TRANSCORDILLERA

This is a trek for the most demanding. The complete crossing of the Cordillera Real! What a route and what an atmosphere! Numerous pass crossings at more than 4,000 m of altitude, some of them snow-covered, considerable differences in altitude, caravan of llamas or mules, etc.

The show is as good as the efforts made: breathtaking views of almost all the peaks of the Cordillera Real, we tickle the glaciers for 10 days... and we walk on both sides of the cordillera: on the Titicaca lake side and on the Amazon side... for those who love walking in altitude. The agencies that propose this trek provide the turnkey tour and the price includes: a guide, transportation, a cook who prepares all the meals, drinks, camping equipment (tents, kitchen equipment), accommodation for the night in Sorata, etc. You will need to have your own hiking equipment (shoes, jackets) and insurance. The best time of the year to do this trek is from May to September, during the dry season. The trek starts in Sorata and ends, 10 days later, at the foot of Huayna Potosi...

Duration:

10-14 days. The duration varies according to the chosen itinerary. Several itineraries are proposed by the agencies. It is better to choose an agency in La Paz specialized in treks to benefit from quality equipment and experienced and qualified guides.

Difficulty:

high altitude trekking. 6 to 7 hours of walking per day, for good walkers. Moreover, the climatic conditions can be challenging, especially the nights in tents in the polar cold.

Acclimatization to the altitude for a few days is strongly recommended

before starting the trek. It takes

almost half a day to get from La Paz to Sorata.

Here is the day by day description of this fabulous trek:

Day 1:

Sorata - Ancoma - Cocooyo. Departure in the morning by private 4x4 to the village of Ancoma where you will meet your team of muleteers. Start of the trek. Crossing of the Khorvasini pass (4 450 m) then descent full of rocks along the sides of the Illampu (6 368 m), first summit of the Royal Mountain Range that you will tickle before arriving at the village of Cocooyo, at the bottom of a green valley (3 600 m). Bivouac on the edge of a stream, a few hundred meters above the village.

Day 2:

Cocooyo - Chajolpaya. In the morning, we cross the Sarani pass (4 500 m) before brushing against the giant Ancohuma (6 400 m), the second mountain of the fabulous barrier. The descent takes you to a wide valley, near the hamlet of Chajolpaya (4,200 m) which we reach in the afternoon.

Day 3:

Chajolpaya - Negruni. Depart early in the morning for the Negruni pass, at the foot of the mountain of the same name, at 5,030 m altitude (passage in the snow during 9 months out of 12 at the pass). Bivouac on the way down, at 4,700 m altitude, facing the superb Negruni massif.

Day 4:

Negruni - Palca - Putu Putuni. The day is quieter, on the slopes of the Chearoco massif, mainly downhill. Lunch near the hamlet of Palca (4,000 m), then you climb about 300 m to the bivouac site, Putu Putuni, at 330 m altitude.

Day 5:

Putu Putuni - Hankolakaya. You contemplate all day long the vast Chachacomani massif, reputed to shelter the biggest condors of the Royal Mountain Range. Crossing of the Huaraco pass (4 750 m) then descent into the valley. Lunch at the edge of the Cotapata lagoon. The descent continues towards the village of Hankolakaya (4,200 m) which we pass before going up along a track to the place of the bivouac, at 4,600 m of altitude.

Day 6:

Hankolakaya - Laguna Khotia. Ascend in the morning to the Mollo pass (5,000 m) to cut across the Cordillera. You now progress on its southwestern slope.

The descent is dotted with small high altitude lagoons fed by the arroyos of the nearby glaciers, it leads you in the afternoon to the splendid Laguna Khotia (4 570 m).

Day 7:

Laguna Khotia - Laguna Sistaña. Another pass climb in the morning (Contador, 4 750 m) before crossing a semi-swampy area, near the Sorakhota and Ajwani lagunas. Then a second pass (Milluni, 5,030 m), from where, if the weather is clear, you can see the Sajama, more than 250 km away! Finally, a quiet pace until the bivouac of the day, at the edge of the Sistaña lagoon (4 700 m).

Day 8:

Laguna Sistaña - Laguna Chiarkhota. Passing a first pass (Janchallani, 4 910 m) in the morning to reach the Jurikhota lagoon. From there, you climb a steep slope to reach the small laguna Glaciar (two glaciers literally fall into its frozen waters), a jewel set at 5,000 m altitude, at the foot of the Condoriri (5,650 m).

Cross another pass (Austria, 5,100 m) before descending to the Condoriri base camp, on the edge of the Chiarkhota lagoon (4,700 m).

Day 9:

Laguna Chiarkhota - Laguna Liviñosa. Two successive passes (Jallayko, 5,000 m and Jistaña, 4,950 m) are on the agenda before the long descent to the Laguna Liviñosa (4,200 m). We now see the imposing Huayna Potosí, the final point of the hike, which dominates the valley we are entering with its 6,088 m.

Day 10: Laguna Liviñosa - Botijlaca. The descent continues in deeper and deeper valleys. The vegetation becomes denser and the air warmer until Botijlaca (3 600 m), a hamlet with a temperate climate. There, a vehicle is waiting to take you to La Paz (2 hours drive).