La Paz

Nuestra Señora de La Paz (English: Our Lady of Peace), commonly known as La Paz, is Bolivia's third most-populous city,the seat of the country's government and the capital of La Paz Department. It is located on the western side of Bolivia at an elevation of roughly 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level. It is, de facto, the world's highest administrative capital.

The city sits in a bowl surrounded by the high mountains of the altiplano. As it grew, the city of La Paz climbed the hills, resulting in varying elevations from 3,200 to 4,100 m (10,500 to 13,500 ft). Overlooking the city is towering triple-peaked Illimani, which is always snow-covered and can be seen from several spots of the city, including from the neighboring city of El Alto. As of the 2008 census, the city had a population of 877,363.[9]

Hitchhiking out

South towards Calamarca / Ayo Ayo / Patacamaya / Sica Sica / Caracollo / Cochabamba (via #1 Panamericana and #4 highways)

Hitch the #1 south to Caracollo, then #4 East from there to Cochabamba, more commonly known as "the road to Cochabamba." Get your first ride from the tranca just south of the east end of Avenida Litoral. Ask drivers how to get to Achocalla. On the route to Achocalla, ask to be let off at the tranca near the corner of Avenida Litoral and "the highway to Cochabamba." Start early in the day, as truckers going to Cochabamba leave in the morning.

West towards Copacabana / Peru

It is quite a long way to exit La Paz in this direction, because you have to cross El Alto as well, which is not reputed to be particularly safe. Below is a combination of buses that works.

First, get to La Ceja in El Alto. You can either take a micro from the city center, or take the red teleferico line until you reach its last stop (2 stops away from the terminal, 1 from the cemetery), go left when you exit the station, and walk 10 minutes past the green-and-white church. You'll know you're there when you see dozens of buses gathering with people shouting directions.

Second, get to "La terminal provincial". Not sure if it is the main terminal of El Alto. What you are really looking for is "the place where the buses to Tiquina are" ("el lugar donde hay los buses para Tiquina"). Ask around. 1 boliviano.

Then, there are two options. You can take a micro to go directly to Batallas (they indicate Tiquina, ask the driver), well out of El Alto in the right direction. Unlike the micros that go to Copacabana from La Paz' cemetery, these won't charge you the whole price to Copacabana for one third of the distance. Alternatively, look for micros going to "San Roque", which appears to be a place at the edge of El Alto. The rough ride will cost you 1.50 bolivianos. Then walk 15 more minutes in the direction of the bus until the road becomes larger. Here is your spot.

Note that on your way to Copacabana, you have to cross a small patch of lake at Tiquina. The ferry costs 2 bolivianos, and it is per person. There's no real way to evade it.

Accommodation and Sleep

There are no great places to camp in the metropolis, though stickbugg found Pura Pura of note. No word on what it looks like up close, and if there are any flat spots here, as it is undeveloped primarily because the highways switches back to get from the El Alto highlands to La Paz downtown. Worth your investigation if you're serious.