Rock Climbing and trek on an unexplored summit

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  La Paz - Khotia Lagoon - Santos Refuge

  

  Departure by 4x4 on the road, then by a drivable track up to the Santos refuge (4400 m altitude), located in the heart of the Cordillera Real. Crossing the Mollo pass (5000 m altitude), at the foot of the Wila Lluxita glacier (5244 m), before descending to Mina Fabulosa and reaching the Santos refuge. The "Qala Uta" project was born at the beginning of 2002, initiated by a few families from the Uma Palca and Challana communities. The members of Qala Uta then designed the project to offer visitors their knowledge of the mountains, to help them discover their Aymara culture and their communal way of life. In this magnificent valley, the community built this beautiful stone refuge. Meeting with the community and activities in the village: introduction to weaving techniques, visit to the school, traditional cooking... The site also offers the possibility of rock climbing. Beautiful routes have been equipped on the granite cliffs facing the refuge (level 5 to 7).

• day 2

  Santos Refuge - Tres Picos Lagoon - Khota Pata Lagoon

  

  Descent to the river below the refuge before climbing back up into the Wilallojje valley for about 1 hour. Climb to the left along a steep path among the rocks to reach a pass at 4740 m, after an additional hour of effort. A beautiful view opens up over the TresPicos or Kunuijitinta lagoon (which means "snow avalanche" in Aymara), located at the foot of the Tres Picos glacier. Continue along a contour line to reach this beautiful lagoon where we can have lunch. Then descend to the Khota Pata lagoon by a steep and rugged trail, in about 1 hour. There, we can try to fish for trout. Return to the refuge in 2 hours from the lagoon.

• day 3

  Refuge Santos - Climbing

  

  Day dedicated to rock climbing. The site is surrounded by granite walls, a true paradise for climbers. 13 routes have been equipped in the area, from 6 to 69 m in height (up to 3 pitches possible), from level 4 to 7. You can enjoy the different sport climbing sectors, but also venture to the top of the granite massif in traditional climbing. The place is perfect for it!

• day 4

  Santos Refuge - Cerro Wila Llucita Camp - Cerro Mullu Apacheta

  

  We leave the Santos refuge and our hosts with regret. We retrace our steps to Paso Mollo and will set up our camp at the small lagoon at the foot of the Wila Lluxita glacier, at 4895 m altitude. Lovely little campsite on the edge of a lagoon. We can decide to start our glacier hike from the camp or gain a bit of altitude by 4x4 up to the glacial lagoon of the Mullu Apacheta massif. The path goes back up to Paso Mollo via the drivable track and then branches due south to reach the lagoon at 5100 m altitude. This saves an hour of walking by going up in the 4x4. It is a very beautiful lake with turquoise waters, nestled in an amphitheater of glaciers and rocks. A miner's camp is set up above this lagoon. A path winds along the lake and then climbs above the camp to the edge of the glacier, at 5250 m altitude. Magnificent balcony with an incredible view of the surrounding glaciers (Janqu Uyu, Janqu Laya). We begin the gentle crossing on the glacier to reach the rocky ridges below the summit, around 5380 m altitude. We still have to be careful of the large open crevasses on our way. A short, somewhat tricky climb is necessary to reach the true summit on the ridges (5400 m). It is a chaos of very unstable rocks that requires a lot of caution. Unobstructed view at the summit. On the other side, other magnificent unknown glaciers appear in the distance. A beautiful "pleasure" route, mixed ice and rock. Return to camp in the afternoon.

• day 5

  Ascent Janq U Uyu - Cerro Wila Lluxita Camp

  

  Ascent without technical difficulty for the glacial section (PD / II) Departure around 04:00 am by 4x4 vehicle to reach in ten minutes the windy pass located at 5000 m altitude. We head northwest. The approach walk is delicate through a rocky chaos up to the edge of the glacier, which is reached in 1h30. Very easy ascent, always northwest, on the glacial dome with its lovely rounded shapes. We reach the summit after 3h30 of walking from the start. This summit presents no technical difficulty and the slopes are very gentle (35º/40º maximum). The highest point of Janq’u Uyu is perched on a magnificent cornice overlooking the ridges of this glacial massif to the northwest. The view is splendid over the dizzying walls of Chachacomani and Cerro Jakocire to the northwest, as well as over Huayna Potosi further to the southeast. The southwest face of Janq’u Laya is also impressive from the summit. We then have the choice between descending by the same route and returning to sleep at the camp, or continuing along the ridges to the northwest, then descending into the valley to the southwest. The traverse of Janq’u Uyu is more committing and technical, unlike its ascent which can be offered to people in good physical condition, but without experience in glacier climbing. For those who wish, it is therefore possible to do the traverse and descend to the same camp (for people experienced in rock and in excellent physical condition).

• day 6

  Cerro Wila Lluxita Camp - Janqu Base Camp - Hike to the lagoons or rest.

  

  This morning, we set off again to reach Paso Mollo, but from the other side, further to the northwest, to the left of Cerro Wila Lluxita. From there, we descend towards the semi-tropical part on the eastern slope of the Cordillera. After a few switchbacks, Janqu Laya appears before us, imposing and majestic. We set up our base camp in a lovely meadow at the foot of Janqu Laya, at an altitude of 4560 m. A beautiful stream with turquoise colors winds through the meadow. In some places, the river offers small white sand beaches that invite you to swim in its unfortunately cold waters... but why not be tempted by a little invigorating dip... Then, once the camp is set up, we quietly set off to discover the beautiful colorful lagoons not far from there. Here we go, due north, towards the lakes. We follow a lovely path that gradually climbs towards the lakes. The view gradually opens up over the eastern slope of Chachacomani, but also over the Tres Marias massif, which is almost never seen, as this massif is hidden on the eastern flanks of the Cordillera Real. After a plateau where llamas lounge, we arrive at the first lake (4640 m). The place is magical, it forms like a viewpoint, with the glacial massifs reflected in the waters of the lake. After a short break, we continue our way to the second lagoon located at 4740 m altitude. Different, it is also very beautiful. Nestled as if in a crater, it has a lovely intense blue color. You could see another large lagoon, also nestled in a crater on the slopes of the neighboring mountain. In the distance, the sea of clouds hides the deep valleys of the Yungas. Truly a beautiful walk. The place is very beautiful, wild, different from the other side of the Cordillera. It is possible to walk around longer, as other lagoons are nestled all around the area. Return to camp by the same path.

• day 7

  Ascent of Jang Laya

  

  Departure early in the night, around 02:30. We progress along the hillside to reach the edge of the glacier. The approach walk will be long, about 3h30 to 4h00 in total to reach the glacier (almost 3 km and 650 m of elevation gain). The walk is quite easy at first, the slopes are fairly gentle and we make our way through the maze of rocks. The further we go, the steeper the slope becomes and the more rocks there are. Over the last 150 meters of ascent, progress is more difficult. You have to carefully follow the cairns to find the best passage through the rocky bars. We are then at 5200 m altitude at the edge of the glacier. The slopes are quite steep (45º/50º) to reach the summit ridges at around 5400 m altitude. The panorama was splendid. We could see as far as the north of the Cordillera Real, Illampu, Ancohuma and, closer, 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 beautiful colored lakes, in different shades of blue: deep blue, emerald green and turquoise, on the slopes of the mountain facing us. It made us want to go for a little hike there. Long descent to base camp where a well-deserved nap awaits us.

• day 8

  Janqu Base Camp - La Paz

  

  After breakfast, we get back on the road to reach the city of La Paz and civilization.