Minimum age: 15 years old. Weight, more than 40 kilos – Must have parents permission

This 50-metre descent is the new must-do in La Paz! Scale down our wall like Spiderman or a Mission Impossible stunt double, using the traditional rappel/abseil seated method, or experience the rush of your life – face first - known as Rap Jumping!! You can face your fears and push your limits!

Right in the center of the city, the views from the 17th floor are spectacular! But the view that really takes your breath away is when you look down 50 meters, and the cars in the busy traffic below look like ants!

When you arrive, our highly-trained guides will fit you into our top-of-the-line equipment, give you all the necessary training, and even walk you through practice runs on our 2-meter wall in the building!

After your practice runs, the guides will take you to the big wall! You step up to the platform, and with our expert guides, face your fears and make your first few steps. Soon you're running, then jumping, and at all times filled with blood-rushing adrenaline!

Your guides with their 2 brakes can stop you at any time during your descent if needed. When you get about 6 floors from the bottom, your guides will stop you for the Free Fall. You will let go of the rope, jump out off the wall, and the guides will let you come flying down to them, where they will safely stop you at our bottom platform... Try not to scream!

Start times:

13:00 hrs
14:00 hrs
15:00 hrs
16:00 hrs
17:00 hrs
18:00 hrs

Note: Start time and finishing time of the tour depends on the number of people, and the speed of their descents. The slot is typically from 15 to 30 minutes after you arrive.

- Practice run down a 2-metre wall
- Certified English and Spanish speaking guides
- Instructions available in English, Spanish, French & German
- Helmet
- Harness
- Safety jumpsuit
- Costumes

- For 3 or more Jumps it is 70 Bs (around $11 USD)

- Closed shoes
- Water
- Extra money

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

EXCLUSIONS:
This tour is not possible to operate for children under 15 years old, or for people with a weight of less than 50 kg. Please note that underage children need a prior authorization certificate from their parents to be able to do the tour.

TOUR TIMES:
Start time and finishing time of the tour depend on the amount of people, and the speed of their descents. The slot is typically from 15 to 30 minutes after you arrive.

Cancellation or changes of this tour:

CHANGES: It is FREE to change the tour date before 5:00 pm (La Paz time) the day before the tour begins.

No Shows & Cancellations of this tour - If you cancel before 5:00 pm (La Paz time) 7 days before the tour begins or earlier, there is a 10% administration fee (+ the card fee). After this time, there is a 100% no show or cancellation fee.

You must email bookings@findlocaltrips.com (include the name of the tour and the reservation number) to cancel this tour or to make any changes.

1. What is rappelling?

   Rappelling is the practice of using ropes, a harness, a belay device and other equipment to descend a steep terrain. There are a few kinds of rappelling styles. The kind that you’ll perform will either be: RAP JUMPING - an adrenaline junkies dream! This form of freestyle rope work sends people of all ability levels face first down steep embankments. Often used by special forces, it can be taught to any novice, and with the correct systems and safety checks, it is 100% safe! …Or TRADITIONAL RAPPEL - The traditional form of descent puts you in a seated position, with the rope you’re attached to in front of you, while you walk and jump backwards down the wall. This way is less scary and heaps of fun, as you do bigger and bigger jumps and take in the incredible views!

2. Should I remove all my jewellery before rappelling?

   Out on the pitches and trails, it’s best to keep things simple and bling-free. Remove any pieces of exposed jewellery that might catch on equipment. You will also be using your hands quite a bit, and they are likely to be in contact with hard, rough and muddy surfaces, so if you’re worried about damaging rings with or without stones, we do recommend removing them.

3. Where does the rappelling take place?

   It takes place at the Presidente Hotel La Paz (the big blue building), which is located across the street from San Francisco Church. Head in past reception, and take the lift up to floor 15, where you will follow signs up 2 more flights of stairs to us!

4. What happens if I am too scared to make the first step?

   It’s normal and natural to feel nervous about making your first descent – we welcome beginners and experts alike. Your guides are great at helping adventurers face the challenge of doing something unusual, and doing it safely. Listen to your guides’ instructions and tips – they know some great techniques for minimizing nervousness and maximizing enjoyment. We have a mini-wall in the practice area where we give you tonnes of training, and the chance to try it out until you feel comfortable!

5. Is rappelling safe?

   Yes, it is! All of our equipment is name branded equipment imported from the US and France. We use Black Diamond Harnesses, Petzl Hardware and Mammut Static Canyoneering Rope that is changed every 3 months. This system is able to take over 15 people! Your dominant hand acts as the main brake. By simply tightening your grip on the rope you can slow down or stop yourself as you like, so you go as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable with! There is a highly-trained English speaking guide on the landing platform as you descend. He can act as a second brake by pulling on the main rope, which puts tension on your figure of 8 and stops or slows you. Once you reach the bottom, the guide will help you off the rope and direct you to the top floor for another drop! You are also attached to a second rope which is manned by another guide above. If for any reason necessary, this guide can also brake you using the second rope. The entire system is made up of 3 brakes and 2 ropes, which ensures 100% safety!

6. Can I eat before the rappel tour starts?

   Yes, you can. However, we do not recommend to eat much in the last hour before the rappel tour starts.

7. Will I have problems with altitude sickness on this tour?

   Altitude sickness can catch many travellers a little bit off guard. Not everyone gets sick in high altitudes, and it is difficult to predict who is likely to be badly affected by it. For most people, it is nothing more than a headache and a dizzy sensation that diminishes over a short period of time, 1 to 2 days for most people. If you want to limit your chances of getting sick, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, do not fly directly into high altitude - proceed slowly, allowing your body time to acclimatise as you ascend gradually. However, for many that is not possible, so it’s important to drink lots of water, and to slow down! This sounds simple, but both of these things are very important. Your body is struggling because you don’t have enough oxygen, so avoiding any strenuous activity is a good idea. Chew some coca leaves - the native people of South America have been chewing coca for centuries, thanks to its ability to alleviate mild altitude sickness symptoms. Coca leaves can be bought in any supermarket, and even souvenir shops or street stalls. Take altitude sickness pills (Soroche): these are sold over the counter all over Peru and Bolivia, and are just a few dollars. If you are flying straight into altitude over 2500 metres without spending any time at an intermediate elevation, and you’re worried about getting sick, you can ask your doctor for more specific and stronger altitude sickness medication in advance. In the rare case that your symptoms are more severe than a headache and mild dizziness, you should descend in altitude and seek medical assistance.

8. Why book with FindLocalTrips.com?

   Apart from our low-price guarantee, with us you can be 100% assured that your booking is made. We provide instant email confirmation, and have live spaces and availability for each tour. You are in the capable hands of our team here on the ground, with 20 local experts who speak perfect Spanish and English, always ready with a quick response to any of the questions you might have. Tour operators are experts at operating their tours, and we are the experts at reservations, organisation, and assistance with your plans for these tours.