Mountaineering in Bolivia, 10 days in the Cordillera Real from La Paz

Eduardo, an IFMGA-certified guide, takes you on a 10-day mountaineering trip and high mountain climbing course in the Cordillera Real, in the majestic Andes in Bolivia.

Group

Andes

10 Days

Jul

High

Intermediate

Highlights

Enjoy a unique mountaineering experience in the majestic Andes in Bolivia
Get the skills and techniques you need for high mountain climbing expeditions
Reach the summit of several great peaks in the Condoriri Massif

Description

Discover the stunning landscapes of the Cordillera Real, in the majestic Andes mountain range in Bolivia, with this 10-day mountaineering trip and high altitude climbing course. We will climb great peaks on mixed terrain in the Condoriri Massif (Nevado Condoriri), while you learn and put in practice ice and snow progression techniques.

We will meet in La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia. On the first day, we will head to the Peñon de Aranjuez for some rock climbing practice and course introduction. On the second day, you will have the option of another rock climbing experience near La Paz or a visit to Tiwanaku archaelogical site.

We will transfer to the Cordillera Real on the third day, where our mountaineering experience begins. Our base camp during these days will be Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m). From that point, we will start our acclimatization and **climb great mountains in the Condoriri Massif –**part of the Cordillera Real- like Cabeza de Condor (5648m), the highest summit of the massif, Pequeño Alpamayo (5370m), Piramide Blanca (5230m), Tarija (5060m) and Pico Austria (5320m).

The mountaineering course includes the following:

Introduction to high mountain climbing: concept and characteristics
Physiopathology of altitude
Nutrition and hydration in high altitude
Management of the acclimatization process
March, route choice, pace, etc.
Review of progression techniques in snow slopes up to 60º. French and front point techniques
Communication system
Rope progression and belays
Objective and subjective hazards. Analysis of objective dangers such as altitude, cold, avalanches and glaciers
Planning of expeditions
Progression on ice and glacier rescue

This is a great opportunity to get the skills you need for a safe mountaineering experience, and to enjoy real alpine climbing challenge in the Cordillera Real. So don’t hesitate to send me a request if you want to join me on this 10-day trip in the Andes. Check the date below, book your trip, and get ready for a unique mountaineering adventure in Bolivia.

Price includes

Accommodation included
Guiding fee
Permit and entrance fees
Luggage transfer

Price details

This is the price per person based on a group of 10 people. The price includes: Guiding Fee The private transport indicated in the program
Accommodation in a hostel (double room)
The meals indicated in the program
Tickets entrance in national parks
Cook in camp in the mountain
Collective mountain and trekking equipment (dining tent, kitchen, tables, etc.)
Transport of individual and collective equipment (llamas, mules, etc.). The price does not include: Assistance and repatriation insurance -
The individual equipment necessary for your trip
The accommodation supplement for a single room
Flight to La Paz
Tips for local teams
Drinks and all the personal extras in La Paz
Tiwanaku entrance and transfer
The departure tax for non-Chileans at the airport (US $ 25 per person)

Meeting point

La Paz Airport

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival- La Paz- Rock climbing in Aranjuez (3600 m)

Arrival in La Paz. Reception at the airport and private transfer to the hostel (45min.). Afternoon dedicated to rock climbing in Aranjuez (3600m). 14h00: Departure to Aranjuez. Course introduction and high mountain climbing introduction.

Night at the hostel (meals not included).

Day 2: La Paz - Rock climbing or visit to Tiwanaku

Option 1- Tiwanaku archaelogical site (entrance ticket not included): Departure from the hostel at 07:30 in private transportation to Tiwanaku, located 70 kilometers from La Paz (1h30), created by the great civilization of the central Andes between the V century and the eleventh century. We will be guided by a Spanish speaking guide. Discovery of the pyramid of Akapana and the famous Puerta del ol, the Kalasasaya temple or the monoliths “Benett” and “Ponce”, which some archeologists compare with Moais on Easter Island. Visit the small museum before lunch.Return to La Paz in the afternoon.

Option 2: Visit La Paz and rock climbing, without cost.

Night at the hostel. Meals: Breakfast is included.

Day 3: La Paz – Rinconada - Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m)

Departure from the hostel at 08:00 in private transport towards Cordillera Real (3h30drive), and until the Rinconada. Then, we go up a beautiful valley that takes us to the Chiarkhota Lagoon (2-hour hike). Beautiful landscapes on the “Cabeza del Cóndor” (5648m). Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Altitude difference: +195 m / -30 m

Day 4: Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m) – Acclimatization trek to Pico Austria (5350 m)

Departure at 08h00. We hike up to Austria col and then to Austria Peak (4-hour ascent). Nice view from the Cabeza de Condor. Hike down to the camp. Course goal: learning about the rhythm while ascending in high altitude and how to identify symptoms of altitude sickness. Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Altitude difference: +650 m / -650 m. Hiking time: 6 h.

Day 5: Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m ) – Progression

Departure at 06h00 to climb the Piramide Blanca (5-hour ascent). Down to the camp Course goal: Applying glacier progression technique and self-rescue systems in crevasses.

Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Altitude difference: +600 m / -600 m. Hiking time: 7/8 h

Day 6: Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m) – Piramide Blanca (5250m) ascent

At 06h00 we set out and start climbing Piramide Blanca (5-hour climb). Once we reach the summit we being the descent to the camp. Course goal: putting in practice climbing technique on ice and snow.

Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Altitude difference: +600 m / -600 m. Hiking time: 7/8 h.

Day 7: Climbing on ice and progression (WI-3)

Ice climbing on icefalls at base camp. Course goal: ice climbing basic gestures and use of traction ice ax. Expedition planning.Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Day 8: Pequeño Alpamayo ascent (5410m) (AD / II)

Departure at 03:00 am. Climbing attempt to the summit (5-7 hours), via the magnificent pre-summit of Tarija peak,and later descent to the Chiarkhota Lagoon.

Night in tent. Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Altitude difference: +935 m / -935. Climbing time: 8/9h.

Day 9: Chiarkhota Lagoon (4680m) - Rinconada (4505m) - La Paz (3660m)

08:00 am. From Chiarkhota Lagoon Base Camp we descend to Rinconada. Private transfer to La Paz city (3-hour drive) to La Paz.

Night in hostel. Meals included: breakfast and lunch. Altitude difference: +30 m / -195 m. Hiking time: 1h.

Day 10: La Paz - Transfer to Airport

Private transfer to La Paz, accompanied by driver and guide (3 hours before your international flight time). Driving time: 45 minutes. Meals included: Breakfast

About the guide

Eduardo

Mountain Guide

IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide from Chile.

Trekking, rock climbing, ice climbing, backcountry ski courses as well as guiding, expeditions and ascent to the most famous volcanoes in Chile.

You can enjoy a multi-sport trip and why not also a deserved relax in hot springs as Termas Geometricas and all this in the loneliness of many of the places where we are going to travel. An invaluable treasure to your hand thanks to Volcanes del Sur Expediciones.

Languages

Russian | English | Catalan

Certificates

UIAGM | IFMGA

What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

Cami

Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

4.8