Sajama 6559 m

On October 4. of 1939, the Austrian mountaineers Wilfrid Kühm and Joseph Prem climbed for the first time the highest summit of Bolivia. Its name comes from the Aymara vocable "Chak-jiña" and means something like "west". It is strange that a volcano be the highest point in a country that it is composed mostly of mountain ranges. It is difficult not to see it from the distance, especially for its imposing glaciers that stand out in a landscape that is formed mainly by plains of low ridges. The ascent can be easier to organize from La Paz or from Putre, on the Chilean side. The ascent time is of at least 3 or 4 days, considering the category of the route and its altitude. It is necessary to point out that there must be an appropriate previous acclimatization to face the ascent in optimal physical conditions. It is unusual for this type of volcano not to find a crater on its summit, since it is covered by eternal ice. The Guallatire and Parinacota volcanoes, which are in the proximity, offer a good combination of routes, however, they are quite similar from the landscape point of view. Tours to the surroundings, like San Pedro de Atacama, in Chile, or hiking routes in the Cordillera Real, are more interesting alternatives.

Day 1 Sajama National Park - Base camp
(WZ 2 h, 370 m 15 m)

The access from La Paz passes through El Alto until the Tambo Quemado high pass, in the border with Chile. On the way, we find many photo shops, as well as graves, called chullpas, always with the Sajama volcano into view. Shortly before arriving in Tambo Quemado, we take the road to the left towards the National Park. The road is well indicated. From this point there are 12 km to the town of Sajama, at the very entrance of the Sajama National Park. Small restaurants, minimarket stores, even lodging, make this town the ideal starting spot for climbing expeditions to several mountains. It is obligatory to register in the administration office of the Park and to pay an entrance fee of about US$ 2. We then drive a couple of kilometers to a forest of queñua, at 4435 m, starting point of the northern route. This trip, from the beginning, takes around 5 hours in vehicle, for a total of 280 km. We start climbing by a small valley alongside a brook. At the beginning everything is covered by the small queñua tree, later we find only grass and fields of yaretas (Azorella compacta). We continue our hike towards the Sajama volcano. From this point we can already appreciate its extent and size. Behind us, the Pomerape and Parinacota mounts, which can also be climbed from the Bolivian side, start to disappear. We arrive in the base camp, at 4820 m, after a 2 hours hike. It is a beautiful location, but the fine dust penetrates even the most hidden spot in the tents.

Day 2 Base camp - Altitude camp
(WZ 3 h, 830 m 5 m)

Because of the traces, the ascent trail is easy to recognize during the high season. We walk through the slope to the northeast, and after 45 minutes we get to the edge, at 5030 m. Then, we cross the volcano hillside over sand, stones and drag material, towards the north. This makes us go up, arriving an hour later to the north side of the Sajama, at 5263 m, and thus to our ascent route. This way leads us first to a stony slope up to a big rock. Over that big rock is situated the altitude camp. We climb a steep stony gradient through a winding path in order to flank the rock, always going north. After 1 ½ hour we arrive to the camp, at 5694 m.

Day 3 Summit
(WZ 8 h, 895 m 895 m)

A long day awaits us. We should leave the camp at 2 o’clock in the morning. The path goes up through slippery stones for 45 minutes until the foot of the glacier, at 5900 m. At the latest, it is here that we must put on the crampons. The first part has a lot of gradient and, as a safety measure, it is good to use ropes. This section takes only about 30 minutes. At 6000 m, we arrive to a promontory. We have to continue over it, and as it is short, we don’t have to take the crampons out. This section is characterized by its high concentration of accidents. The crest ends again at the glacier. Now starts the exhausting ascent to the summit, which cannot yet be seen from this spot. It is mainly in the lower part that the dreaded penitents are located, making advancing quite difficult, due to their sharp-pointed peaks. After some 4 hours we get to the summit, at 6559 m, which is marked only by a small flag. For the descent, another 3 hours should be considered. Most climbers descend to the base camp and take a hike through the road on the 4th day. A few kilometers away, are the hot springs from which we can get our last view of the volcano.