How La Paz's Valle de la Luna Got Its Name (And the Neil Armstrong Twist)

Just south of La Paz there is a place that does not look like it belongs on Earth: a maze of pale clay spires, sharp ridges and deep cracks, carved by wind and rain. Its name is the Valle de la Luna — the Valley of the Moon. And every guide in La Paz has the same story about how it got that name.

The legend: Neil Armstrong and the Moon

The story goes like this. In 1969, a few months after walking on the Moon, Neil Armstrong visited La Paz. After attending a football match, he was taken to play golf at the club in Mallasa, right next to this strange valley. Looking at the eroded clay landscape, he said it reminded him of the surface of the Moon. From that day on, the place was known as the Valle de la Luna.

It is a great story — and it is told so often that many people take it as fact.

The twist: what the archives show

Here is where it gets interesting. We have not found any record of Armstrong visiting Bolivia in 1969. But he did visit La Paz — three years earlier.

In October 1966, Neil Armstrong and fellow astronaut Richard Gordon made a "goodwill" tour of Latin America for the United States government. Peruvian press records show them arriving in Lima on October 13, 1966, and leaving for Bolivia on October 16. A photographic archive in La Paz even preserves a slide of the two astronauts on their arrival in the city that year.

So Armstrong really was in La Paz. The catch: in 1966 he had not yet been to the Moon. If he did compare the valley to the lunar surface, he was imagining it — just like the rest of us. And there is no document that confirms he named the valley at all.

Does that ruin the story? Not at all. It makes it better. The man who would become the first person to walk on the Moon walked through La Paz three years before — and the city has kept that connection alive ever since.

How the valley was formed

Whatever the origin of its name, the landscape is real and fascinating. The valley was once a mountain made mostly of clay. Over thousands of years, rain and wind washed away the softer material and left behind a forest of spires, some several meters tall, separated by deep gullies.

The different minerals in the clay give it shades of cream, beige, brown, red and even violet, which change with the light. The same erosion that created the valley keeps shaping it today, so the landscape is slowly but constantly changing.

Don't confuse it with Chile's Valle de la Luna

There is another famous Valle de la Luna near San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile — a vast desert of salt and sand dunes. They are completely different places. The one in La Paz is small, made of clay spires, and just a short ride from the city center. Many travelers visit both on the same trip, especially if they cross from Uyuni to Chile.

How to visit Valle de la Luna in La Paz

• Where: in the Mallasa area, south of the city center. It takes about 20 to 40 minutes by taxi or minibus, depending on traffic.
• Trails: there are two marked circuits, a short one of about 15 minutes and a longer one of about 45 minutes. Most visitors spend around an hour.
• Tickets: there is a small entrance fee, paid in cash in bolivianos. Check the current price before you go.
• Altitude: the valley is lower than downtown La Paz, which makes it a gentle walk — a good activity for your first days while you adjust to the altitude.
• Best time: morning or late afternoon, when the light brings out the colors and shadows of the spires.
• What to bring: sun protection, water and comfortable shoes. Stay on the paths: the clay is fragile and some edges are steep.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia: Valle de la Luna (Bolivia).

Add it to your La Paz days

The Valle de la Luna is an easy half-day trip that combines well with the rest of La Paz: the cable cars, the markets and the Witches' Market. Ask us to include it in your trip — it works perfectly on the first, easy days of an itinerary like Bolivia Explorer — 8 Days.

Want more stories like this one? Read 20 Fun Facts About Bolivia, see our tips on altitude sickness, or contact us to plan your trip.