Little Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi and Illimani

Little Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi and Illimani

Tour Description

Great mountaineering expedition in the dramatic western & eastern side of the Cordillera Real in Bolivia.

We start to climb Pequeño Alpamayo 5,400m/17,704 feet later the Huayna Potosi 6,094m/19,974ft one of Bolivia’s most popular climb with amazing view of Lake Titicaca & the Altiplano in the Cordillera Real.

Our final challenge is the Illimani 6,439m/21,125 feet the highest peak of the Cordillera Real.

This glacier massif has five different summits and his approach through the valley of the Spirits shows us some of the attractive landscapes in Bolivia. Illimani is a demanding high-altitude climb!

To see a Topographic Map of Huayna Potosi : Click here

To see a Topographic Map of Illimani: Click here

                                   To order a topographic map: Click here 

Day by day itinerary

Day 1 Picked up at La Paz airport and transport to hotel. Afternoon group meeting with guides to review schedule and check personal gear. Welcome dinner. Hotel

Day 2 Transfer to Copacabana a 3 ½ hour drive. We have lunch at Huatajata beside the majestic Lake Titicaca. In Copacabana we do a light 2 hours trek to the place name the Calvary to appreciate a magnificent sunrise and the Copacabana village. Hotel

Day 3 Early transfer by boat to the north side of the Island of the Sun, the area call Chincana and start a trek along the island to Pilcocania where we have lunch. Return by boat to Copacabana. Hotel.

Day 4 Drive to Tuni village, gateway of the Condoriri National Park, we arrive to Plaza de Llamas (3,900m) where we meet the llameros (llamas drivers) and our staff. Trek for 3 hours and camp. Tent.

Day 5 Easy hike of Janchallani peak 5,350m/ in a 6-7 hours time with a great scenery of the Condoriri mountains, Pequeño Alpamayo & Aguja Negra and more.., return to the base. Tent.

Day 6 Early hike of Illusion hill 5,300m by crossing a glacier in a seven hours journey. We do a glacier training and the use of crampons, rope and ice axe, return to the base. Tent.

Day 7 Ascent of Pequeno Alpamayo 5,350m/ and Tarija 5,300m in a 7-8 hours, return to base camp. Tent.

Day 8 Descent to Plaza de Llamas and transfer to Huayna Potosi base camp 4,700m located in the valley of Zongo Dam (4,700m). Here we use a small hut of Altamirano family. Hut.

Day 9 Climb to Huayna Potosi high camp at 5,100m in a 3-4 hours. We prepare for the next summit day with a great dinner. Tent .

Day 10 Huayna Potosi 6,094m summit attempt in a 7-8 hours time and return Zongo camp. Rest time and drive back to La Paz. Hotel.

Day 11 Rest day in La Paz, optional city tour in the afternoon. Hotel.

Day 12 Drive for 3 hours towards Pinaya village. On the way we cross places like Palca and the Soul valley with their enormous earthy figures represented by gigantic monolithic blocks, we arrive to Unma village from where we trek for 3 hours to reach Illimani`s base camp at Puente Roto 4,450m. Tent.

Day 13 Climb from Puente Roto base camp to Nido de Condores 5,000m high camp in a 5-6 hour hike. Porters will help us with our gear, food and camp. Tent.

Day 14 Illimani 6,439m summit attempt. This will be a 7-9 hours climb – return to high camp. If we feel in shape, we try to reach Pente Roto. Tent.

Day 15 Reserve weather day. Tent.

Day 16 Return to La Paz for a farewell dinner, end of service. Hotel.

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Tour Details

Service includes

• Professional Bilingual Mountain Guide.
• Ratio Guide Clients 1-4.
• All local organization and supervision by KL Adventure Staff.
• Private transportation including airport pick up.
• La Paz four (4) Hotel nights double occupancy with breakfast.
• Copacabana two (2) Hotel nights double occupancy with breakfast.
• All meals during the expedition. 
• High quality expedition common gear; The North Face tents, Mountain Hardware and Marmot tents, isolate mattress, high camp stoves & gaz...
• Lightweight base camp set up: dining tent, tables, etc.
• Permanent access at base camp tent to hot drinks, tea, coffee, biscuits, etc.
• Burritos to carry individual gear up to 20 kg per person to Sajama base camp.
• First aid kit, hyperbaric chamber, oxygen bottles, oximeter.
• Radio communication VHF 2.
• Satellite phone at base camp on a per minute payment basis.

Service does not include

• All personal climbing equipment gear.
• International & domestics flights.
• Any cost involve in a early or late departure.
• Any drinks (soda, beer or wine) in Iquique & Arica.
• Arrival and last day dinner.
• Cancellation, accident and rescue insurance.
• Any cost involve during waiting days in Punta Arenas or anywhere.
• Cash for extra expenses.
• Any other service not mentioned in the list.
• Gratuities are not included.

Important

• All itineraries are subject to change due to changes in the weather, individual’s acclimatization rates and the guide’s preferences.
• Private Porter to be share between two expedition members carrying 10kg each, service available upon request at additional cost.
• Any departure dates can be re-scheduled with a minimum of 6 persons.

Physical conditioning for your trip with KL Adventure

Whether your trip involves trekking, mountaineering, or technical climbing, your training program should involve the following:

• Alpine-specific training (via hiking with a pack and specific skills development pertaining to your trip)
• Strength training (via free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines)
• Cardiovascular training (via spinal-loading aerobic training)

Alpine specific training - During your training, progressively ramp up your speed, duration (time or mileage), and pack weight of weekly training hikes to give you alpine-specific conditioning that cannot be matched by any other type of training. Hike steep outdoor trails, gradually increasing your pack weight with each outing until you are at your target trip pack weight. A reasonable target for multi-day trips would be to ascend 3,500 feet in a 2-2.5 hour period, or roughly 1,750 vertical feet in an hour, with your target trip pack weight. In early season, you might start out with a 15# pack on hikes that gain up to 1,500’ elevation over 6-8 miles round trip; each hike try increasing the total elevation gain, distance, and/or speed, then begin adding several pounds per trip until you are comfortable with your target trip pack weight. When you can gain 3,500 feet with your target pack weight, start to decrease rest breaks and increase speed.  Include overnight trips in your training regimen to get accustomed to successive days of sustained work with little to no recovery time.

Strength training - Training with free weights, a weighted backpack, bodyweight exercises, or gym machines will help you build overall strength, particularly in the core (lower back and abdominals), upper back, and legs. Developing strength in your upper back and shoulders will help you with such tasks as carrying a pack and using ice axe, ice tools or trekking poles effectively.  The calves, hips, quads, hamstrings and glutes are all involved in ascending and descending alpine routes, and strength endurance is required in all areas of the legs and hips.  Technical climbing will require a solid foundation in upper body strength training as well. Training primarily with free weights will give you the functional, alpine-specific strength that will help you most in the mountains. In early phases of strength conditioning, focus on building a foundation for harder workouts, starting with 2-3 sets of each exercise for 8-10 repetitions. As you continue to train, you will shift focus to building strength through lower repetitions (5-8) to build maximum strength. Finally for the last 4-6 weeks before your trip start increasing the repetitions to build strength endurance and mental and physical stamina; each phase varies the weight used, repetitions completed, number of sets, and rest interval.  Most important in strength training is to be sure you maintain proper form at all times in order to prevent injury or strain.

Cardiovascular training – Activities you can add several times per week to supplement your alpine-specific pack carrying training include spinal-loading exercises such as trail running, walking on an inclined treadmill, doing stair stepping or stepmill training, working on an elliptical machine, or walking up and down hills or stairs with a weighted pack.  In early season, include at least 3-4 sessions of 30-45 minutes of sustained activity at a moderate intensity, and gradually build to 4-5 aerobic sessions of sustained effort for an hour or more as you approach your trip. If you will be at high altitude for portions of your trip, include interval training in your weekly program. To do this, find a steep hill or sets of stairs that will allow you to climb steadily for several minutes. Push as hard as you can while you go up, then recover coming down, and repeat for anywhere from 30-45 minutes.  For hill walks, add weight to your pack on a regular basis until you can carry slightly more than your target pack weight (referred to as over-weight training) the whole time. Participate in as many hikes or climbs that take you above 8,000’ as you possibly can, in order to learn how your body responds to high altitude.

This training information brought to you by KL Adventure conditioning partner, Body Results. For more conditioning information, products and services and special pricing for KLA’s clients go to www.bodyresults.com/kla