Bolivia with International Mountain Guides

Thank you for your interest in our IMG climbing program in Bolivia. For this year we have added four days to our itinerary, making a 20-day program that is sure to be nothing less than a stellar adventure as we climb three great peaks in Cordillera Real: Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482'), Huayna Potosi (19,974') and Illimani (21,200'). For those with extra time that wish to take advantage of their acclimatization at the end of trip, the climb of Bolivia's highest peak Sajama (21,486') is available. The Bolivia program is led by Carlos Escobar, an Everest summiter, IFMGA certified guide, and one of the most experienced Bolivian climbers, along with IMG's own Ben Marshall who is AMGA certified and one of our top senior guides.

We are looking forward to going back to Bolivia in 2007, after a two-year IMG hiatus. The political unrest of the last couple years has calmed down and we now feel that it is perfectly reasonable to go climbing there again!

Bolivia's mountain scenery is spectacular, Indians colorful, and ruins thought-provoking. It has been called the Tibet of the New World. And like Tibet it has a grand history of civilization. Ruins of the prominent Inca and Amayra Peoples still stand, and many still live by the lessons in farming and ranching developed and taught by their ancestors hundreds of years ago.

This country also seems to be the land of the "highest," claiming the highest commercial airport, highest capital city, highest ski resort, and the highest navigable lake in all the world! At an altitude of 11,900 feet La Paz nests in a gigantic bowl 1600 feet below El Alto, the city's international airport. The mountains of the Cordillera Real (Royal Range) rise sharply towards the sky in the background and are as striking as any to be found in South America.

Getting off the plane at 13,000' will be a bit of a shock as you start hauling your duffels around the airport. You will quickly be reminded that you are at altitude. One of the most critical factors determining our success in the mountains of Bolivia will be our ability to acclimate well. And with this in mind, we have designed a 20-day program in an effort to give every member of the team the BEST possible chance to summit Illimani by acclimatizing well and preparing on several smaller climbs. Many groups elect to climb Illimani in a much shorter time span, jeopardizing their chances for success on the mountain. We've decided that Illimani requires a more expedition-style approach. Many teams simply tack Illimani onto another program in hopes that some team members will still have enough left to somehow manage a summit. Illimani is more deserving. Within our 20-day program we provide extra days for acclimatization and mountaineering instruction. We also place an additional camp at 16,100 feet. Most groups do not consider this option and their summit results speak for themselves. The mountain is high and deserves our respect. Acclimatization will be of paramount importance and concern. Every effort will be made to give all team members time to achieve this goal.

Acclimating in La Paz

It's very important that we give ourselves a couple of days to adjust accordingly to the altitude. There is plenty to do and see while in La Paz so this acclimatization period should prove painless and, in the long run, very rewarding. An afternoon will be spent introducing you to the unique city of La Paz. We'll spend time wandering through colorful outdoor markets where the local people sell everything from fruit and vegetables to antiques and musical instruments. If you like, you can even outfit yourself with a few charms from the Witches Market, "guaranteed" to bring you health, wealth, and happiness.

We will also take a short day trip outside of La Paz to see the Tiahuanaco ruins, dated 1600 BC, and said to be among the most important archeological finds in South America and one of the most advanced civilizations to exist on the continent. It remains somewhat of a mystery, having vanished from the face of the earth, leaving many questions and few answers. Much of Tiahuanaco remains beneath the ground as Bolivia very simply doesn't have the funds to operate a full-scale archeological dig. Certainly, many of its secrets still lie buried beneath the earth's surface.

Our visit to Bolivia wouldn't be complete without a trip to Lake Titicaca. We'll lunch on freshly caught trout and charter a small boat to take us out to the Island of Suriki where we will visit the Amayra Indians who helped Thor Heyerdahl build the famous reed boats Ra II and Tigress for his exploratory expeditions. Our overnights will be at Copacabana, a beautiful lakeside resort.

Throughout our sightseeing in La Paz we will become very familiar with Illimani. It is massive. Sitting just outside the city, it dominates the entire skyline with its 21,200 feet. After three days in La Paz everyone should be well adjusted to 11,900 feet and feel ready to take the next step. We'll load up the trucks and drive out of town and into the mountains of the Cordillera Real. Our journey will lead us through an incredible landscape and small Bolivian towns. Our drive will take us literally to the end of the road to a small village in the heart of Bolivia. We'll be the center of attention for the folks who live there with our small mountain of gear. They are fun-loving people and very curious about us, the mountain climbers from the north. We can have great fun mingling with the locals as we prepare out gear for the mountain.

Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482') and Huayna Potosi (19,974')

For acclimatization and training, we'll climb to the summit of Pequeño Alpamayo (17,482') and then tackle Huayna Potosi (19,974'), a very rewarding climb and one of the most beautiful mountains on the continent. The climb normally requires the use of fixed lines and running belays, as well as solid basic snow and ice climb skills. It's a great warm up for Illimani! After out ascent we'll return to La Paz for a good meal and a night at the hotel.

Illimani (21,200')

Our trip to Illimani begins with a drive east from La Paz, over a 16,500' pass. At the village we'll load the bulk of the gear onto a few pack animals and begin our hike into base camp at about 15,000 feet. The next day, we'll hike from base camp to our high camp, Nido de Condores (the Condor's Nest) perched at 18,000 feet. The route from base camp will take us onto a rock ridge and involves some very minor rock scrambling.

Following our hike up to Nido de Condores we have an option of climbing to the summit the very next day, or waiting until the day after. This decision will be based upon the weather, route conditions, and team strength. From Nido de Condores we will have a fantastic view of the entire Cordillera Real to the north. And, Sajama, Bolivia's highest mountain, will be visible far off to the west near the border of Chile. With the setting sun the lights of La Paz will begin to burn brightly and flicker in the distance below. Lake Titicaca glistens in the distance, and as the Andean night drapes Illimani in darkness, the Southern Cross gradually reveals itself. It's quite a spectacular sight!

The summit climb will take us out of the high camp via a narrow snow ridge, presenting some exposed climbing. We normally find ourselves using running belays and fixed lines at this point to safeguard the team. This technique will be covered prior to our pre-dawn departure for the summit so don't worry if you're a little rusty. Many of you may be familiar with this practice, but it's always good to review it together so that we're all on the same page the day of the climb. And, if you're completely unfamiliar with this type of protection, it's simple and you'll be able to pick it up very quickly. We'll continue climbing over a series of ramps involving standard glacier travel with the exception of a few short steep stretches. After several hours of climbing our goal will have come in sight at last. We'll climb one final ramp up onto a classic finish along the very narrow ridge leading to the summit of Illimani.

Following our ascent of Illimani we will return to La Paz and catch our flights home. Often times our flight will take us just over the shoulder of Illimani, rewarding us with a spectacular final view of this great mountain and the surrounding countryside.

Sajama (21,486')

Members who wish to take advantage of their acclimatization and climb Bolivia's highest mountain, Sajama (21,486') can do so on a supplemental basis. The cost for this additional five days of climbing will be dependent on the number of participants. From La Paz the team travels across the Altiplano to Sajama Village, where we hire mules to assist the team to Base Camp. The next day is the move to High Camp, followed by Summit Day and a return to Base Camp. The last day starts at Base Camp and ends back in La Paz. This is a terrific climb for people already well acclimatized from the earlier climbs.