La Paz, Bolivia

[Col_Forbin]

Hey! I am planning on flying down to La Paz this summer to possibly attempt peaks such as Pequeno Alpamayo and Illimani. I was curious as to who has been down there and what their experiences were like with various guiding companies. I was looking into Kanoo Tours.

Any tips/information would be greatly appreciated. Also up for potential partners!

Let me know!

[kushrocks]

Go with Bolivian Mountain guides and Edwardo. Lots of other shady companies down there so be careful. We went in 2012 for those 2 peaks and had an incredible trip.

Our Trip Report.
Part 1
https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine
part 2
https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... m=tripmine

[mtn_nut]

I'm going in September, and would be interested in knowing about where to rent a decent car for 8-9 days if anyone has some info

[Scott P]

I'm going in September, and would be interested in knowing about where to rent a decent car for 8-9 days if anyone has some info

Going by bus and hiring occasional drivers is the way to go in my opinion. Many of the roads in Bolivia are in bad condition and driving is chaotic at best. Renting a vehicle tends to be very expensive and technically you aren't allowed to go to most of the trailheads in most rentals.

[mtn_nut]

Renting a vehicle tends to be very expensive and technically you aren't allowed to go to most of the trailheads in most rentals.

Can you explain what you mean by not being allowed to go to the trailheads in a rental? Is this per the rental company or something else?

Price isn't much of an issue. I'll be splitting the cost, and we'd rather pay a little extra for the convenience of being very flexible if the weather acts up and having our gear in one place. We're going for Huayna Potosí, Sajama, and Parinacota (maybe Pomerape and Acotango too) in 9 days, so, mobility will be appreciated, and from my understanding those ones have "better" roads around them.

As far as driving, I've driven in Mexico, Argentina, and Chile in rental cars without problems. Nothing can be more chaotic than driving in mexico city, so i think I've got this

[Scott P]

Is this per the rental company or something else?

Most rental companies balk at many of the roads to the trailheads, but you will have to check this yourself. The places you mention though have pretty good roads, so there shouldn't be a problem. If you were going to peaks such as Illimani, that would be more of a problem. I have heard that some roads have improved since I last visited ~10 years ago.

Nothing can be more chaotic than driving in mexico city, so i think I've got this

Bolivia is worse, at least in the more remote areas and possibly La Paz, but the roads you are planning shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Bolivia does have some pretty gnarly roads, but it sounds like you will miss them:



PS, conditions can get quite icy on some of the mountain routes in September, but the climbs you are planning shouldn't pose too much of a problem. The bergschund might be an obstacle on Huayna Potosí, depending on the wet season snowfall or lack thereof.

[JennH]

I am going to Bolivia in June to climb Huayana Potosi and Illimani, I am using Bolivian Mountains guide service because they are IFMGA and I've read some horror stories about "guide companies" out there being a total sh*tshow... hopefully my experience will be better.

I did briefly look into getting a rental car to get to trailheads to acclimatize the week before, but I am not confident in the road/driving conditions (as someone else mentioned above) so will just hire a driver. I haven't had much luck finding out how to hire a driver though, if I find out more info I'd be happy to pass it along!

[kaiman]

I am going to Bolivia in June to climb Huayana Potosi and Illimani, I am using Bolivian Mountains guide service because they are IFMGA and I've read some horror stories about "guide companies" out there being a total sh*tshow... hopefully my experience will be better.

I did briefly look into getting a rental car to get to trailheads to acclimatize the week before, but I am not confident in the road/driving conditions (as someone else mentioned above) so will just hire a driver. I haven't had much luck finding out how to hire a driver though, if I find out more info I'd be happy to pass it along!

Not sure if Bolivia is different but in many countries in South America (and other ranges around the world), guide services will have drivers to get you to/from the mountains. You may want to check with the guides you are using and see if they can set that up for you or recommend someone (a third party) that could pick you up earlier for acclimization, get you to Potosi/Illimani, and then back to the airport.

Kai

[mtn_nut]

PS, conditions can get quite icy on some of the mountain routes in September, but the climbs you are planning shouldn't pose too much of a problem. The bergschund might be an obstacle on Huayna Potosí, depending on the wet season snowfall or lack thereof.

We're going early in September, so hopefully it'll be okay.

[cheeseburglar]

We had a great time in Bolivia. How much adventure do you want? We hired a driver, cook/guard to watch camp, and guide to entertain us and give us questionable climbing advice which made it more fun. And it did not cost much money.
I do have one fun story from Bolivian roads. We were rolling down the road in an SUV driven by our driver and got stopped by locals, actually stopped, they blocked the road and our driver decided not to run them over. They had a long conversation that was not in spanish and eventually we drove off after paying a token toll. But they had tied several telephone poles to the back of the SUV, apparently they wanted help dragging them down the road. Our SUV dragged the poles for a while until the ropes broke.
So unless you speak fluent Quetzal and are willing to spend some time dragging around telephone poles you might consider having a local with you.
I also recommend walking up the staircase from downtown La Paz all the way to the top for acclimatization. Buy some beers up there and find some folks watching football and you will have a good time. I would not suggest carrying cash or valuables on the stairway.
Cheers and have fun!

[ulvetano]

I went a couple of years ago for Illimani and PA and had an amazing trip with Inca Land Tours. For around $500, we got picked up at the airport, carted to breakfast and then provisions, then were at the TH by Noon, and over the course of the week, summitted both amazing peaks. Pretty much everything was provided by ILT including tents, stoves, cooking, and our guide was very solid throughout the trip. "Vamos al cumbre! Hay chicas en bikinis!" That was his favorite phrase. I'm always a huge advocate at getting off the beaten path, but the ease of the whole guide thing (my first and only time) was pretty amazing!

[Col_Forbin]

Thanks for the insight everyone!