Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is easy to visit on your own from La Paz.
The difficult part is deciding how to get there.
The cable car does not reach Moon Valley directly, and local minibuses and trufis can be confusing if you’ve never used public transport in La Paz before.
So we checked the routes ourselves.
There are three good options:
🚐 Cheapest: shared trufi from central La Paz
🚡 Scenic & easy: cable car to Irpavi + taxi
🚕 Easiest: taxi or ride app directly to the entrance
This guide tells you exactly where to go, what to look for, what to say and how to get back.
Last checked by Alpaca Steps: August 2026
| Option | Approx. cost | Difficulty | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🚐 Direct trufi | Bs 8 one way | Moderate | Budget travellers |
| 🚡 Cable car + taxi | Bs 5 pp + Bs 40–60 taxi | Easy | First-time visitors |
| 🚕 Ride app / taxi | App price | Very easy | Couples, families & groups |
Want the cheapest way?
Take the direct trufi from central La Paz.
Want to ride Mi Teleférico too?
Take the Light Blue and Green cable-car lines to Irpavi, then a taxi.
Just want to get there without thinking about transport?
Use inDrive, Yango or Uber directly from your accommodation.
This is the cheapest option and the most interesting if you want to try the type of shared transport people use every day in La Paz.
Plaza San Francisco → Obelisco → Plaza Belzu → trufi to Mallasa → Valle de la Luna
Allow approximately:
1 hr 15 min–1 hr 40 min
depending on walking, waiting time and traffic.
Start in front of San Francisco Church.
📍 Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rkWY1XGCFCFVbqqYA
From here, walk toward the Obelisco / Purple Cable Car station area.
The nearest Purple Line station is:
Estación Obelisco / Utjäwi
It is around 1.3 km from Plaza San Francisco, approximately 13–17 minutes on foot.
📍 Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZzxBu9yCHNrLTA187
Do not enter the cable car station.
For this route, the Purple Cable Car is only an easy landmark.
You’re walking past it to reach the transport toward Mallasa.
From the Purple Cable Car area, continue uphill toward Plaza Belzu / Callejón Belzu.
📍 Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/mjbwa2YYkwCJFjNj7
Use the photos below together with Google Maps.
Near Plaza Belzu, look for shared vehicles travelling toward Mallasa.
Don’t rely only on a route number.
You want to see:
MALLASA
or
JUPAPINA
¿Pasa por el Valle de la Luna?
Meaning:
Does this go past Moon Valley?
If the driver says yes, also say:
¿Me avisa en el Valle de la Luna, por favor?
Meaning:
Could you tell me when we reach Moon Valley, please?
You may not see a conventional bus stop.
Stand visibly beside the road.
When you see the correct vehicle approaching:
The driver will normally stop when it is safe to do so.
Bring cash.
Small Boliviano notes and coins are much easier than trying to pay with a Bs 100 note.
If you’re unsure, ask:
¿Cuánto es hasta Valle de la Luna?
The ride normally takes approximately:
Traffic can make it longer.
Keep Google Maps open if you’d like to follow your location.
This is an easy mistake to make.
They are different places.
Always say:
Valle de la Luna, Mallasa.
If there is any confusion, show the destination on your phone.
📍 Valle de la Luna:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aWgFFEQH6CmuiPnr9
Because you already told the driver:
¿Me avisa en el Valle de la Luna, por favor?
they should tell you where to get off.
Don’t wait until you’ve already passed the entrance to ask.
From there, walk toward the entrance.
There are small shops near the entrance.
This is a good place to buy anything you forgot:
Bring cash.
If you want to ask whether a shop accepts a card:
¿Aceptan tarjeta?
This is probably the option we would recommend to most first-time visitors.
It’s easier to understand than the trufi route, avoids part of La Paz’s road traffic and gives you the chance to experience Mi Teleférico on the way.
Prado → Light Blue Line → Libertador → Green Line → Irpavi → taxi → Valle de la Luna
Go to:
Located on Paseo Núñez del Prado.
Enter the Light Blue Line — Línea Celeste.
Take the cable car toward:
Get off at:
Here you change from the:
🔵 Light Blue Line
to the:
🟢 Green Line
You make the transfer inside the cable-car system.
Follow signs for:
LÍNEA VERDE → IRPAVI
Stay on the Green Line until the final station:
The Green Line takes approximately 16 minutes from Libertador to Irpavi according to the route checked by our team.
For this journey:
First line: approximately Bs 3
Transfer: approximately Bs 2
So:
Exit Irpavi Station.
Take a taxi and say:
Valle de la Luna, Mallasa, por favor.
The drive from Irpavi is approximately:
Estimate for the taxi is:
Confirm the price before leaving.
Ask:
¿Cuánto me cobra hasta Valle de la Luna?
The cable-car ticket is per person.
But the taxi is per vehicle.
So if you’re travelling as a couple, family or small group, you can split the taxi cost.
That can make this option much more attractive.
If you don’t want to deal with transfers, public transport or finding the correct corner:
No cable car.
No trufi.
No transfers.
Just enter:
as your destination.
This can be the best option for:
Our team’s first recommendation for international visitors is:
Enter:
Pickup: your accommodation/current location
Destination: Valle de la Luna, Mallasa
inDrive allows you to see and compare the proposed fare before choosing the trip.
You can register in inDrive using an international phone number and receive the verification code by SMS.
A Bolivian phone number was not specifically required.
Yango also operates in La Paz.
Enter:
Pickup: your location
Destination: Valle de la Luna
Select the ride category available and check the price shown before confirming.
The final fare depends on the journey.
The registration with some international numbers may be less straightforward than inDrive.
If your normal number doesn’t work, a Bolivian SIM/eSIM may help.
Uber is also available in La Paz.
Enter:
as your destination and check the estimated price before booking.
Uber is generally less widely used in La Paz than inDrive or Yango, so waiting times may sometimes be longer.
1. inDrive
Our first option for many international travellers.
2. Yango
Good alternative with upfront fare information.
3. Uber
Available, but you may sometimes wait longer for a driver.
You can also take a regular taxi.
Before getting inside, say:
Valle de la Luna, Mallasa, por favor.
Then ask:
¿Cuánto me cobra hasta Valle de la Luna?
Agree on the price before beginning the trip.
For foreign visitors who don’t speak much Spanish, we generally find ride apps easier because you can see the driver, destination and price information on your phone.
Once you arrive:
📍 Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/aWgFFEQH6CmuiPnr9
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Foreign adult | Bs 20 |
| Bolivian visitor | Bs 6 |
| Child under 10 | Bs 6 |
Our detailed field guide recorded:
We recommend arriving well before closing rather than planning to enter at the last minute.
Allow approximately:
depending on:
The terrain includes:
Comfortable shoes are recommended.
You have two easy choices.
After leaving Valle de la Luna, return toward the road opposite the entrance, around the area identified by the flags.
📍 Return pickup area:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/1XZwCTU7utCLnu6cA
Wait for transport heading toward central La Paz.
Before getting in, ask:
¿Va al centro?
If you specifically want to return toward San Francisco:
¿Pasa por San Francisco?
Return fare is approximately:
Journey time:
depending heavily on traffic.
If you don’t want to wait for public transport, take a taxi or request a ride from the Moon Valley area.
Estimated:
Toward a cable-car connection: approximately Bs 30–50
Directly toward central La Paz: approximately Bs 80–90
Always confirm the price before travelling.
You can also check inDrive, Yango or Uber and compare the app price.
You want to spend as little as possible.
You’d like to experience local public transport.
You’re comfortable walking and asking drivers questions.
It’s your first time in La Paz.
You also want to experience Mi Teleférico.
You’re travelling with another person or a small group.
You prefer a route that’s easy to understand.
You just want the simplest possible journey.
You’re short on time.
You’re travelling with children.
There are 2–4 of you sharing the cost.
Or you don’t feel like figuring out public transport today.
They are different places.
Always say:
Valle de la Luna, Mallasa.
It doesn’t.
The closest useful cable-car point for our easy route is Irpavi.
From there you continue by road.
Read the windshield.
Look for:
MALLASA / JUPAPINA
Then ask:
¿Pasa por el Valle de la Luna?
Carry some Bolivianos in cash.
You may need them for:
Traffic in La Paz can change dramatically depending on the time of day.
Give yourself plenty of time to get back.
☀️ Sunscreen
🧢 Hat
💧 Water
👟 Comfortable shoes
💵 Small Boliviano notes and coins
🕶️ Sunglasses
📱 A charged phone with Google Maps
Valle de la Luna includes uneven paths, slopes and stairs.
Children can visit, but supervise them carefully around slopes and narrow sections.
Don’t assume you’ll be able to use a stroller throughout the complete circuit.
Ask at the entrance which areas are currently accessible before attempting the full route.
Save or screenshot these.
¿Pasa por el Valle de la Luna?
¿Me avisa en el Valle de la Luna, por favor?
Valle de la Luna, Mallasa, por favor.
¿Cuánto es?
¿Cuánto me cobra hasta Valle de la Luna?
¿Va al centro?
¿Pasa por San Francisco?
Outbound transport: Bs 8 per person
Entrance: Bs 20 foreign adult
Return public transport: around Bs 3.50
Bs 31.50 per foreign traveller
Cable car: around Bs 5 per person
Taxi Irpavi → Valle de la Luna: around Bs 40–60 per vehicle
Entrance: Bs 20 foreign adult
If you are travelling together, divide the taxi fare between the group.
The price depends on:
Check inDrive, Yango and Uber before booking and compare.
If you’ve never used public transport in La Paz before, don’t be intimidated by the trufis.
The basic formula is:
↓
↓
↓
↓
↓
Once you’ve done it once, moving around La Paz becomes much easier.
We’re building The Alpaca Guide one route at a time.
Our goal is simple:
you shouldn’t need to book a tour just to understand how to move around La Paz.
We’re checking the routes travellers ask us about most and documenting:
📍 where to stand
🚐 what vehicle to look for
💬 what to say
💵 how much it costs
📸 what the stop looks like
↩️ and how to get back
Coming next:
How to reach Killi Killi
How to visit El Alto’s 16 de Julio Market
How to get to Valle de las Ánimas
How to get to La Paz Airport
How to travel from La Paz to Copacabana
Because seeing a city is easier when you understand how it moves.