This circuit takes you to the high places of the Cordillera of the Andes.
Our adventure begins on a mountain-bike. From Sucre, we climb through the intermediary valleys until we reach the majestic Altiplano. As a reward to our efforts (very good physical condition required), a dream comes true: biking on the world’s largest salt flat, the Great Salar de Uyuni!
We return to La Paz, for a well-deserved rest; but only to start over with renewed energy this time in towards the Cordillera Real, a range where summits over 6000 meters of elevation are not uncommon. A superb 6-day trek takes us to the summit of Huayna Potosi (el. 6088 m.a.s.l.), highlight of our trip.
This program caters to enthusiasts, trained and in good physical condition.

Airport pick up (flight number and arrival time to be confirmed) and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day open.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Departure from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. in our private vehicle, to discover the most spectacular viewpoint over the city, unbelievably located in the “pit” of the Choqueyapu river canyon, with the Royal Mountain Range “Giants” as the background: Huayna Potosi, Mururata and Illimani.
This tour, particularly designed for photo lovers, first takes us to the K´Illi K´Illi Mirador and to the Laykakota Park, on the Northwestern side of the city. Afterwards, we cross the Americas Bridge to go to the “Plaza de España” Mirador, in the colonial neighborhood of Sopocachi. From there, an abrupt descent takes us to the “South Zone”, passing through Llojeta and the “Garden Cemetery”, and finally to the Valley of the Moon, a place where we will be able to walk between psychedelic looking sandstone formations.
Return downtown in the afternoon.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Departure from the hotel for a private transfer to the airport 2 hours before flight time. Flight La Paz-Sucre (50 minutes, time variable depending on the departure day). Pick up and transfer to the hotel.
At 2 p.m., we meet in the hall of the hotel for a guided tour of the colonial city, World Heritage Site (Registered by UNESCO at the Patrimony of Humanity): Ethnographic textile museum, Casa de la Libertad (closed on Mondays), Recoleta convent and cathedral…
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.
The mountain bikes are transfered by car from La Paz to Sucre

16 km, about a 4-hour mountain bike ride. 1-hour walk.
Meeting at 8:30 a.m. in the hotel lobby. We start our ascent above town before descending into the Quatalla Valley where we find the 7 waterfalls.
We leave our bikes for a hike along the River. We can also climb to the highest waterfall or swim in the pool of the first one (always full even during the low season).
After we fully enjoy this wonderful area, we return to Sucre on our bikes.
Cold lunch (included). Dinner open Hotel ***.

From Potolo, we head for Maragua, 50kms away, following a succession of long uphill and short descents along the Potolo River (3643 m.a.s.l. / 50 km).
To reach the village of Tinguipaya from Maragua, we climb up to the Furso Pass at 4147 m.a.s.l. We bike along the crest to another pass, at 4300 m of altitude.
We stay at an altitude of about 4000 m until we ascend to the last pass of the day, at 4320 m.a.s.l. (26 km).
We leave our bikes to continue by 4WD through deep valleys until reaching the village of Tinguipaya (3200 m.a.s.l.) and then of Tarapaya, where we spend the night (hot water and private bathrooms).
Cold lunch. Dinner included. We spend the night at the cabañas (sort of lodges for 4 persons).

De Potolo, 50 km de longues montées et de courtes descentes le long de la rivière Potolo pour parvenir au village de Maragua (3643 m alt. / 50 km). De Maragua au village de Tinguipaya, montée jusqu’à 4147 m alt. jusqu’au col Furso. Nous suivons la crête jusqu’à un nouveau col à 4300 m alt. Nous restons aux environs de 4000 mètres avant de passer le dernier col de la journée à 4320 m alt. (26 km).
Nous abandonnons les bicyclettes pour poursuivre en 4x4 à flanc de profondes vallées jusqu’au village de Tinguipaya (3208 m alt.) puis au lieudit Tarapaya où nous trouverons refuge (sources d’eau chaude aménagées, bains privés).
Repas froid à midi. Dîner compris. Nuit en cabañas (sorte de lodge pour 4 personnes).

We take our 4WD to Potosi (paved road; 1/2 hour).
We dedicate this day to the discovery of Potosi, nominated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
At 9 a.m., we meet in the hotel lobby to visit the mines of Cerro Rico where we can meet miners in their environment. In the afternoon, we visit the Casa de la Moneda (closed Sunday afternoons and Mondays), where the Spanish minted the coins for the crown until the 19th century.
Lunch and dinner open. Hotel **.

From the outskirts of the city (in a spot called Cantumarca, at 3659 m.a.s.l.), we ascend to the village of Porco (el. 4231 m.a.s.l.). For 10 km bike at an altitude of 4000 meters, until we reach the San Juan Canyon (3830 m.a.s.l. / 18 km). We clear a pass at 3971 m.a.s.l., 3 km further, before going down again to a plateau and arriving at the village of Chataquilla (3760 m.a.s.l. / 13km.). We enter the canyon of the River Yura before reaching the village of the same name by the end of the day (3352 m.a.s.l. / 34 km.)
Cold lunch. Dinner included. Night in a shelter (shower)

Departure with our 4WD from Yura. 10 km to the crossing of the dirt track to Uyuni.
We ascend to the first pass (el. 4062 m.a.s.l. / 16 km) before descending towards the village of Tika Tika (el. 3630 m.a.s.l. / 10 km).
For the next 55 km, we stay on the plateau of Ollerias at an altitude of about 3600 / 3700 meters before climbing to the village of Pulacayo (el. 4230 m.a.s.l. / 15 km).
We then descend for 18 km to Uyuni (el. 3700 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. Dinner open (restaurant «La Loco »recommended). Hotel ***.

From Uyuni, we drive with our 4WD towards Colchani (1/2 hour), on the border of the Salar, where we can visit a familial salt exploitation.
On our bikes, we pedal through the Salar until we reach the Salt Hotel (el. 3670 m.a.s.l. / 11km, it is not possible to sleep there anymore). In our 4WD, we then cross the white stretch of salt leading us to the North and the village of Tahua, at the foot of volcano Tunupa.
Back on our bikes, we circumnavigate the volcano. A succession of short uphill and downhill at a constant altitude of about el. 3700 / 3800 m.a.s.l. (max el. 3830 m.a.s.l. / 45km).
We hike through the villages of Chilguilla, Alianza, Saitoco, Irpani, etc…
Cold lunch. Dinner included. Lodging at Doña Lupe and Don Carlos’s in the village of Jirira (showers).

Early departure for our long crossing of the Altiplano (8 to 10-hour journey). On the way we stop at the enormous meteorite crater of Tambo Tambillo. At around noon, we arrive in the village of Challapata, where the dirt road ends and the pavement starts. We follow this road to Oruro. On the way, we skirt the shores of lakes Poopo and Uru-Uru. At around noon, we arrive in the village of Challapata, where the dirt road ends and the pavement starts.
Lunch on the way (included). Dinner open. Hotel ***.

Day open. Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Difficulty: altitude trek with one or more passes of elevations superior to 5000 meters, each day. 4 to 6-hour walk a day. Good physical condition required.
Departure from the hotel at 8:30 a.m. in our private vehicle in the direction of the Cordillera Real (a 3-hour trip) and laguna Kothia, the start of our trek (el. 4470 m.a.s.l.).
We meet our team of muleteers and start hiking on the right side of the lake, on the Southwest slopes of the Cordillera. We clear the first pass (Paso Contador, el. 4760 m.a.s.l.) before crossing a swampy area, near laguna Surakhota. Alter about a 4-hour walk, we arrive at the laguna Ajwani (“lagoon of the birds”, el. 4720 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. All included. Bivouac.
Hiking time: 4h; Elevation gain: +400m / -150m

We start by following the hillside, clear a first pass at an altitude of 4920 meters (Paso Milluni), then we take our time to reach laguna Sistaña (el. 4660 m.a.s.l.).
In the afternoon we ascend to a second pass (Paso Janchallani, el. 4900 m.a.s.l.), before our last descent of the day towards Laguna Jurikhota (el. 4700 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. All included. Bivouac.
Hiking time: 6h; Elevation gain: +440m / -460m

From Laguna Jurikhota we begin by ascending up a steep slope to reach Laguna Congelada, (two glaciers literally fall into its icy waters), a jewel nested at an altitude of 4900 meters at the foot of El Condoriri (el. 5650 m.a.s.l.).
From there we keep climbing to a second pass (Paso Austria, 5200 m.a.s.l.) before descending on the other side towards El Condoriri and El Pequeño Alpamayo base camp, at the edge of Laguna Chiarkhota (el. 4670 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. All included. Bivouac.
Hiking time: 6h; Elevation gain: +460m / -490m

We leave the Condoriri behind us, pass at the base of the Black Needle and eventually reach the Jallayko Pass (el. 5025 m.a.s.l.). We then drop into the very beautiful and steep Jistaña Valley, before ascending Tillipata Pass (el. 5000 m.a.s.l.). The spectacular scenery over the myriad of lagunas down below is ample reward for our efforts. Later on, another downhill takes us to Laguna Wichu Khota, where we set up our camp, at the foot of María Lloco (el. 5522 m.a.s.l.).
Cold lunch. All included. Bivouac
Hiking time: 7h; Elevation gain: +645m / -635m

We progress amongst the lagunas, until the ancient camp for mine Santa Fe. A short detour to a small nearby summit dominating the camp allows us to get a nice view over all the lagunas. We then climb up to our camp, surrounded by the summits of Imilla Apachita, Maria Lloco and Huayna Potosi (el. 6088 m.a.s.l.). The view is superb (4/5-walk).
The most courageous will be able to hike over to Laguna Glacial del Huayna Potosi. The trail, an ancient dried out stone canal on the hillside, offers wonderful scenery (2-hour round trip).
Cold lunch. All included. Bivouac
Hiking time: 6h; Elevation gain: +320m / -200m

Grade II/AD, Max 50° - with mountain guide
After loading the gear on our lamas, we head for the Milluni pass that we reach in the middle of the morning (el. 5000 m.a.s.l) and from where we discover the Milluni Valley on the other side. We go around the Huayna Potosi mountain range until we arrive at the refuge (el. 4700 m.a.s.l.). At this point the Andes abruptly drop into the Yungas, a green and tropical area.
Ascent to the “Rocks Camp” (base camp –el. 5100 m.a.s.l.). Approximately a 2-hour walk.
Cold lunch. All included. Night in mountain shelter.
Hiking time: 6h; Elevation gain: +600m / -300m
Note: team of porters for the two-day ascent.

Departure at 2 a.m. for a tentative ascent of the summit. Later on, we descend to the shelter (approximately 10h total). Return to La Paz with private vehicle.
Lunch included. Dinner open. Hotel***.
Ascent time: 10h; Elevation gain: +1000m / -1400m

Day open. Lunch and dinner open. Hotel ***.

Pick up at our hotel in a private vehicle, 3 hours prior to flight departure time, for transfer to airport / international flight number and time to be confirmed.

Limit the weight of your belongings to 30 Lbs per person for the trek