account the endless police control posts every few kilometers. Moreover, usually round-shaped countries offer several paths to reach a given location, but the roads and political situation in Bolivia do not allow doing so. For example, it makes sense for a tourist to begin the trip by visiting La Paz, then continuing to the Titicaca Lake and Copacabana and then reaching the southern Altiplano through Oruro… oops! There is no connection between Copacabana and Oruro since they belong to different political subdivisions of the country. The visitor needs to return to La Paz before continuing south. It is possible to travel between different “departamentos” only through the line connecting their capitals, and even that is not always possible.

Taking inland flights is only a partial solution. The flights are relatively cheap but they are also unreliable, schedules are problematic and recently problems with ticket payments have been widely reported. The “no-direct-connection” problem exists also here. Even many international flights are sarcastically called “milk-trucks” because they stop in all the major cities along the way, leaving from La Paz, the plane will stop in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz before leaving Bolivia.

Read More