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14 days ¨The trip was everything
I had hoped it would be. Summitting was definitely the high point.
Overall I thought the expedition was excellent¨.
For the mountaineer with limited time, Bolivia is a perfect short excursion. After landing in the beautiful, high colonial city of La Paz and bargaining at the Sagarnaga market, we begin our ascent of Bolivia's highest mountain. We venture along the avenue of volcanoes, through Bolivia's countryside, to acclimatize on Pequeño Alpamayo 5,370m (17,614 feet) and Huayna Potosi 6,088m (19,968 feet), beautiful and very accesible mountains in the Cordillera Real. Sajama stands alone as an eroded volcano, dominating over all other mountains in the area, a unique approach through desert to an altogether different high Andean mountain, makes Bolivia's highest summit a worthwhile climb.
ITINERARY DAY 1: Arrive to La Paz. City tour DETAILED:  DAY 1: ARRIVE TO LA PAZ. We´ll meet you outside the customs and immigration area at the airport and escort you to your hotel. In the afternoon we will have a guided tour of La Paz, visiting the main plazas, the 16th century Cathedral of San Francisco, museums and markets areas of La Paz. 
DAY 2: TIAHUANACO. Bolivia's most important archaeological site. We will spend the day wandering through the monumental stone figures, courtyards and the impressive Gate of the Sun. The Gate of the Sun is part of an elaborate observatory that is believed to have functioned as a solar calendar dating back to 600B.C. On the way back to La Paz we´ll have an incredible view over the whole Cordillera Real de los Andes. to La Paz. DAY 3: CHACALTAYA. Today we go to the world's highest developed ski area 5,290 m (17,351 feet). A short hike up will take us to the summit, our reward is a spectacular view of the entire Cordillera Real mountain range, Lake Titikaka, the City of La Paz and sometimes even the Amazon Basin. DAY 4: LA PAZ-CHIARKHOTA. We leave our hotel in La Paz and travel by 4x4 to Tuni with the animals carrying the bulk of our gear, we make an easy-paced ascent to our base camp at 4,650 m (15,252 ft). The trek takes us through some beautiful valley landscapes, and our camp provides excellent views of the many surrounding mountains and puts us in position to make a series of single-day ascents. 
DAY 5: PEQUEÑO ALPAMAYO. 5,370 m (17,614 ft). Our primary goal in this group are Tarija and Pequeño Alpamayo, a hidden peak with a very impressive pyramidal summit. climb a broad glacier to a col, traverse along a ridge to the base of the summit pyramid, and then ascend directly to the top. DAY 6: LA PAZ. We return to our hotel in La Paz. DAY 7: REST DAY. Rest day in La Paz. 
DAY 8: HUAYNA POTOSI - BASE CAMP. Drive to Huayna Potosi. Assisted by porters, we move to high camp at 5,300 m (17,384 ft). The hike up takes about 3 hours. DAY 9: HUAYNA POTOSI - SUMMIT. 6,088 m (19,968 ft). We rise early for our summit attempt. We begin our climb on a steep hard snow of 50° and then traverse to easier snow slopes where we cross a few slopes and crevasses. We will climb directly to the summit via the face 40°. Return all the way back down to base camp and to our waiting vehicles that return us to our hotel in La Paz. DAY 10: REST DAY. Rest day in La Paz. 
Day 11: SAJAMA - BASE CAMP. In the morning we depart La Paz bound for the Village of Sajama 4,250m (13,944 ft) situated near the base of Volcan Sajama. Travel is via 4x4 vehicles for approximately five hours. We arrive at the village of Sajama and we load up our mules and set out on foot for a short hike to basecamp 4,800m (15,749 ft). by the Rio Aychuta. The remaining afternoon can be spent taking a few photos or just relaxing. Day 12: SAJAMA - HIGH CAMP. After a late breakfast, expedition members depart basecamp bound for high camp 5,800m (19,030 ft). The route involves a series of traverses through rock scree, snowfields and massive andesite towers. High camp is reached after 4 hours of travel. Once again, as the sun goes down and dinner is served the temperature drops dramatically. High Camp is normally very windy. 
Day 13: SAJAMA - SUMMIT 6,439 m (21,120 ft). After a pre-dawn wake up, we rope up and ascend in order to reach the summit. We´ll go up in a snow gully that leads straight up to a ridge. This ridge leads to the broad base of the snow dome, sometimes we have to deal with ¨penitentes¨ (snow spikes). After ascending for 8 hours, the expedition arrives at the summit. After a well-deserved round of congratulations and photos, the expedition begins the 3 to 4 hour descent to basecamp. Day 14: SAJAMA - LA PAZ. Today the expedition departs basecamp on foot for the short hike to trailhead where we immediately load up into the vehicles for the five-hour journey back to La Paz. Plenty of photo opportunities are available as we traverse the Cordillera Occidental on our way back to the capital city. LAND COSTS INCLUDE:
LAND COSTS DO NOT INCLUDE:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION If you wish to discuss any aspect of the expedition or your suitability for it, please contact us by telephone or mail.
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Bolivian Journeys: P.O. Box 4938 Phone 591-72014900 |
