Traverse of the Cordillera Real Trek
Holiday Itinerary
Day 1: Rendezvous at group hotel. Complimentary airport transfer to group hotel. KE Land Only services begin with the overnight at the group hotel.
Day 2: We set off on our transfer across the altiplano to the immense temples and palaces of the pre-Inca ruins at Tiwanaku. After our visit of the site we have lunch and then continue to Copacabana (3180m) on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Overnight in a hotel in Copacabana.
Day 3: We take a boat to the Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca. Here, we visit an Inca temple, have lunch and walk to our lodge accommodation in the village of Yumani. In the later afternoon we walk to the island's high point (4070m) for a spectacular sunset over Lake Titicaca. Overnight at a lodge on Isla del Sol.
Day 4: Today we have another easy day and walk the spine of the Isla del Sol (approx 2 to 3 hours). We stop for lunch in the village of Challapampa before catching the boat back to Copacabana, where we check in at our hotel.
Day 5: A day in Copacabana. In the morning we visit the fish market, all caught from Lake Titicaca and then we continue with a stroll through the Indian market, with its beautiful hand-made wares. We also visit the famous virgin of Copacabana and walk up the hill known as Via Crucis. We have another night at our Copacabana hotel.
Day 6: Today, we drive across the rolling plains of the altiplano with tremendous views of the Cordillera Real, the Illampu Massif, blue glacial lakes and glacial valleys. We set up our first camp of the holiday near Chulluncani (4400m) at the entrance to the Chachacomani Valley.
Day 7: On our first day of proper trekking we begin with a moderate climb along the valley of Labrahuani to our camp in the Warawarani at an elevation of 4600 metres.
Day 8: We follow an undulating trail over several ridges and spurs before climbing to our first pass at 4800 metres. We descend to the broad valley of Jichukhota and camp at 4420 metres near Kotia Lake.
Day 9: From camp, we follow a high traversing path to a pass at 4720 metres and then descend steeply to a village and an old tin mine. Our lunch stop has some great views over the glaciagted Checapa Massif, before we ascend to Ajwani Lake (4610m) and set up camp.
Day 10: We trek northwards from our camp and follow an interesting route to reach Milluni Peak (5000m). From the summit we have fantastic views of Huayna Potosi, the altiplano and Lake Titicaca. We descend via scree slopes to Sistana Lake for lunch. We continue to the Janchallani Pass (4943m) for futher awesome views, before descending to our camping place next to Jurikota Lake (4720m).
Day 11: Today we cross the Apacheta Pass (5150m). We contour around Jurikhota Lake and then ascend a steep valley to reach the pass after 3 to 4 hours. An optional 45 mins takes us to the summit of Apacheta Peak (5330m). We descend from the pass to our campsite beside Lake Chiarkhota.
Day 12: A rest day, with the option to walk up to the glacier beneath the peak of Illusion. We spend a second night at Chiarkhota Lake.
Day 13: Today we cross two passes, the first is Paso Aguja Negra (5010m), where we may be able to see the climbers on Condoriri, before descending to Piedra Grande with it's incredible moonscapes. Ascending again, we cross the Zongo Sistana Pass (4930m) and drop down to our campsite in the green Livinosa Valley (4550m).
Day 14: We walk through the alpine landscapes on the shores of Lake Livinosa to the village of Ancoma and see our first trees since we left La Paz. At the next village of Chacapampa (3560m) we meet our vehicle with fresh supplies. The vehicle takes us on a short transfer to the base of Huayna Potosi to camp at Rinconada (4550m).
Day 15: A 3 hour morning walk takes us to Telata Pass (4850m) through a steep and narrow path. Crossing over the pass we descend into the Sanja Valley. We camp in the grassy prairie near the village hamlet of Sanja.
Day 16: A day of descent, as we trek down 500 metres to reach the meadows at the edge of the cloud forest. The final part of our trek today is on a paved trail which pre-dates the Incas. Our camp tonight is at Piedra Grande (3000m).
Day 17: In the morning, we hike into the cloud forest of Challapampa and discover a great variety of birds, butterflies and flowers. We return to camp for lunch and then hike to our final camp of the trip at Samanapampa (4000m).
Day 18: Our last day of trekking takes us along more paved pre-Inca trail to the pass of La Cumbre (4900m) from where we descend to our waiting vehicle. We transfer to La Paz (1.5 hours drive), for a well earned shower at the hotel.
Day 19: A free day in La Paz, with the chance to visit some of the city's highlights, such as the Mercado de Hechiceria (Witches Market). We spend a final night at our La Paz hotel.
Day 20: KE Land Only package services end after breakfast. Transfers to La Paz Airport are provided.
Altitude
This holiday involves going to very high altitude. During the course of your trip you will be spending at least one night above 4000 metres and/or trekking to 5000 metres or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude.
