THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 183

TREKKING FROM SORATA
As well as numerous half- and one-day hikes immediately around town the most popular
of which is to the Gruta de San Pedro , some excellent longer treks start near Sorata. These
take you through remote traditional communities and high Andean scenery, up among the
glacial peaks of Mount Illampu or across the spine of the cordillera and down into the
steamy tropical valleys of the Yungas.
Most local guides, porters and mule handlers in Sorata align themselves with the
Asociación de Guías de Turismo Sorata , whose office is opposite Residencial Sorata ,
just off the plaza on Calle Sucre ( 02 2136672, [e-mail] ) . It
can arrange guides for about Bs140 a day plus food and mules, which can carry up to 20kg
and cost roughly Bs56 a day plus food for the handler. They also have a limited amount of
camping equipment for rent. Most local guides know the routes up to the main base camps
for climbing Illampu, though they're not qualified climbing guides; if you want a climbing
guide you should hire one through a climbing agency in La Paz.
THE GRUTA DE SAN PEDRO
The hike (4-6hr return trip) down the San Cristóbal valley to the Gruta de San Pedro , a
large cave about 12km away, is one of the best short trails around Sorata. Follow Avenida 9
de Abril out of town past the football pitch, then take the left turn, signposted to the gruta ,
about fifteen minutes outside town, which leads you along the opposite side of the valley,
past the Café Illampu (alternatively, cut straight across the valley from town). The road
continues down the narrow ravine of the Río San Cristóbal, with good views of Illampu
looming above. After about 11km you'll reach the small village of San Pedro ; the Gruta
de San Pedro is just above the road on the right, about 1km further on. The cave (daily
8am-5pm) is long, narrow and about 12m high, with plenty of bats - you can go about
150m inside before your way is blocked by an underground lake. A guardian will turn on
the lights in the cave in return for the admission fee (Bs10).
THE LAGUNAS GLACIER AND CHILLATA TREK
One of the most popular high-altitude treks from Sorata is the four-day Lagunas Glacier
and Chillata Trek . This takes you high up the western side of the Illampu massif to two
lakes set at over 5000m.
THE ILLAMPU CIRCUIT
A longer, tougher and even more spectacular trek is the Illampu Circuit (6-7 days),
which takes you round the Illampu massif past isolated settlements and over several passes
between 4500m and 5045m, the highest of which, Abra Calzada, affords incredible views
over Lago Titicaca. However, there have been violent robberies near Laguna San Fran-
cisco, towards the end of the circuit; many agencies have stopped operating the route: