Everything people ask before coming to the valley.

A valley of eroded stone spires on the south-eastern edge of La Paz, 22 km and about 45 minutes from the center, at about 3,965 m. Bigger, taller and quieter than Valle de la Luna, with real trails between the formations. The complete guide.

Because of the shapes: hundreds of needles standing close together like a crowd. Local tradition adds stories about the spirits of the place — ask your guide, they grew up with them.

About 3,965 m — roughly 300 m higher than the center of La Paz and about the altitude of the airport. After one night in the city you are most of the way acclimatized; you feel the extra on the climb.

The PumaKatari city bus (3 Bs) to its last stop in Chasquipampa, or the yellow-line minibus 844 (4 Bs), then a walk to the chain; or a taxi from the center (60–80 Bs, about 40 minutes). The access is not obvious and most people who go alone lose time finding it. How to get there.

10 Bs per person, in cash, collected by a local family at a chain across the access road, from about 5 am to 8 pm. Included in every Fat Cat tour.

The flat loop is 20 minutes; up to the main viewpoint and back is an hour and a half to two hours with stops (4–5 km); the full circuit is 4 to 4.5 hours. With Palca Canyon it becomes a six-hour morning.

Easy to moderate. Loose ground, a 25-minute climb at a slow pace, no shade, almost 4,000 m. If you can walk around La Paz, you can walk the valley — slowly. Trails by difficulty.

First light — between 6 and 6:45 am depending on the season — for the photographs, and the last hour before sunset for the experience: the valley goes orange and you watch La Paz light up below. Midday is flat. When to visit.

Dry season (May to September) for clear skies and vehicle access into the middle of the valley; rainy season (December to March) for clouds drifting between the spires. It is open all year.

Luna is closer, smaller and busier — a 45-minute boardwalk next to the road. Ánimas is bigger, taller and empty. One afternoon: Ánimas. Twenty minutes: Luna. Both: our day tour. The comparison.

Rain erodes a thick bed of soft sediment unevenly: harder caps protect the columns beneath them while the rest washes away. Same process as Valle de la Luna, thicker bed, taller spires — and young: roughly 300 to 800 years of erosion. The geology.

Yes, but always tell the community members at the chain first. An unannounced drone is taken as a threat and the reaction can be hostile. On our tours the guide handles it.

None of the three — no toilets, no shops, no parking. The valley is a new destination and the infrastructure is still being built. Go before you enter (the nearest toilet is about 10 minutes away by car); on our tours the guide plans the stop. Bring 1.5 L of water per person.

The flat loop from about six years old. The climb to the viewpoint has exposed sections — tell us the ages and we will be honest.

The natural continuation of the valley, twenty minutes further by road: a dry riverbed between walls up to 200 m high, about 8 km to the village of Palca, with the Illimani and the Mururata ahead. Our tour walks the best stretch in 40 minutes to an hour. Palca Canyon.

The center sits at about 3,600 m, the airport in El Alto at 4,061 m, Zona Sur — where the valley road starts — around 3,300 m. Altitude, explained.

Most visitors feel a headache or short breath the first day; almost everyone is fine by the second morning. Sleep, drink water, skip alcohol, walk slowly. Tell us if it is your first day — we adapt the pace and carry oxygen.

Ask your doctor before travelling; many take acetazolamide. Coca tea helps some people. We are guides, not doctors — but we know the symptoms and when to go down.

Like any big city: fine in daylight in the areas visitors use, radio taxis or ride apps at night, phone out of sight in crowded markets. Our tours pick you up at your door.

We pick you up: $25 to downtown, $35 to Zona Sur, private taxi for one to three people, and we plan your first day around the altitude. Official airport taxis are the alternative; agree the price first.

Sunny and cool by day (14–17 °C all year), cold at night — near freezing in the dry season, May to September. Rainy season December to March, with afternoon storms. The sun burns fast at this altitude: SPF 50 always. Best time to visit.

The cable cars at sunset, the Witches’ Market with someone who can explain it, Calle Jaén and Plaza Murillo, Valle de la Luna if you have twenty minutes, the Illimani from Killi Killi. Things to do.

Two nights minimum: one to acclimatize, one for the valley and the city. Three if you add Palca Canyon or a sunrise.

The day tour ($75) if you want the valley at sunrise plus the Moon Valley and the city in one day. The private tour for the same day at your pace, with the real Witches’ Market and the Yatiris. Sunrise or sunset if you only want the valley. Palca for the canyon. City Highlights for four hours on foot.

Same route. Shared: every day at 5:30 am, 3 to 6 people, $75 per person, ends at the Witches’ Market. Private: your vehicle and guide, flexible start and stops, from $60 per person with six down to $215 alone — plus the experiences a group cannot fit in: the authentic market, the Yatiris, two or three cable-car lines.

Day tour, sunrise and Palca: 5:30 am from your hotel. Sunset: 4:30 pm. City Highlights: 8 am, 1 pm or 3 pm. Private: whenever you say.

Anywhere in the city — central La Paz, Sopocachi, Zona Sur. Further out, ask and we will tell you honestly.

WhatsApp +591 67152270 with your date and how many you are, or email fatcat@valledelasanimas.com. Sales answer from 9 am to 3 pm every day; once you are confirmed, operations are reachable 24 h.

PayPal, credit or debit card (Stripe), WeTravel, crypto, or cash in La Paz. You pay the full amount when you book and your date is confirmed instantly. International visitors get a tourist invoice at the published price; Bolivian residents needing a standard factura pay 16% extra for VAT.

Change your date free up to 3 pm the day before. Cancel within 24 hours of booking for a full refund. Cancel up to 3 pm the day before for a 70% refund; after that, or if you do not show up, no refund. If we cancel, you choose a new date or a full refund. Full terms.

Yes, up to 12 hours before departure.

Yes, in every tour — the valley, Valle de la Luna and the cable car on the tours that include them. Breakfast or snacks too. Lunch only where the ficha says so.

Every guide speaks English and Spanish. French on request, at extra cost.

On every vehicle and with every guide, plus a pulse oximeter and a first-aid kit.

Every vehicle carries SOAT, Bolivia’s mandatory traffic-accident insurance. It covers accidents involving the vehicle only — which is why travel insurance is required for every passenger.

Yes, on every tour, with medical cover. All our tours are easy to moderate with short trails; we still ask.

Wheelchair users, pregnant travelers, and small children without an adult to supervise them. Heart or lung conditions: your doctor first, then tell us.