Rock Climbing & Trek Peaks in the Real Cordillera

Departure by 4x4 by road and then by track to the Santos refuge (4400 m alt.) in the heart of the Cordillera Real. Cross the Mollo pass (5000 m alt.) at the foot of the Wila-Lluxita glacier (5244m) before descending to the Mina Fabulosa and rejoining the Santos refuge. The "Qala Uta" project was launched at the beginning of 2002 by a group of families from the communities of UmaPalca and Challana. The members of Qala Uta came up with the idea of offering visitors the benefit of their knowledge of the mountains, their Aymara culture and their way of life as a community. In this magnificent valley, the community has built this beautiful stone refuge. Meet the community and take part in activities in the village, including an introduction to weaving techniques, a visit to the school and traditional cooking. The granite cliffs facing the refuge have been equipped with some excellent routes (levels 5 to 7).

Descend to the river below the refuge before climbing back up into the Wilallojje valley for around 1 hour. Climb to the left along a steep path among the rocks to reach a pass at 4,740m after another hour's effort. There is a beautiful view of the laguna TresPicos or Kunuijitinta (meaning snow avalanche in Aymara), located at the foot of the Trespicos glacier. We continue along a contour to reach this beautiful lagoon, where we have lunch. We then descend to the Khota Pata lagoon along a steep path, taking around 1 hour. Here we can try our luck at trout fishing. It takes 2 hours to return to the refuge from the lagoon.

A day devoted to rock climbing. The site is surrounded by granite walls, a climber's paradise. There are 13 equipped routes in the area, ranging from 6 to 69 metres in height (with up to 3 pitches available), at levels 4 to 7. You can take advantage of the different climbing sectors for sport climbing, or go all the way to the top of the granite massif for traditional climbing. It's the perfect place for it!

We regretfully leave the Santos refuge and our hosts, turn back to the Paso Mollo and set up camp at the beautiful Laguna Janq'UQuta at 4,715 m altitude. Once we've set up camp, the vehicle takes us to the foot of Cerro WilaLluxita in 30 minutes. This massif, still glaciated but not for long, divides the valley in two, with the Paso Mullu on one side descending towards the Mina Fabulosa to the south-east and another pass further north-west joining the tropical side of the Cordillera and the Las Tres Marias and Negruni massifs. The vehicle stops at around 4,960 m altitude. We climb steeply through the rocks to reach the glacier. We follow the ridges oriented west-east by the glacier to reach the summit of Cerro WilaLluxita at 5245m. There is a fine view to the north-west of Janq'uUyu, the next day's objective, and the impressive Janq'u Laya. Further south-east, the MulluApachita glacier comes into view.

We regretfully leave the Santos refuge and our hosts. We retrace our steps to the Paso Mollo and set up camp at the small lagoon at the foot of the WilaLluxita glacier at 4895m altitude. Pretty little camp on board a lagoon. We can decide to start our glacier hike from the camp or climb a little higher by 4x4 to the Glacial Lagoon of the MulluApacheta massif. The trail climbs back up to Paso Mollo along the passable track and then forks due south to reach the Lagoon at an altitude of 5,100m. On economise then one hour walk in amount 4x4. This is a beautiful lake with turquoise waters nestling in an amphitheatre of glaciers and rocks. A minor campement is established above this lagune. A path winds along the edge of the lake and then climbs above the camp to the edge of the glacier at 5250m. A magnificent balcony with incredible views of the surrounding glaciers (JanquUyu, Janqu Laya). We begin the leisurely traverse across the glacier to reach the rocky ridges below the summit at around 5380m. We have to pay attention to all the big open crevasses on our way. A little tricky climbing is necessary to reach the real summit on the ridges (5400m). It's a chaos of very unstable rock that requires a great deal of caution. The view from the summit is breathtaking. On the other side, other magnificent glaciers appear in the distance. A great mixed ice and rock climb. Back to camp in the afternoon.

Easy ascent of the glacier section (PD / II) Departure around 4:00 am in a 4x4 vehicle to reach the famous windy pass at 5000 m altitude in half an hour. We head north-west. A tricky approach walk through rocky chaos to the edge of the glacier, which is reached in 1? hours. A very gentle ascent, still north-west, over the beautifully rounded glacier dome. We reach the summit after a 3.5 hour walk from the start. The summit presents no technical difficulties and the slopes are very gentle (35º/40º maximum). The highest point of Janq'uUyu is perched on a magnificent ledge overlooking the ridges of this glacial massif to the north-west. There is a splendid view of the vertiginous walls of Chachacomani and Cerro Jakocire to the north-west, and Huayna Potosi further south-east. The south-west face of Janq'u Laya is also impressive from the summit. We then have the choice of descending along the same route and returning to the Laguna Janq'uQuta to sleep, or continuing along the ridges to the north-west and descending back down the valley to the south-west to sleep at the Laguna Leche Khota. The crossing of the Janq'uuyu is more demanding and technical than the ascent, which is suitable for people who are physically fit but have no experience of glacier running.

This morning, we set off once again to reach the Paso Mollo, but on the other side, further north-west, to the left of the Cerro WilaLluxita. From here, we switch to the semi-tropical area on the eastern side of the Cordillera. After a few twists and turns, the imposing and majestic Janqu Laya comes into view. We set up our base camp in a pretty meadow at the foot of Janqu Laya, at an altitude of 4,560m. A beautiful turquoise stream meanders through the meadow. In places, the river offers small beaches of white sand, inviting you to take a dip in its unfortunately cold waters... but why not try a little invigorating bath...? Once the camp is set up, we set off to discover the beautiful colourful lagoons nearby. Here we are, heading due north towards the lakes. We followed a lovely path that gradually climbed towards the lakes. The view gradually opened up over the eastern slopes of the Chachacomani, as well as the Très Marias massif, which is almost never seen as it is hidden on the eastern flanks of the Cordillera Real. After a plateau where llamas are lounging, we reach the first lake (4640m). It's a magical place, like a viewpoint, with the glacial massifs reflected in the waters of the lake. After a short break, we continue on to the second lagoon at an altitude of 4,740m. It's different, but also very beautiful. Nestling as it does in a crater, it has a lovely intense blue colour. Another large lagoon, also nestled in a crater, could be seen on the slopes of the neighbouring mountain. In the distance, the sea of clouds hides the deep valleys of the Yungas. A truly beautiful walk. The place is beautiful, wild and different from the other side of the Cordillera. It's possible to take a longer walk here, as there are other lagoons dotted around the area. Return to camp by the same route.

We set off early in the night, at around 2.30 am. We make our way up the hillside to reach the edge of the glacier. The approach walk will be a long one, taking around 3h30 to 04h00 in all to reach the glacier (almost 3 kms and 650m ascent). The walk is fairly easy at first, the slopes are fairly gentle and we make our way through the maze of rocks. The further you go, the steeper the slope and the more rocks you come across. The last 150 metres of the climb are more difficult. You have to follow the cairns to find the best route through the rocky bars. We are now at 5200m altitude on the edge of the glacier. The slopes are fairly steep (45º/50º) to reach the summit ridges at around 5400m. The panorama was splendid. We can see as far north as the Cordillera Royale, Illampu, Ancohuma and closer to home, Chachacomani. On the other side, we could see Illimani, Mururata and the west face of Huayna Potosi. We also discovered the deep valleys that descend into the Yungas and the beautiful, colourful lakes of different blues, intense blue, emerald green and turquoise, on the mountainsides facing us. It made us want to go for a short hike. It's a long way down to the base camp, where a well-deserved siesta awaits us.

After breakfast, we hit the road again to reach the city of La Paz and civilisation.