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is still rich in wildlife only rarely seen elsewhere: condors, caracaras and other big birds are
frequently seen; pumas and spectacled bears still roam the most isolated regions; and large
herds of vicuña can be seen from the road which crosses the plain of Ulla Ulla , a high plateau
that runs along the western side of the range.
During the colonial era the Cordillera Apolobamba was an important gold-mining centre,
and the mining settlements established by the Spanish also served as bases for conquistadors
and missionaries to launch expeditions down into the Amazon lowlands, though these were
never brought under effective Spanish control. During the Great Rebellion of 1781 many of
the colonial mines in the region were abandoned, and rumours persist of a mother lode of
gold concealed in a long-abandoned mine, still waiting to be discovered. Tourist infrastruc-
ture is virtually nonexistent in this isolated region, but for the adventurous it offers perhaps
Bolivia's best high-mountain trekking. The only real towns in the Cordillera Apolobamba are
Charazani and Pelechuco , both of which can be reached by tough but spectacular bus jour-
neys from La Paz. Between the two runs the fabulous four- or five-day Trans-Apolobamba
Trek .
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