La Paz, Bolivia

Hiking

Your experience kicks off from San Pedro Square at 8:00AM. From there, depart for the summit, which is located about an hour away from La Paz. Upon your arrival to the summit, your first stop is to the Estrellani Lagoon - 4,600 meters above sea level. Following a small break, begin your walk whilst contemplating the landscape of the mountain range along the way. As you travel, encounter high-Andean flora and fauna as you make your way to the Patalarama Lagoon and the new Pampalarama Dam. By approximately noon you reach the highest point of 4,938 meters, passing by the snowy Charquini along the way. Whilst in Charquini, enjoy an outdoor lunch before making your way back to La Paz. Your tour later concludes with your arrival back to the city at approximately 4:00PM.

Reach the summit of Huayna Potosi Mountain located in the Cordillera Real Range, northeast of La Paz. Learn the basics of ice-climbing and mountaineering on a 3-day tour that's perfect for those who want a challenging experience and their first adventure in the Andes. The tour includes an initial half-day which will help you acclimatize and practice some basic climbing techniques before your ascent. The second day is a trek up to high camp. The final day will be spent making the challenging climb up the glacier to the summit and then descending.  Day 1: Start the tour with pickup from your hotel in La Paz, then set off on a 1.5-hour drive to Paso Zongo. Upon arrival, drop your gear in one of the huts and have some lunch to fuel up for the adventure ahead. Begin your 1-hour trek to the lower glacier and listen as your guide provides a briefing and demonstrates some basic techniques for ice climbing and mountaineering. Spend between 3 to 4 hours here and take the chance here to practice these techniques with the guides and climbing equipment. Later in the day, practice ice climbing on small ice walls with safety ropes in place. Afterward, begin the 1-hour hike back to the base camp for an overnight stay in a refuge, where your guides will cook dinner. Lunch and dinner are included on day 1.  Day 2: After breakfast, embark on a relatively easy 3 to 4-hour hike to the high camp located on a rock buttress at the base of the glacier. Make the ascent on a well-trodden rock path. When you arrive, get the gear ready for the next day, as you'll have an early start in the morning. Take time to rest and rehydrate with an early night in the refuge. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included on day 2. Day 3: Start trekking very early at around 1 AM. Be sure to dress up warm as it will be cold. Start your climb on the glacier using crampons and climbing gear. Feel secure as you are tied to a rope for safety during the entire climb. The route will mostly follow a trail on the glacier and includes 2 steep sections, one at around 18,400 feet called the Pala Chica. Follow the trail through a snow and ice wall which is about 33 feet high. Once through this part, keep following the trail on the glacier up to 20,000 feet. From this point, you can see the summit above. The last section to the summit is great climbing on an exposed ridge. When you reach the summit, admire spectacular panoramas of Illimani (21,100 feet) and Illampu (20,900 feet). After taking some photos on top, head back down the same way to high camp. Once back at high camp, have a short rest and pack up the gear. Then, head back down to base camp to meet your transport back to La Paz. The entire climb on this day takes between 9 - 13 hours. Breakfast and lunch are included on day 3.

Begin the experience with hotel pickup in La Paz and then head out to Condoriri, passing the city of Al Alto, which is the fastest growing in South America. Witness the abundance of brand new, half-finished construction projects before coming to views of the beautiful Cordillera Real. After reaching the village of Palcoco, take to the dirt roads which lead up the valley toward the Condoriri range. Upon arrival at the Laguna Chira Khota, turn left and follow a trail up to the summit of the Austria Peak at 17,388 feet. After reaching the summit and marveling at views over the other mountains, head back down the valley to the vehicle which will take you back to your hotel for drop-off. The day includes a 2 to 3-hour drive, a 6 to 8-hour trek, and a boxed lunch.

Day 1: La Paz - Paso Zongo - High Camp Drive for around 1.5 hours from La Paz to Paso Zongo, going up from 3,600 to 4,700 meters. Once at Paso Zongo, have lunch in one of the refuges before starting the 3 to 4-hour trek up to high camp. Walk up on a well-used path on rock to high camp, which sits on a rock buttress at the base of the glacier, at an altitude of 5150 meters. Get your gear ready for the early start the next morning. You will also have time to rest, eat dinner, and rehydrate. Turn in for an early night in the refugio. Day 2: High Camp - Summit - High camp - La Paz Get up early for a long day of adventure with 9-13 hours of climbing. Wrapped up warm, equipped for climbing, and with your crampons on, you’re ready to go.  Follow a trail on the glacier and conquer two steep sections. You will first encounter one at around 5,600 meters, called the Pala Chica. Here the trail goes through a small ice and snow wall (about 10 meters high). After this part, keep following the trail on the glacier up to 6,000 meters. From here you will see the summit (6,088 meters). Experience the thrill of climbing along the last section to the summit on an exposed ridge. At the summit, you will be able to see from Illimani (6,439 meters) in the south to Illampu (6,368 meters) in the north. After your photoshoot on top, head back down the same way to High Camp. Have a short rest and pack your gear. Then, head back down to base camp to meet your transportation for an approximately 1-hour drive back to La Paz. Get dropped back off at the original meeting point in La Paz.