Bolivia Guide
Lago Titicaca, the Cordillera Real and the Yungas
Cordillera Apolobamba
North of Lago Titicaca, flush with the Peruvian border, rises the Cordillera Apolobamba, the remote northern extension of the Cordillera Oriental. The splendour of the high mountain scenery in this isolated range equals or even exceeds that of the Cordillera Real, and the environment is more pristine. The region is now protected by the recently established Area Natural de Manejo Integrado Nacional Apolobamba, which covers nearly 5000 square kilometres and is home to a small number of mostly Quechua- and Aymara-speaking farmers and herders. The range is still rich in Andean wildlife which is only rarely seen elsewhere: condors, caracaras and other big birds are frequently seen; pumas and spectacled bears still roam the most isolated regions; and large herds of vicuña can be seen from the road which crosses the plain of Ulla Ulla, a high plateau that runs along the western side of the range. The Cordillera Apolobamba is also home to Bolivia's most mysterious indigenous culture, the Kallawayas, itinerant herbalists, famous throughout the Andes, who preserve secret healing techniques handed down over generations and still speak an arcane language that may have come to them from the Incas.
Tourist infrastructure is virtually nonexistent in this isolated region, but for the adventurous it offers perhaps the best high-mountain trekking in Bolivia. The only real towns are Pelechucho and Charazani, both of which can be reached by tough but spectacular bus journeys from La Paz. Between the two runs the fabulous four- or five-day Trans-Apolobamba Trek, which takes you through the heart of the range, past glacier-covered peaks and through traditional indigenous villages. Some tour operators in La Paz take groups on this trek; alternatively you can organize local guides and mules in either Charazani or Pelechuco.