Destination: The Apolobamba Mountain Range
Essence of the trip:
Climb a series of five peaks over 5,500 metres during an epic mountain expedition within the remote Apolobamba Mountain Range in the Peruvian and Bolivian borderlands. Then take a private light aircraft flight to land in the heart of the largest salt flats on the planet, for a unique South American adventure which is the very definition of life-enhancing.
This trip will give you:
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One of the most unique mountain-led journeys on the planet, where you’ll explore a region that very few others ever visit, culminating in the challenging ascent to the 6,100 metre icy summit of the awe-inspiring Chaupi Orco.
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The experience of staying in a hotel made entirely of salt, deep in the heart of the beguiling Bolivian interior.
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The genuinely mind-blowing experience of landing in and travelling across the largest salt flat in the world, a landscape that can only be described as other-worldly and utterly captivating.
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An aerial perspective of Bolivia’s stunning landscapes, punctuated by volcanoes and ending with a landing on a natural salt flats – something only a handful ever experience.
Details:
After arriving into El Alto airport, the highest international airport in the world, you’ll spend your first day acclimatizing to the altitude by exploring the fascinating city of La Paz. The following morning you will then travel to Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America, where you will be able to enjoy a 3-hour walk across the island, before returning to La Paz and heading up Chacaltaya at 5,500m the next day in order to continue your acclimatization.
As your body finally adjusts to the altitude, the physical intensity of your trip will increase significantly, as you will take a 12-hour journey up through the pass of Pelecheco into the very heart of the Apolobamba range, which is very seldom visited, meaning that you are almost certain to be the only people there as you set up expedition tents for your first night under canvas.
From your base camp at the shores of Lake Chucuyo Grande, over the next two days you will then take on four different peaks of between 5,300m and 5,600m in height and enjoy incredible panoramic views that stretch out over the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes.
Having successfully scaled these, the following 72 hours will provide one of the highlights of your trip, as you will attempt to summit Chaupi Orci at 6,100m. With gradients of up to 50° in some sections, this is a challenging climb and will require a good level of confidence on the ice with equipment. Depending on your level of experience and technical expertise the acclimatisation peaks on this trip will help prepare you for this leg of the journey.
After descending back down the mountain eventually returning to La Paz, for a final highlight of your trip you will then take a light aircraft flight to the iconic Uyuni Salt Flats, where you will be one of only a handful of people to actually land upon the largest salt flats on the planet. This experience and the otherworldly scenery that will greet you on exiting your plane is something you will never forget and you will then spend the evening in a hotel that is built entirely out of salt.
The next morning you will drive across the altiplano to Sabaya, before continuing to Sajama National Park, which is home to Sajama, Bolivia’s highest mountain and a volcano that has been extinct for the past 10,000 years. The summit is covered by a permanent ice cap hiding all trace of any volcanic crater, so you will spend your final night in the mesmerising shadows of Sajama, before returning to La Paz the next day at the end of your epic adventure.
If you are interested in taking this trip and would like to discuss it in more detail with our team of experts please enquire here or call us on 0207 426 9899 (UK) or 1-888 341 9663 (US).