La Paz is uniquely built into surrounding mountains and when a raising population caused traffic and smog, the idea of a cable car system was born. It was impossible to build underground, so why not go up! It started with three separate lines in 2014. The Red, Yellow and Green lines, each representing colors from the Bolivian flag. In 2017, more lines were built to connect the existing lines.
For some reason Google did not have all the cable car stations on the map, which led us to the huge mistake of walking all the way up the mountain to catch a ride. Do not make this mistake, unless you want a really good workout! Each ride was 3 Bolivianos, which is less than 50 cents.
Here are a few rules to riding Mi Teleférico:
- You must buy a separate ticket for each different color cable car system
- The ticket is not a roundtrip ticket, you must get off at the end and purchase another ticket to return
- There is a pass you can buy if you are going to ride it multiple days, with a minimum purchase of 30 Bolivianos (need to ride ten times to make it worth it)
When visiting La Paz we only had time to ride the Orange, Red and Blue lines. Our guide in Cusco, Peru said that the Green, Yellow and Red were her favorites. Below you will find my review of each line that we rode.
The Orange Line: starts in central La Paz and heads up the mountain going East. Has a good view, but the red line goes higher and has a better view.
The Red Line: starts in central La Paz and heads up the mountain going West towards El Alto. Has a great view over the city & goes right over some colorful houses.
The Blue Line: you can connect to the blue line from the end of the red line. This line is located on the highlands and is quite flat, it heads in to El Alto towards the airport. During the day this ride was quite boring, but supposedly is very cool to ride at sunset. Only go on the blue line to get to the airport or to enjoy the sunset.
Riding Mi Teleférico is a must, whether you are riding to get somewhere or just to enjoy the view. Hope this is helpful for your future trip to La Paz, Bolivia!
Don’t forget to book your trip with your favorite travel planner, yours truly. If you like this post, check out How to Spend 24 Hours in Dublin!
