The Cordillera Apolobamba stretches from the Peruvian border to just north of Lake Titikaka (3810m) and is a vast snowy wilderness. The trek starts in the north of the range and makes its way south, since you will be crossing at least one mountain pass a day its quite a demanding trek but the scenery and views make it worth it! This is still a very remote area of Bolivia, it is beautiful, and life continues in a traditional way with the area largely being untouched by modern society, which will make for a very memorable experience.

Please check the gear list to see what you will need to bring for the trip.

For further general information on Bolivia please also look at our fact file.

Day 1: La Paz (3600m) – Pelechuco (3400m)

We will travel from La Paz up to El Alto and across the Altiplano (4000m), passing through the Area Protegida Apolobamba before arriving on the colonial village of Pelechuco, where the main economic activity is gold mining. We will spend the night here in Pelechuco.
8 hours of driving (LD) Hostel

Day 2: Pelechuco

A free day and an opportunity for you to explore the beautiful surroundings of Pelechuco, and visit the Inca gravestones that are nearby.
(BLD) Hostel

Day 3: Pelechuco – Cubana Osos (4200m)

The entire day will be spent traversing above the cloud forests, we should be able to see the afternoon cloud come in over the forest, which can make it look like a hugh lake beneath us.
6 - 7 hours (BLD)

Day 4: Cubana Osos – Siete Lagunas (4150m)

We walk to a ridge where we will have amazing views of the Cordillera Apolobamba. We will need to cross two passes of 4560m and 4200m over the mountain range before descending, into Valley Siete Lagunas, although there are actually more than 7 lakes surrounded by rolling hills, and steep rocky spires. This is where we will set up camp for the evening.
8 - 9 hours (BLD)

Day 5: Siete Lagunas – Impillani (4105m)

Today we will join another pre-Inca path to take us through the impressive mountain range, over a couple of passes (4390m and 4200m) before we descend back down into the valley of Impillani. Since this area of the Cordillera Apolobamba has little human interaction hopefully we will have the opportunity to see some amazing wildlife in this area. We will camp in Impillani.
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 6: Impillani – Queara (3390m)

The same trail will descend into Valley Queara, which has a warm microclimate, despite its altitude. We will camp next to an idyllic stream.
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 7: Queara – Llamaca (4650m)

The day will be spent rising back up to high altitude and we will also pass through the community of Queara located just beyond the tree line. They are friendly people although can be shy as they do not see many people and especially tourists coming through this area.
7 - 8 hours (BLD)

Day 8: Llamaca – Llajta Cuchu (4650m)

We will have to cross Paso Sanches (4750m) on this day, this will be quite a long climb up to the pass but the views from here will make it all worth it. After descending we will reach Valley Macara, still with some amazing views. We will camp in this valley but it will be cold, as we will be very close to some glaciers.
5 - 6 hours (BLD)

Day 9: Llajta Cuchu – Suches (4700m)

We will need to cross the highest mountain pass of the trek today at 5250m this can be quite a difficult climb. First we will ascend over old moraine to the Chucuyo Pass, crossing over the glacier, which can be difficult depending on the time of year, but we will have climbing equipment for this section. Once on the other side of the pass we will descend to our campsite near Lago Suches.
7 - 9 hours (BLD)

Day 10: Suches

This will be a well earned rest day in Suches, and it will give you an opportunity to explore some of this amazing area.
(BLD)

Day 11: Suches – Altanari (4600m)

On this side of the range there is far less vegetation than we will have seen before, especially since we will be hiking at a higher altitude and close to the glaciers. We will also pass through Bolivia’s largest Vicuña reserve before reaching the mountain pass (5100m) and then on the other side we will enter into the Altanari valley, which is where we will camp the night.
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 12: Altanari – Nube Cuchu (4650m)

We will start the day by continuing along the Altanari Valley and then rising up to the one mountain pass of the day (5210m). Then its back down into the next valley: Nube Cuchu, or the Valley of the Lakes. We will camp near Lago Nube and enjoy the scenery.
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 13: Nube Cuchu – Puyu Puyu (4750m)

We will walk through the valleys of Nube and Kellu, where we will be able to see various multicolored lakes. We will need to contour across a ridge, and then start climbing up to the mountain pass at 4900m, before stopping to camp for the night.
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 14: Puyu Puyu – Cañuma Cuchu (4660m)

There will be another mountain pass (4800m) which will give us amazing views of the Cordillera Apolobamba and Lago Titikaka (3820m). We will then head down into the valley of Cañuma Cuchu, and we will hopefully camp near Chojña Kota Lagoon (4660m)
6 – 7 hours (BLD)

Day 15: Cañuma Cuchu – Canisaya (3640m) – Curva (3720m) – Charazani (3200m)

Our last day of walking, and we will walk along the lower slopes of Acamani (5666m), which is the sacred mountain of the Kallawayas, an indigenous culture of doctors still found in the region today. We will need to make 2 passes today (4910m and 4400m) which will make this a difficult day. After the last pass we will descend into Canisaya Valley. Once in Canisaya village we will meet our transport that will take us back to Charazani via Curva, where we can have a hot shower and a well earned beer!
6 – 7 hours walking, 2 hours driving (BLD) Hostel

Day 16: Charazani – La Paz (3600m)

We will drive from Charazani over the Altiplano to El Alto and then La Paz.
7 hours driving (BL)