Moon Valley

Located towards the South end of the city, at about 5 kilometers from La Paz, is "el Valle de la Luna" (the Valley of the Moon). The area's scenery is formed by rocky formations, which gives an eerie sensation of being on another planet or the moon. The odd characteristics of the rock formations, produced by erosion, continue to amaze and capture visitors from all ages.

On the road to the "Cactario" (Cactus Field), there is a small park with a large array of species of cactus. This is a perfect place to go for long walk or to ride bicycles.

Other natural attractions nearby incude:

"La muela del diablo" (the devil's molar). Towards the South end of La Paz and at a height of 3.825 meters above the sea level, there is "Muela del Diablo" (The Devil's Molar), a natural attraction which has unusual geologic formations inside of it caused by the constant erosion and the rain.

The Devil's Molar is an extinguished volcano and from a distance it seems like an old molar or large tooth of some sort that has been cracked and damaged by tooth decay, and because of the red soil of the area, it has been named the Devil's Molar. Up close it resembles a petrified dinosaur; a head can clearly be seen, including its feet and legs, and 6 large spikes on its back and tail.

The summit is a large flat surface; that has been considered a type of altar by local residents. During the month of August there are five festivities or offerings to the Achachilas (gods), who must be pleased in order to have a good harvesting season. This place can only be visited by foot and the actual walk is about 12 hours long.

"Canyon de Palca" (palca canyon). Located at 30 kilometers, Southeast from the city of La Paz, there is a picturesque little town called Palca. The canyon, which bears the same name, has an amazing view of the Illimani. At every step there are rock formations that look like gothic cathedrals and obelisks, which have been formed by the water.

The canyon of Palca is at a height of 200 meters above the sea level, it begins in the entrance of the town of Ovejuno, that area is known as "Cumbre de las Animas" (The Summit of the Souls).

"Valle de las animas" (valley of the souls). At 25 kilometers from the city of La Paz there is the "Valle de las Animas" (Valley of the Souls), which has a beautiful landscape filled with rock formations and clusters of naturally formed columns. The vegetation is scarce and there are some areas with straw or gleanings, with some low bushes, which in combination with the rock formations, provide a wonderful appearance to the whole scenery.

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