BOLIVIA TRIP #1: DETAILED:
DAY 1: USA / LA PAZ. Fly to La Paz, Bolivia, Flights from the USA to La Paz are overnight flights, so you will arrive early in the morning of the second day.
DAY 2: LA PAZ. Arrive in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia and the world's highest capital city. Acclimatization begins upon arrival !! The airport, called "El Alto" (the high one), is situated at approximately 13,400 feet on a high plateau overlooking La Paz. Central La Paz is about 1000 feet lower and fills a wide canyon four miles from rim to rim. All incoming group members will be met at the airport and escorted to the centrally located, 5-Star Hotel Europa, one of the finest hotels in La Paz. After checking into our rooms, we will begin today with a guided tour of La Paz. We will travel in a private van and visit the the main plazas, museums and markets areas of La Paz, such as the Plaza Murillo where the Presidential Palace is located, the 16th century Cathedral of San Francisco, and the Black Market where we can buy coca leaves to make tea or to chew as is the local custom. We will have a chance to exchange dollars for Bolivianos, the local currency. After lunch, the rest of the day is free to put our newly acquired knowledge of La Paz to good use as we explore the city on our own.
DAY 3: LAKE TITICACA. We drive up and out of La Paz onto the vast altiplano of Bolivia on our way to Lake Titicaca. Bolivia's altiplano is a sparsely populated, flat, dry, high mountain plain that has a surface area of over 9000 square miles and an altitude of nearly 14,000 feet. It's austere beauty is accentuated by the view of the Cordillera Real (the "Royal Range"), Bolivia's main mountain range of snow-capped peaks, off in the distance. The drive to Lake Titicaca takes about two hours. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable body of water in the world, situated at a height of 3820 meters (12,500 feet) and is South America's second largest lake. We go first to the town of Huatajata, get on a small boat and ride out to the island of Suriqui where totora reed boats are made as they have been for hundreds of years. Totora boats, made from dried seaweed that is lashed together in thick bundles, have been used for centuries, first by the Aymara Indians, then by the Incas, to travel on Lake Titicaca. Later, we travel by boat back to Huatajata to have a lunch of freshly caught fish and then return to La Paz in the afternoon.
DAY 4: CHACALTAYA. Today we drive out of La Paz to visit the mountain, Chacaltaya, "the world's highest developed ski area" (summit altitude of 17,530 feet/5345 meters). "Developed" in this case means a primitive hook and cable towing system powered by an old truck engine. This passes for the ski area's only lift to haul skiers up the mountain's glacier slope during the ski season. We drive to Chacaltaya's ski hut and from here hike up to the summit, and out onto an airy ridge enjoying views of nearby Huayna Potosi (19,974 feet/6088 meters), Lake Titicaca, and the entire Cordillera Real mountain range. After lunch, we trek down past old silver and tin mines to the main road where our van will be waiting. We return to La Paz.
DAY 5: TARIJA. We take three days total to climb Tarija (17,272 feet/5266 meters), and return to La Paz. We leave our hotel in La Paz and travel by van to the small village of Tuni, well out on the altiplano and in the shadows of the Cordillera Real. Here we load most of our gear onto mules, keeping a small day pack with food, water, camera, jacket, etc. for a 5-hour trek into Condoriri base camp. The view of the Condoriri group of mountains from base camp is one of the most impressive in Bolivia. The main mountain, Condoriri, has been nicknamed "the Bolivian Matterhorn," for obvious reasons, and towers to an altitude of 18,530 feet/5648 meters. Base camp is situated right under it and next to a high mountain lake. We camp here for the night and if we're lucky, we may be able to obtain some fresh lake trout for dinner to be prepared by our group's cook !!
DAY 6: TARIJA. We arise at 2 AM and begin our climb of Tarija about an hour later. As always, when climbing on a glacier, it is best to be up, down and off the glacier before noon after which time the day's warmth has weakened snow bridges and made the snow mushy. The climb up the glacier leading to Tarija takes about 5 hours and if we time it right (and with weather permitting) we will enjoy a gorgeous sunrise from the summit. Views from Tarija of Pequeno
Alpamayo (17,618 feet/5370 meters), Huayna Potosi (19,974 feet/6088 meters), Illimani (21,125 feet/6439 meters) and of other peaks of the Cordillera Real are spectacular. On a clear day, we will have no problem seeing Lake Titicaca and the vast expanse of the altiplano stretched out far below. We descend to base camp where we spend the night in tents.
DAY 7: TARIJA/LA PAZ. After spending a leisurely morning in base camp, we break camp, put our backpacks, and other gear on mules and trek back to the town of Tuni where our van will be waiting for us. We return to the comforts of our hotel rooms in La Paz.
DAY 8: LA PAZ / TIAHUANACO. Today we will have a guided tour of the ancient ruins of Tiahuanaco, about an hour by bus from La Paz. The ruins at Tiahuanaco date back to the 7th century and much of the history surrounding these ruins still remains a mystery. This sidetrip is optional and group members, if they wish, may decide to spend the day in La Paz or schedule another sidetrip. On tap for the evening is a special treat, called "La Paz by Night" -- a four-hour guided tour in a private van of some of the city's nighttime hotspots, that includes dinner of typical Bolivian food at a popular restaurant followed by a show of either native folkloric dance or music. Guaranteed to please!!
DAY 9: HUAYNA POTOSI. Huayna Potosi (19,974 feet/6088 meters) is a beautiful and popular mountain. It has been called "the easiest 6000 meter peak in the world," but given its altitude, it still poses quite a challenge for climbers. We begin our three-day climb of Huayna Potosi by driving in our van about 2 hours to the "Refugio Huayna Potosi," Bolivia's only high mountain hut. The hut is situated at about 15,000 feet/4600 meters on Huayna Potosi and has all the comforts of home: comfortable beds, hot and cold running water, showers, full kitchen, fireplace, and something most of us don't even have at home: a live-in chef. Huayna Potosi is sometimes climbed in two days (from La Paz) but it is safer to take three days and acclimatize at a slower pace. This will also give us time this afternoon to head out to the nearby glacier with our Bolivian guides to review some fundamentals of glacier travel. After our seminar, we return to the hut for dinner and to enjoy the local ambience.
DAY 10: HUAYNA POTOSI. Today we climb to high camp, called "Campamento Argentino" situated on Huayna Potosi's main glacier at an altitude of about 18,000 feet/5500 meters. The hike up from the hut takes about 5 hours and once on the glacier, we will need to put on our crampons, harness, take out our ice ax and tie in to our ropes. Porters will carry most of our gear from the hut to high camp. Upon arriving at Campamento Argentino we will set up our tents and prepare for a chilly but exhilarating night high up on Huayna Potosi.
DAY 11: HUAYNA POTOSI / LA PAZ. We arise early, at about 2 AM, and set out in the dark towards the summit. The climb to the summit takes about 5-6 hours and weather permitting we will enjoy fantastic views of the overhanging ice cliffs of Huayna Potosi, the snowy peaks of the vast Cordillera Real, the city of La Paz, the altiplano, Lake Titicaca and of Illimani (21,125 feet/6439 meters), our final mountain. Climbing the summit ridge with the very steep 3000 foot western face of Huayna Potosi on our right, is an experience you won't soon forget. The summit area is just big enough for us to take our "group photo." We follow the same route down and we will eventually arrive back at our rooms in the Hotel Europa in La Paz by late afternoon where hot showers, hot meals and clean clothes await us.
DAY 12: LA PAZ. Today will be a rest day to recover from our three-day climb of Huayna Potosi and to ready ourselves for our biggest challenge of the trip -- our four-day ascent of Illimani (21,125 feet/6439 meters), Bolivia's second highest mountain. (Bolivia's highest mountain is called Sajama (21,486 feet/6549 meters) and is located near the Chilean border about 8 hours by bus from La Paz.)
DAY 13: ILLIMANI / DAY 1. When in La Paz it is hard not to notice Illimani, due to its proximity to the capital city and it's tremendous size. Illimani is more of a massif than a mountain -- it has five major summits, the highest one called "Pico Sur" or "South Peak" (21,125 feet/6439 meters), and its glaciation stretches over 5 miles from one end to the other. It is fair to say that making it to the top of Illimani is a feather in any mountaineer's cap. We begin our four-day climb by traveling about 3 hours in a four-wheel drive vehicle to the village of Pinaya. We rent pack animals in Pinaya (either llamas, mules or horses) to carry the majority of our gear and we begin hiking with light day packs to Puente Roto ("Broken Bridge") (14,800 feet/4500 meters) where we will set up our base camp.
DAY 14: ILLIMANI / DAY 2. On this second day of our Illimani climb, we ascend from base camp to high camp, called Nido de Condores or "Condor's Nest," situated on Illimani's western flank at about 18,000 feet/5500 meters. The hike from base camp to Nido de Condores takes 4 to 6 hours. Again, we will not be burdened with heavy backpacks as local porters will carry the bulk of our gear and equipment to high camp. We set up our tents, have dinner and go to sleep early.
DAY 15: ILLIMANI / DAY 3. Summit day !! We set out from Nido de Condores at around 2 AM with our goal being Illimani's South Peak (21,125 feet/6439 meters), its highest summit. The ascent from high camp to the summit takes approximately 6 hours and if the weather cooperates, as it usually does during the climbing season in Bolivia, the views will be stunning. The panorama from the top includes views of La Paz, the immense altiplano, Lake Titicaca, the familiar Huayna Potosi (19,974 feet/6088 meters), Mururata (19,247 feet/5868 meters) and a sea of snow-capped peaks that make up the Cordillera Real. The descent, first to high camp and then down to base camp follows the same route and takes a total of about 6 hours. Porters carry most of our gear from high camp. We arrive in base camp in late afternoon and spend our last night on Illimani here in our tents, recovering from our physical ordeal.
DAY 16: ILLIMANI / DAY 4. Today is the final day of our Illimani expedition and we can afford to "sleep in" and enjoy a leisurely breakfast before descending to the village of Pinaya where our transport is waiting for us. Pack animals will be available to carry down our equipment. Once in Pinaya, we will load up our truck and make the 3-hour drive back to our hotel in La Paz, arriving at approximately 4 PM. Group members will have the rest of the day and night to take care of any last minute business and pack before leaving the country tomorrow. That evening, we will have a final farewell dinner to celebrate our time spent together and our "mountainous" triumphs.
DAY 17: LA PAZ / USA. All group members will be escorted from the hotel to El Alto Airport for their flight back home. Buen viaje !!
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