Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SCALING SAJAMA'S PEAKS
Mountain climbing
isonlyallowedbetweenAprilandOctober,whentheiceonthemoun-
tain is sufficiently frozen. To climb Sajama or any of the surrounding peaks you must
first register with the park administration in
Sajama village
.
They can help arrange guides,
mules and porters, but you'll need to bring your own equipment and supplies.
Volcán Par-
inacota
, to the west of the park on the Chilean border, is also a technically simple climb
and, as you can drive to the base camp, is particularly popular with climbers eager to con-
quer a 6000m peak.
The geyser field
The
geyser field
roughly 8km west of the village in the foothills of the
payachatas
is a good
excursion. An easy walk (around 1hr 30min) along a well-defined trail, the geyser field is
made up of 87 different pools of boiling water. The mixture of mineral salts and algae that
thrive in the warm waters creates bizarre colours, including blood reds, shiny greens and sul-
phurous yellows. On no account should you bathe in any of the geysers, as temperatures can
change rapidly.
Aguas termales
Bs60
There are some
aguas termales
(hot springs) about 4km north of the village if you do fancy
a soak, again along an easy-to-follow trail. The natural hot water is fed into an open-air pool,
making it a fantastic place to relax and ease you're aching limbs while enjoying the scenery.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SAJAMA AND AROUND
By bus
Take a morning Oruro-bound bus from La Paz to the town of Patacamaya (every
30 min; 1hr 30min), from where a micro travels to Sajama village (1 daily, usually around
1pm; 3hr 30min). Alternatively catch a bus from La Paz headed for Arica, Chile (2 daily; 3hr
30min-4hr), and alight at the turn-off to Sajama on the main road. Jeeps (around Bs70) usu-
ally wait at the turn-off to collect passengers arriving from La Paz and take them to the vil-
lage 12km away. Alternatively, you could walk to Sajama village in two-and-a-half to three
hours from the turn-off.
CROSSING THE CHILEAN BORDER
Via Tambo Quemado
Crossing into Chile is straightforward: the Chilean border is 9km west
of the turn-off to Sajama at Tambo Quemado. There's a
migración
where you get your exit
stamp and a couple of restaurants. If you're coming from La Paz the bus will take you all
the way through to Arica on Chile's Pacific coast, though you may want to stop off at the
Parque Nacional Lauca, which encompasses similar scenery to the Parque Nacional Sajama.
If you're heading to Chile from Sajama, you can get to the border on the 6.30am micro to
