Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
straight up the face to the summit or cross along the base of it to join the ridge that rises to
the left. This ridge provides thrilling views down the 1000m-high west face. Either route
will bring you to the summit in five to seven hours from Campo Argentino.
The descent to Campo Argentino from the summit takes a couple of hours; from there,
it's another one or two hours back to the
refugio
at Paso Zongo.
Illimani
Illimani, the 6438m giant overlooking La Paz, was first climbed in 1898 by a party led by
WM Conway, a pioneer 19th-century alpinist. Although it's not a difficult climb technic-
ally, the combination of altitude and ice conditions warrants serious consideration and
caution. Technical equipment is essential above the snow line; caution is especially
needed on the exposed section immediately above Nido de Cóndores where several
climbers have perished.
Access
The easiest way to reach the first Illimani camp,
Puente Roto
, is via Pinaya, a three-hour
trip by 4WD from La Paz (about B$850). From there, it's two to three hours' walk to
Puente Roto. At Pinaya you can hire porters (B$120) and mules (B$120) to carry your
gear to Puente Roto or to the high camp at Nido de Cóndores. This is a wise investment.
For those on the cheap, a daily 5am bus (B$10) goes from near La Paz' Mercado
Rodríguez to the village of Quilihuaya, from where you'll have a three-hour slog to
Pinaya - complete with a 400m elevation gain. Buses return from Quilihuaya to La Paz
several days a week at around 8:30am, but if you're relying on public transportation you
should carry extra food just in case.
An alternative route to the base camp is via Cohoni. Buses and
camiones
leave La Paz
for Cohoni (B$30, five hours) in the early afternoon Monday to Saturday from the corner
of General Luis Lara and Calle Boquerón. They leave Cohoni to return to La Paz around
8:30am and may take anywhere from five hours to all day depending on which route is
followed.
The Route
The normal route to Pico Sur, the highest of Illimani's five summits, is straightforward but
heavily crevassed. If you don't have technical glacier experience, hire a competent profes-
sional guide.
