Delightful La Paz: the longest cable car in the world

We are used to taking the cable car as a means of transportation in ski resorts or in the picturesque area, popular among tourists. But in Bolivia, the city of La Paz, the longest cable car in the world operates, which serves as public transport, although, of course, tourists visiting this wonderful city are happy to use it.

The first cable car line in La Paz was opened in 2014, and today the total length of this transport line is more than 10 kilometers. The road connects the Bolivian capital with the neighboring town of El Alto, and an exciting funicular journey takes about 25 minutes. There is also a bus service between these settlements, but the journey in this case takes about 1.5 hours, and frequent traffic jams can increase this time. The cable car was built specifically to save time for the Bolivians.

In general, the problem of transport links in the Bolivian capital is very acute, and the question of the location of the capital of Bolivia is also not completely clear, but more on that later. La Paz is located in a highland, and the chaotic buildings and narrow streets significantly complicate the transport situation in the city. The population of the city is growing steadily and, together with the surrounding settlements, the number of the capital region leaves more than 1.5 million people. For this reason, the construction of the cableway has become an excellent alternative to ground transport, and locals even call it the "air metro".

In the cabins of the funicular there is wireless Internet access, and stunning views of the Andes mountain system open from the window. Cable car passengers in La Paz travel at a speed of 18 kilometers per hour.

In addition to the city of La Paz, there are cable cars in other parts of Bolivia, and the total length of highways along which about 150 thousand Bolivians travel daily is 30 kilometers. But the country's leadership is not going to stop there, by 2030 it is planned to double the passenger flow.

As for the capital of Bolivia, we can say that there are two of them - the city of La Paz and the city of Sucre. Most government buildings and the president’s residence are located in La Paz, which is the unofficial capital, and in the city of Sucre there is only the Supreme Court, but it is considered to be the official capital of the country. Even on many geographical maps, you can see that two cities are immediately marked with the sign of the capital.