Bolivian Climber

Overview

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A Jagged Globe classic - ascents of beautiful peaks in the Bolivian Cordillera Real

Introduction

Bolivia's Cordillera Real offers accessible mountaineering on some impressive peaks. This expedition attempts three of them; the highest in the range - Illimani (6,462m), plus ascents of Pequeño Alpamayo (5,400m) and Huayna Potosi (6,094m). It's an action-packed itinerary, suitable for climbers operating at Scottish II or Alpine PD/PD+.

Having landed on the Altiplano at 4,200 metres you descend almost 1,000 metres from the airport to La Paz, where you relax for two nights. You then go back to the Altiplano to explore the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca, spending a few days visiting sites of the Tiahuanaco, pre-Inca, civilisation. Then, ready to face the mountains, you enter a beautiful high mountain cirque at Condoriri. From here, you climb Pico Austria (5,100m) and Pequeño Alpamayo (5,337m), and do some glacier practice. Pequeño Alpamayo is a stunning climb along a well-defined ridge (50° in parts). Next you head for the bigger objectives of Huayna Potosi (6,094m) and Illimani (6,462m). Both mountains provide excellent glacier and snow climbs, with some easy ridge scrambling to get to the high camp on Illimani. The summit ridge on Huayna Potosi is not steep but it is exposed, whilst Illimani provides a very big summit day with a difficult section, which can involve 55° ice climbing at an altitude of nearly 6,000m.

Join us on Bolivian Climber

• Our teams are led by highly experienced expedition leaders who have a proven track record leading teams at these altitudes.
• Expeditions scheduled for the most reliable weather in July-August.
• Excellent local support - 1:2 leader/guide ratio on Illimani, porters carry group equipment to high camps.

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Experience Required

Bolivian Climber involves roped-up glacier crossings, moderate rock scrambling along ridges and short sections of ice or snow up to an angle of 55° following snow crests. Mountaineers wishing to join the expedition and have a good chance of success must have:

• Climbed with ice axe and crampons on Scottish Grade II, Alpine PD/PD+ or equivalent, along with experience of scrambling on exposed rocky terrain.
• A good level of fitness, having prepared for the expedition with regular hill walking throughout the months preceding the trip, including grade one scrambles.

Our Scottish Winter Courses in Scotland and our Alpine Courses would provide good training for this expedition.

Additional Information

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the expedition or your suitability for it, please phone +44 (0)114 276 3322 or contact us.

Dates & Prices

Date	With Flight	or Meeting in	Availability
Fri 10 Jul – Fri 31 Jul 2026	UK	La Paz	full Enquire »
Expedition Leader Chris Groves	£5,695	£4,195
Fri 9 Jul – Fri 30 Jul 2027	UK	La Paz	Available Book now »
Expedition Leader Andy Chapman	£5,895	£4,395

This expedition is available to book in GBP, USD and EUR.
Click to Change currency for prices on this site.

Group size: 6 – 12 people.

Single room supplement: £200

For comparison, this expedition starts from £191 (GBP) per day (price Without Flights).

With Flight pricing

Our 'With Flight' price includes an Economy class return airfare from the UK. The cost is based on a group fare that we have already reserved, or individual seats that we have budgeted for. Note that in some circumstances, the earlier you book, the less expensive the airfare and the 'With Flight' price.

Know Before You Go

Jagged Globe supports the British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign. We recommend that you read the FCDO Travel Advice for Bolivia and Peru on the FCDO Website.

What the price includes

• Economy class return airfares from the UK (unless joining in-country.)
• UK Air Passenger Duty (excluded if joining land-only and you make your own international flight arrangements).
• 2 group road transfers between Airport and hotel, connecting with flights (excluded if joining land-only).
• 5 nights’ hotel accommodation in La Paz, on a bed and breakfast basis.
• 2 nights’ hotel accommodation in Copacabana, on a full board basis.
• 1 nights’ mountain hut accommodation (full-board) – on Huayna Potosi.
• 1 nights' hostel accommodation in Peñas.
• 10 nights’ sleeping in tents (full-board) – base camp or mountain camps.
• All meals when not accommodated in La Paz (packed lunches on some days).
• All road transport by private vehicles as described in the itinerary.
• All costs for Jagged Globe leader.
• All costs for local guides (1:2 ratio on Illimani) and local helpers.
• All porterage costs.
• Jagged Globe kitbag or lightweight fleece.

What the price does not include

• Visa fees.
• Overseas airports taxes not paid in advance through the international airline ticket.
• Extraneous hotel bills (e.g. bar and laundry).
• Lunch and evening meals in La Paz.
• Additional hotel nights in La Paz if the programme is changed.
• Travel insurance.
• Optional sightseeing trips.
• Tips.

Tailor Made Trips

We can organise this expedition on a ‘tailor-made’ private basis for groups of friends, families, clubs, charities or any other group. The cost of going private can be surprisingly reasonable. Please contact us to discuss the itinerary and your preferred dates. We will then send you a quote, with no obligation.

Insurance

You will need a travel insurance policy that caters for the activities you will undertake on your trip with Jagged Globe. It is a requirement of our booking conditions that you have such a policy. For a list of insurers who specialise in mountaineering, trekking and skiing, please see our Travel Insurance page »

Itinerary

Here is an outline itinerary for this trip. A more detailed day-to-day itinerary is available as a downloadable PDF »

Outline Itinerary

Day 1 - 2:	Fly to La Paz
Day 3:	At leisure in La Paz (3,300m)
Day 4 - 5:	Lake Titicaca, Copacabana (3,800m) and Islay del Sol (4,080m) The team drives to Copacabana (3800m) on the shores of Titicaca. The following day you take an early morning boat trip to the Islay del Sol. This was a principal shrine for the indigenous Incas and Tiahuanaco peoples of the Altiplano. These two days are more than just sightseeing and help build a solid foundation for your acclimatisation.
Day 6:	Drive to Tuni Campsite (4,400m) Today, you drive to the village of Tuni, gateway to the spectacular Condoriri range of mountains. Acclimatisation trek to 4,600m.
Day 7:	Trek to Condoriri Base Camp (4,600m) It is a 5 hour trek to base camp. Condoriri is one of the most beautiful peaks in Bolivia. After setting up camp in the early afternoon, you may explore the area with a walk to the glacier at 4,810m.
Day 8 - 10:	Acclimatisation, glacier training and ascent of Point Austria (5,300m) Over the next three days you acclimatise further with an ascent of Point Austria (5,300m), as well as walking up to the glacier at 4,800m to refresh your proficiency in roping-up for glacier travel, abseiling and, if the ice is good, some ice climbing.
Day 11:	Pequeño Alpamayo (5,400m) Although not the highest mountain in the itinerary, the route can be the most technically challenging. This peak provides a fitting completion to your acclimatisation phase.
Day 12:	Descend to roadhead and drive to Peñas (4,000m) Trek out from Condoriri and drive to Peñas. Lunch, then check in to the hostel for welcome showers and a comfortable night after 6 nights' camping.
Day 13 - 14:	Huayna Potosi (6,094m) The Casa Alta Roca (5,180m) is the high mountain hut for the ascent of the mountain and takes about 3 hours to walk to, with porters carrying the group equipment. The climb on summit day follows easy slopes to a large bergschrund at 5,350m, with a short but steep slope beyond. This opens out to a higher area of easy slopes, which trend under the eastern side of the main summit. You pass this to gain the exposed north ridge of the mountain, which leads to the summit. Descend and return to La Paz. Overnight hotel.
Day 15:	Spare summit day Rest day in La Paz if you climbed the mountain yesterday.
Day 16:	Illimani Base Camp (4,460m) It is a 4-hour drive to the roadhead at Pinaya, then a 4 hour walk to Illimani base camp.
Day 17 - 18:	Illimani (6,462m) From base camp you negotiate some steep moraine to reach a col, then follow the crest of a rocky ridge to high camp at Nido de Condores (5,400m). On summit day you climb a snow ridge and moderately steep slopes to the main summit snowfields. These are gained by climbing 50m of 50° to 55° snow. They then lead to the final summit ridge and the top, in about 7 hours from high camp.
Day 19:	Spare summit day
Day 20:	Return to La Paz Return to base camp and drive back to La Paz. There will be plenty of opportunity in the evening to celebrate our climb.
Day 21 - 22:	Fly home

PLEASE NOTE: Please note that this itinerary is a guideline only. Although every effort will be made to adhere to it, unforeseen circumstances may force changes to be made at the last moment. Please be prepared to be flexible if necessary.

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• Bolivian Climber 2018 - final reflections
• Bolivian Climber 2013 - Illimani

Reports & Reviews

First Expedition: July 1994
Total: 39 trips

Have you been on this trip? If you'd like to contribute a trip report then we'll post it up on the site.

Team Member Reviews

• “Great trip well supported and all I had anticipated. DH.” Bolivian Climber - Jul/Aug '16
• “Excellent introduction to non-technical high altitude mountaineering in an amazing country. AN.” Bolivian Climber - 11 Jul to 1 Aug '15
• “A brilliant 3 weeks combining a few days of soaking up the culture and many more days in mountain paradise. RC.” Bolivian Climber - 11 Jul to 1 Aug '15
• “A wonderful mixture of hard mountaineering and 5-star relaxation and acclimatisation.” JW, Bolivian Climber - July '14
• “Mountains and more - a broad cultural experience taking in my first 6000m peaks and Greater Range experience with a great downhill mtn bike ride facility to finish it off.” RS, Bolivian Climber - July '14
• 8 more reviews »

• “Great organisation, and wonderful people. A very rewarding cultural experience in a beautiful country.” MB, Bolivian Climber - July '14
• “Slickly organised combination of culture and mountaineering.” MW, Bolivian Climber - August '14
• “Summiting Huayna Potosi at 6,080m when I had only been to 1,000m in Scotland, I cried happy tears at the top!” SG, Bolivian Climber - August '14
• “A very well organised trip. Everything worked liked clockwork.” SW, Bolivian Climber - August '14
• “A well lead, friendly and happy team which climbed two beautiful summits – especially the fine snow ridges of Pequeno Alpamayo.” PB, 2002
• “Summiting on Huayna Potosi was special (a new high for me), but the gem was Pequeno Alpamayo - what a route, what a day!” PW, 2002
• “A superb trip: well organised, great itinerary, excellent guides – helped me achieve my personal goals in a magnificent range of mountains.” BF, 2002
• “A great introduction to mountaineering in South America which leaves you wanting to go back to explore further.” JE, 2002

Leader Reports

• Bolivian Climber - July 2025
  “I think I’ve found a new “best” trip! Three incredible snowy summits, each slightly higher & harder than the last. Acclimatising feels like being at the seaside and with the mountains so close to the city...”
  report added 19/Aug/25
• Bolivian Climber and Bolivia Two Peaks - 6 to 23 Jul 2019
  “The Llama looked at me with a quizzical camel like expression. This sentence could be from Tibet or Nepal of course but in this case, the animal and I were looking at each other at 4000m in the Bolivian Andes. The slightly...”
  report added 30/Jul/19
• Bolivian Climber - July/August 2017
  “Editor's note: This report was not posted last summer. Our apologies to Juan Carlos and the team.This year our Bolivia Climber program was blessed by perfect weather throughout the entire climbing program. It was only after the...”
  report added 10/May/18
• Bolivian Climber - 30 Jul to 20 Aug '16
  “"Success - the Bolivian Climber team summit on four out of their four objectives: Peak Austria (5,300m), Terija Peak (5,300m), Huayna Potosi (6,088m) & Illimani (6,462m). With all (except Regis, who was meeting us in La Paz...”
  report added 22/Aug/16
• Bolivian Climber - 1 to 22 August '15
  “Itís 3am. Itís windy again. Iím lying in my tent, restless and unable to sleep. We should be up now, putting on crampons and roping up in the dark, in the quiet, getting ready to leave high camp on Illimani. But weíre not. We...”
  report added 25/Aug/15
• 22 more reports »

• Bolivian Climber 11 July - 1 August '15
  “In the weeks leading up to an expedition I have a pretty strict policy at my house; if any of my friends have so much as a runny nose, they are not allowed come round, in fact even if their kids have colds, then my house is off...”
  report added 03/Aug/15
• Bolivian Climber 19th August - 9th September '12
  “"Success - the Bolivian Climber team summit on three out of their four objectives: Peak Austria (5,300m), Pequeno Alpamayo (5,400m) & Huayna Potosi (6,088m)" With all (except Neil, who was meeting us in La Paz) team members...”
  report added 11/Sep/12
• Bolivian Climber - 25 Jul to 14 Aug '11
  “By 11:00am on August 10th, after eight hours climbing, all six climbers who had left high camp reached the summit of Illimani (6,462m) in excellent conditions: a cold wind blew steadily from the west, but the skies were clear, and...”
  report added 17/Aug/11
• Bolivian Climber - 4 to 24 July '11
  “Most of the team gathered at Heathrow on the Sunday evening, except Simon and John, who had travelled out in advance. They were met by expedition leader Greg Coe who, due to an unforeseen administrative oversight (misplaced...”
  report added 27/Jul/11
• Bolivian Climber - 25 Jul to 5 Aug '09
  “As we climbed the ridgeline, up to the Nido de Condores, on Illimani, the clouds were once more rolling in darkly from the West. The first Expedition having been forced to retreat, due to 20cm of snow overnight, the chances looked...”
  report added 28/Aug/09
• Bolivian Climber - 4 to 25 July '09
  “The Brazilian Security Officer was livid with rage, having just established we'd all entered his country illegally. It had been a long flight to Sao Paulo & we'd managed to bypass Immigration in order to collect our bags...”
  report added 03/Aug/09
• Bolivian Climber - 5 to 26 Jul '08
  “Flying into La Paz, the world's highest capital city, we viewed some of the soaring imposing peaks that we were to become more familiar with, the Antiplano and the sprawling city of El Alto, and then the first glimpse of La Paz...”
  report added 07/Aug/08
• Bolivian Climber - 12 Jul to 2 Aug '08
  “With only one more Alpine start to prepare for the flight home, the Bolivian Climber team soaked up the luxury of the Ritz Hotel in La Paz. Allegedly the last stragglers returned at 3.00am from the end of expedition celebrations...”
  report added 01/Aug/08
• Bolivian Climber - 28 Jul to 18 Aug '07
  “It was hugely satisfying for all of the group to summit on Pico Austria and then picture perfect Pequeno Alpamayo; thirteen climbers with their three Bolivian Guides and Leader, Mic Rofe. From the Condoriri Group we headed around...”
  report added 31/Jan/08
• Bolivian Climber - 7 to 26 July '07
  “Bolivia lived up to its reputation as a fine climbing destination: postcard perfect peaks with beautiful lines providing engaging climbing, friendly locals always willing to help make our stay rewarding, and importantly after some...”
  report added 31/Jul/07
• Bolivian Climber - 22 Jul to 12 Aug '06
  “The weather and conditions in the mountains have stayed superb throughout the second Bolivian expedition this summer. Only four people - Karyn from the States and Lee, Dave and Ali from the UK, eventually assembled at the Ritz...”
  report added 31/Aug/06
• Bolivian Climber - 1 to 22 Jul '06
  “The first "Bolivian Climber" team have just left La Paz to fly home after 3 weeks of perfect weather and conditions in Bolivia. The initial days of seeing La Paz, driving across the Altiplana to Lake Titicaca and visiting the...”
  report added 15/Aug/06
• Bolivian Climber - 16 Jul to 6 Aug '05
  “After a few days acclimatising in La Paz, we travelled to Lake Titicaca and enjoyed the sights. Taking a boat to the Island of the Sun, we ate beautiful King Fish, visited Inca ruins and saw spitting Llamas! One member in...”
  report added 11/Aug/05
• Bolivian Climber - 24 July to 14 August 2004
  “Bolivian Climber (24 July) proved to be even more successful than Bolivian Climber (3 July) with largely settled weather throughout the entire expedition. Once again enjoying the beautiful Condorirri base camp, this time graced by...”
  report added 12/Aug/04
• Bolivian Climber - 3 to 24 July 2004
  “A very successful Bolivian Climber Expedition with team members summiting on all major peaks. We arrived in country to unsettled weather but this soon cleared to wide-open clear blue skies with a very settled feel. Everyone...”
  report added 22/Jul/04
• Bolivian Climber - 28 June to 19 July 2003
  “On our first evening we had an excellent meal in La Paz and the next day, a comprehensive tour of the city on foot. We knew that it had been a very dry season and consequently many mountain routes were very icy rather than snowy...”
  report added 31/Aug/03
• Bolivian Climber - 19 July to 9 August 2003
  “After a good start to the trip with excellent weather in Copacabana, the weather turned a little more unsettled as we made our way up from Tuni to Condorriri base camp. The next day, the weather was good enough to allow us to...”
  report added 31/Aug/03
• Bolivian Climber - 5 to 26 July 2003
  “After one team member had to return to the UK very unfortunately due to illness, the remaining eight enjoyed generally excellent weather and conditions, climbing five mountains over 5000 metres. All the group climbed Point Austria...”
  report added 21/Aug/03
• Bolivian Climber - 26 July to 16 August 2003
  “Despite the weather turning a bit unsettled for the fourth Bolivian Climber expedition this summer, 11 members enjoyed the scheduled itinerary. All the group summited Point Austria, then went on to enjoy a superb day on Pequeno...”
  report added 21/Aug/03
• Bolivian Climber - 6 to 27 July 2002
  “With South East Peru being declared a state of emergency with 60 lives lost due to unseasonable snow storms, Bolivia has also suffered. It was with the newspaper headlines “Hundreds of Llamas lost in Storms” that our first...”
  report added 31/Jul/02
• Bolivian Climber 11 August - 1 September 2000
  “Members of Sue Savege\'s group had a more troublesome time with the stormy conditions. Most days on the trip experienced snowfall, and as a result, they had to do a fair amount of waiting for weather to improve. It had snowed in...”
  report added 12/Dec/00
• Bolivian Climber 28 July - 18 August 2000
  “Our first trip to Bolivia this summer was led by John Eames and experienced mixed weather, but team members managed to summit on all four of the main climbing objectives. On rising at 2 a.m. to make an attempt on Illimani (6,462m...”
  report added 12/Dec/00