Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CLIMBING
With so many high peaks, the Cordillera Real is obviously an excellent place for
mountain
climbing
. While serious climbers should bring all their own equipment from home, inex-
perienced climbers can also scale some of these high peaks with help from
specialist agen-
cies
in La Paz.
Huayna PotosÃ
(6090m), near La Paz, is one of the few peaks in South
America over 6000m that can be climbed by people with no mountaineering experience.
Agencies will take you up it for around Bs1050 ($150), though you should check carefully
that the guide they provide is qualified and experienced and the equipment adequate - if
in doubt, go with a more reputable and expensive agency. To avoid the risk of a poten-
tially fatal high altitude cerebral oedema (a severe form of altitude sickness), the mountain
should also not be ascended in a single day.
Sorata
Some 55km north of Achacachi, enclosed in a deep, fertile valley at the foot of the mighty
6400m Illampu massif,
SORATA
has a beautiful setting. Hemmed in by steep mountain
slopes and often shrouded in cloud, it has a Shangri-la feel - early Spanish explorers even
compared the valley to the Garden of Eden. At an altitude of 2695m, it is significantly warm-
er than La Paz, but is still cool at night compared to the Yungas. Though there's little to do
in Sorata, it's a pleasant place to hang out while preparing for or recovering from some hard
trekking or climbing, as well as a good base for less strenuous walks in the surrounding coun-
tryside.
