La Paz: the World's Highest Cable Car City in Andean Light

La Paz sits in a steep canyon at 3,640 meters, beneath the altiplano which rises to 4,000 meters above, and beneath Illimani (6,438 m) to the southeast. The Mi Teleférico cable car network, the world's highest urban cable car system, connects the altiplano of El Alto with the lower city; from any high-altitude line passing at 3,800 meters, the panoramic view of La Paz in the canyon below with Illimani behind is the defining image. At -16.5°S, golden hour lasts only 23 minutes. Illimani is southeast of the city and receives alpenglow before sunrise: the view from Miraflores neighborhood looking southeast frames the peak above the urban canyon rim. Valle de la Luna, 12 kilometers south at 3,400 m, has eroded clay formations that face east toward Illimani in first light.