A good way to begin a peaceful week is to take advantage of a US holiday on Monday, and explore our surroundings… while the kids are happily spending quality time at the local school! The next step is sharing images from our recent visit to the Valle de La Luna, in the municipality of Mallasa, a town 20-30 minutes from the city of La Paz, is a place of family entertainment with a pleasant climate, nature and tourist attractions.
The land formations that resemble the lunar soil, where erosion over the years has formed a group of astonishing rock formations, which give the visitor the sensation of having discovered an unknown world. Truly an almost real lunar landscape.
Hard to decide which geological formations caused by soil erosion is the best shot… still trimming down the photo gallery!
What looks like a carpet of stalagmites canvassing a desert, Valle de la Luna, or “Valley of the Moon” is what is left of a mountain composed of clay and sandstone that has been battered by strong winds and time.
The earth peaks and crevices creates a surreal landscape that lends itself wonderfully to unique and intriguing pictures.
Like many mountains surrounding the La Paz area of Bolivia, the gutting formations contain rich variations of mineral content, creating colorful composition throughout the drastic landscape.
The Valley of the Moon is located about 10 km southwest from La Paz, near the small town of Mallasa, and while a portion of the valley has been preserved, housing is steadily popping up on the unstable soil.
While trails are provided and clearly marked for explorers, they are narrow and a bit treacherous, come prepared for sharp edges and uneven paths.
There isn’t much in the way of wildlife to see, other than some cacti and a few small flowering plants. Locals have named some of the rock formations after shapes they believe to symbolize: La Madre Luna (mother moon), El Sombrero de la Dama (lady’s hat), to mention a few examples.
- Photo Essay: People and Feelings of Copacabana, Bolivia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Nuestra Señora de La Paz, seen from above… (3rdculturechildren.com)
- Blogpost ‘Place Holder’: Hiking through the ‘Muela del Diablo’, Bolivia. (3rdculturechildren.com)
3rdculturechildren 
I’d love to visit that place! Looks like quite the adventure!
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It sure is, Ashley! 😮 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your impressions!
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What a fascinating place!
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It is, indeed! And it’s quite intriguing, one can really pretend to be ‘exploring’ the lunar surface! 😮
Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Gilly!
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