Valle de la Luna

The Valle de la Luna is a patch of badlands in the Mallasa district where soft clay and sandstone have been cut by rain into a dense field of spires, ridges and gullies, pale grey and ochre, with almost no vegetation. It is not a valley and the moon comparison is loose, but the ground genuinely does look unlike anything around it, and two marked walking circuits of twenty minutes and forty-five run through and between the formations on gravel paths and steps. The altitude here is around 3,200 metres, lower than central La Paz, so the walk is easier than most things in the city. It is the standard half-day trip from La Paz and is easily reached by public minibus or taxi.

What you actually see

• Clay spires - dense eroded pinnacles in grey and ochre.
• The marked circuits - two paths of twenty and forty-five minutes.
• Gully walking - paths threading between the formations.
• The city edge - suburbs and hills visible around the site.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, when the paths are firm. Rain both creates the formations and makes the paths slippery. Morning and late afternoon light shows the shapes best; midday flattens them.

Honest expectations

The site is small and the visit takes under two hours. The formations are fragile and walking off the paths damages them. It sits on the city edge with houses and a road visible, so it is not a wilderness. Sun at altitude is fierce and there is no shade.

Nearby

Valle de las Ánimas lies east; central La Paz is north.