The Valle de las Ánimas — the Valley of Souls — is an eroded landscape of tall, thin clay spires that rise from the valley floor like rows of broken teeth. The formations are similar in origin to the better-known Valle de la Luna but different in character: where Valle de la Luna is a labyrinth of lower formations you walk through at close range, Valle de las Ánimas is more dramatic from a distance, the spires reaching up to 80 or 90 metres in places, their names coming from the way they seem to lean and crowd like a congregation of spirits. The colours shift through ochre, grey, and brick-red depending on the light.
Because it gets fewer visitors than Valle de la Luna, you are more likely to have it to yourself, particularly on weekdays. The downside is that infrastructure is minimal — no formal trail, no entry kiosk, no cafe selling api at the gate. Getting there requires a taxi or a longer minibus ride south of the city than you would take for Valle de la Luna. The drive itself is worthwhile: the road descends out of the La Paz canyon into a different landscape, warmer and drier, that gives a sense of the altiplano fraying at its edges. Allow a half-day and bring water.