7 Tourist Scams in La Paz

A man in a police-style uniform approaches you, sometimes with a 'plain-clothes partner,' and asks ...

A man in a police-style uniform approaches you, sometimes with a 'plain-clothes partner,' and asks to see your passport and wallet for a 'routine drug check.' While examining your wallet, they palm cash or claim your bills are counterfeit and confiscate them. Real Bolivian police almost never stop tourists on the street for random checks.

You withdraw cash from an ATM.

A taxi conveniently appears moments later. You get in. The driver doesn't start the meter. After a few blocks, he demands you go to another ATM and withdraw more cash — and makes it clear refusing isn't an option. In some cases, an accomplice joins in the back seat. This forced-withdrawal scam is particularly common in La Paz.

Bolivia's 'Death Road' mountain bike tour is a bucket-list item.

Budget agencies offer it for $30-40 when reputable ones charge $80-120. The cheap version means poorly maintained bikes with bad brakes, no support vehicle, no safety equipment, and a guide who's doing his first tour. People have died on this road — literally. Saving $50 on a ride down the world's most dangerous road is a terrible trade.

You hail an unmarked taxi on the street near Plaza San Francisco after dinner.

The driver seems friendly at first, but a few minutes into the ride, the car pulls over and two accomplices get in. They drive you to multiple ATMs and force you to withdraw the maximum amount from each. After draining your accounts, they drop you in an unfamiliar neighborhood at 2am. Express kidnappings in unlicensed taxis are one of Bolivia's most serious tourist crime threats, documented by both the UK and US government travel advisories. The crime is concentrated in La Paz and El Alto.

You are browsing the stalls at the Witches Market on Calle Sagarnaga, examining dried llama fetuses and herbal remedies.

Someone bumps into you or spills something on your jacket. A concerned bystander helps you clean up while an accomplice lifts your phone from your pocket or unzips your daypack. Distraction theft works in teams of two or three, and the tourist areas around Sagarnaga and San Pedro Market are prime hunting grounds. The technique is so common that r/solotravel and Worldnomads both list it as the top petty crime risk in La Paz.

You arrive in La Paz at 3,640 meters and feel the altitude immediately -- headache, nausea, shortness of breath.

A pharmacy near the bus terminal sells you a cocktail of pills for 80 bolivianos, claiming they will cure your altitude sickness. The pills are generic aspirin and vitamins repackaged at a massive markup. Some pharmacies near tourist areas sell unregulated concoctions that can interact dangerously with other medications. The standard treatment is coca tea, rest, and time -- or acetazolamide (Diamox) prescribed before travel.

You are walking near the Selina hostel when an elderly woman steps close and spits or flicks a ...

You are walking near the Selina hostel when an elderly woman steps close and spits or flicks a foul-smelling substance on your jacket. Immediately, a helpful person appears with tissues, offering to clean you up. While distracted by the mess and the helper, an accomplice lifts your phone, wallet, or daypack. A Reddit user on r/travel described this as a well-known La Paz scam, with the 'old woman spit' variant being particularly common near hostels in the historic center. A separate post on r/femaletravels warned about a recent incident near the Selina hostel where two female travelers were targeted.