holavick

I have read a ton of posts regarding AS in Cuzco but very little about La Paz, Bolivia (which I believe is a higher elevation). A tour I am looking at starts with the first 2 days in La Paz touring the city. Would I be better off trying to find a tour that starts in Peru and ends in Bolivia as far as acclimation goes?

crellston

There is a lot about altitude sickness on this forum type "altitude" in the search box top right and it will bring up lots of threads on the subject. More general info here. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Altitud...roduction.aspx

The best way to reduce the effects of altitude is to start low and gradually ascend. Easy in Peru were you could fly to Cusco 3300m and then transfer to the lower alt. of the sacred valley for a few days. In LP that is not so easy. The city is higher than Cusco although there are variations 4050-3100m - its steep!

If you are short on time then you have no choice but Lp and deal with it - maybe prescription drugs, no alchohol, lots of rest and generally take it easy for a few days ( not easy in La Paz ,

Going via Peru will take much more time - say a couple of days in the SVWOULD and then three days to get to La Paz minimum. That said, I would recommend it as it is a wonderful trip with amazing landscapes including Titicaca ( also at high altitude).

The longer you give yourself to acclimatise, the more you will enjoy the trip. It is a stunning place but the altitude does affect a fair number of people ( some parts are at 5000m). Unfortunately there is no way of telling in advance how YOU may be affected.