Departure at 8:00. Acclimatization: minimum 48 hr in La Paz beforehand (condition of sale).
Chacaltaya is a 5,421 m summit reached from La Paz on a 7 hr excursion. A minibus with a high-mountain driver goes up to about 5,250 m and the last 30 to 60 minutes are on foot, with no technical skills. It includes a guide, coca tea and a light snack with water. It requires 48 hr of prior acclimatization in La Paz, and visibility and the summit depend on the weather: they are not guaranteed.
Highlights
- Summit at 5,421 m. The final climb is 30 to 60 minutes on foot, with no technical difficulty.
- Cordillera Real. Huayna Potosí and Illimani, outlined against the sky, with a 360° panorama over the altiplano.
- A vanished glacier. A refuge from 1939 and the trace of what was once a ski area.
- Andean refuge. A break with hot coca tea at the refuge, before the final walk.
What does the itinerary look like?
- Departure from La PazIn just over an hour the minibus leaves the city and crosses the altiplano.
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You are still comfortable and the landscape feels familiar.
Then the world starts to empty out: the trees disappear, then the shrubs, then the grass. What remains is dark ocher rock, sometimes with patches of old snow in the hollows, and a sky growing bluer, almost black right above your head.
- Club Andino refuge~5,250 mYou open the door, step out and take a breath: the air comes in, but it does not fill you.
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It doesn't hurt or frighten; there is simply less of it. You take three steps to the edge of the esplanade and your heart responds as if you had run. For many people it is the first time 5,250 m stops being a number and becomes a feeling in the chest.
At the refuge there is a break with hot coca tea, whole leaves floating in it, before the final walk.
Then you look around. The refuge of the Club Andino Boliviano, a low building battered by the wind, dates from 1939, the same year as the ski lift installed here, the first in South America. The glacier that supported the ski area was about 18,000 years old and covered 0.22 km² in 1940; by 2009 nothing was left.
On the same slope, at 5,220 m, the Laboratorio de Física Cósmica of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés has operated since the 1940s. At this altitude there is less atmosphere overhead and the particles arriving from space are easier to read. Between 1947 and 1948, the photographic plates for the work that confirmed the existence of the pion were exposed on this mountain, the research that earned the 1950 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- Walk to the summit5,421 mYou climb to 5,421 m slowly.
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There are 30 to 60 minutes left: three steps, pause, three steps, pause, all the way to the summit. Up there, if the day allows, the horizon opens all around, with the 6,088 m Huayna Potosí, massive and white, on one side, and the 6,438 m Illimani, farther off, on the other. Below, the altiplano stretches flat and brown, and La Paz is a gray smudge tucked into its basin.
If the day is clear, between June and September you may be able to make out to the west a line of blue different from the sky's: Lake Titicaca. Visibility is not guaranteed. You don't spend much time up there: the cold and the wind take care of that.
- Return to La Paz by minibusThe descent brings everything back at once: the dense air, the noise, the city.
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Losing altitude is also the first thing the body is grateful for.
What is included in this tour?
Included
- Minibus with a high-mountain driver
- Spanish-speaking guide; English on request
- Coca tea and light snack with water
Not included
- Lunch: the light snack with water is not a full lunch
What do you need to know before booking?
Altitude, health and descent
48 hr of prior acclimatization in La Paz are required, as a condition of sale. The driver is a high-mountain specialist and, at any sign of discomfort, descent to a lower altitude is immediate. If we cannot run the tour, you are refunded. Oxygen is available during the tour. There is no entrance fee to the site.
- Not suitable. Children under 10, pregnancy, heart problems or uncontrolled hypertension, significant vertigo or very limited physical condition.
- Concerns. If you have any, consult a health professional before booking.
What to bring
Bring gloves, a jacket, a hat and a windbreaker.
Altitude and health
This tour reaches 5,421 m. It is not recommended in case of pregnancy, heart or respiratory disease, uncontrolled hypertension or significant vertigo. Minimum age: 10 years. Prior acclimatization: Minimum 48 hr in La Paz beforehand (condition of sale). We advise you to stay well hydrated, avoid alcohol on the first day and check with your doctor before booking. If symptoms of altitude sickness appear, the guide may decide to descend, for your safety.
Before you book: payment, cancellation and the unexpected
Payment and booking
When you book, you pay 30% of the total: 15% as a booking payment (arras, non-refundable) and 15% as a deposit. Then a second deposit of 20% 30 days before departure and the remaining 50% 7 days before departure. If you book 15 days or less before departure, you pay 100% of the total when you book and it is non-refundable. If a payment does not arrive by its due date, the booking is cancelled automatically. You can pay in foreign currency with Libélula, RedEnlace and Revolut, or by bank card, QR code or bank transfer; the payment provider may charge transaction fees.
Cancellation and date changes
More than 45 days before departure: 100% of the deposit (15%) is refunded, less bank fees for the money transfer; the booking payment (arras) is not refunded. From 45 to 31 days: 50% of the deposit is retained, which corresponds to the pre-payment of lodging, transfers or others. From 30 to 8 days: 100% of what you paid is retained. From 7 days to 24 hours: everything you paid is retained. Less than 24 hours, and in case of a no-show: the full price is due. Date change: possible depending on the availability of the company and of our providers, with a new quote; sums already paid to providers are not refundable and must be paid again. If Terra Alta cancels or postpones the trip, you choose a new date at no extra cost or a refund of what you paid, except costs already paid to providers that cannot be recovered.
Prices
Prices are in US dollars per person, based on a group of 6 people, in a shared departure.
Blockades, closed roads and weather
A flooded salt flat (roughly December to April) is not a reason to cancel: the tour goes ahead with an itinerary adapted by the guide, with the mirror effect, and Incahuasi island may not be reachable; no refund is due for the visits that change. If a dangerous external event (a storm, heavy snowfall or another natural event) or social unrest or a blockade requires it, Terra Alta may modify, postpone or cancel the trip to protect travellers; what applies is what is provided for a cancellation by Terra Alta.
Tips and expenses
Tips are not included and are voluntary. Entrance fees listed in bolivianos are approximate and may change; they are paid on site, in cash.
Insurance
Terra Alta does not include travel insurance. If you wish, we recommend taking out a policy with medical assistance and repatriation from high altitude.
Frequently asked questions
How difficult is the climb to Chacaltaya?
No technical skills or previous experience are needed. The difficulty is the altitude: the minibus goes up to about 5,250 m and the last 30 to 60 minutes up to 5,421 m are on foot, slowly.
How much acclimatization do I need?
Minimum 48 hr in La Paz beforehand, and it is a condition of sale. If any discomfort appears, descent to a lower altitude is immediate.
Who should not take this tour?
Children under 10, pregnant women, people with heart problems or uncontrolled hypertension, significant vertigo or a very limited physical condition. If you have any doubts, consult a health professional before booking.
What if the weather is bad or the summit is not reached?
Visibility and the summit are not guaranteed. Terms for changes, cancellation and refunds are in the “Before you book” block. If we cannot run the tour, you are refunded.
Is lunch included?
No. It includes coca tea and a light snack with water, which is not a full lunch.
Guides to prepare your trip: Chacaltaya: how to get there and what to expect from the altitude · altitude sickness: symptoms and prevention · what to see in La Paz and around
From USD 48 / person
If you want to come down to the valley the same afternoon, see Chacaltaya and Valle de la Luna: it is a separate tour, with its own booking. Chacaltaya + Moon Valley
