Lakes Zone

The lakes zone connects the Cordillera Real with the subtropical Yungas, which are located on the slopes of the eastern side of the Andes. In the successive excursion’s ascents and descents, we pass through different landscapes, from green hillocks or pampas, to high passes with magnificent views of the Cordillera Real and the Yungas in front of us. In this route we find lots of small lakes that flow into an artificial lake that feeds an actual stowage used by the electric companies in the Zongo valley. Small hamlets that have survived without any changes for centuries offer good alternatives to camp. This route ends at the Choro trail, which leads to La Paz on the way up, and to the green and tropical Coroico on the way down.

Take a look at the route map (38 KB)

Day 1 Chacapamapa - Uma Palca

From Chacapampa, at 3600 m, we follow an ascending road for about 2 hours, until the Tikimani dam, at 3980 m. Then, a little before arriving at the dam, the road divides and, to the left, begins a winding path on the eastern slope up to 4600 m. This section can be driven on a four-wheel drive vehicle. To traipse it there is a path that shortens the way and passes under the road flanking the slope. Here it is difficult to orientate if we don’t count with the help of a local guide. After a 3 hours ascent, the road ends at a big water duct that comes out of the slope. A little before that, we arrive to some small plains where we ca camp. The path then continues without much orientation difficulties, going up to the high pass, at 4 650 m, with breathtaking views of the wall of the seldom climbed Tikimani, at 5519 m, and of wide sections of the Cordillera Real. On descending we find, after some 20 minutes, a beautifully located lake called Wara Warani, at 4570 m. We go down to the valley and after an hour of walking we get to the village of Uma Palca, composed of a few stone houses, at 4000 m. At the other side of the village, alongside the brook, there are good places to camp.

Day 2 Uma Palca - Sanja Pampa

From Uma Palca to the south we can see the mount Kunaticuta, at the end of the valley. Our route leads through the side of the valley to the east of the mount. We follow the trail alongside the brook going up to the Huayna Potosí refuge. After about 1 hour, at 4200 m, we take the bifurcation to the left. Passing by several lagoons, we continue our ascent to the high pass, at 4720 m. A great view rewards us for the sacrifices of the previous 3 hours of climbing. The path then descends successively to the ruins of a stone house, to a small lagoon and to a wide plain, at 4430 m, taking about 1 hour. After 30 more minutes through this lateral valley, we get to another valley at 4150 m, which descends from mount Tiluta. Through this valley, we go down for another hour until we get to the village of Sanja Pampa, at 3920 m, a hamlet of a few stone houses.

Day 3 Sanaja Pampa - Achura

From the village, we see the road going up the southern slope of the brook. We again walk flanking two lakes; the 1 ½ hour hike ends in the high pass, at 4100 m. From here we see in the distance our destination, the Coroico, which we are going to reach in a few days. We go down some 400 m, and after 1 hour we arrive to Choro road, over the Achura village, on the south shore of the river.

Outing options

Those who wish to finish this route can take the Choro road to the right, uphill towards the west. This section takes us first to the village of Samañapampa, at 4000 m, with a view of 5300 m mount Chasquini at the far end of the valley. Samañapampa is a place where we can camp and also buy food and drinks. Climbers who choose to go to the summit through the Choro road have to register here and pay an entrance fee of around US$ 2, thus helping to finance the building of bridges and garbage collection. From Samañapampa there is a road, at moments quite wide, that leads to the high pass, at 4880 m. At the other side of the pass, a little lower, the all-vehicles road begins leading to the asphalted main road, which begins at 4600 m. This road, known as La Cumbre, descends abruptly and connects La Paz with the Yungas. The trip back to La Paz lasts about 1 ½ hours.

Take a look at the route map (38 KB)