Cerro Comanche

Puya raimondii is the largest bromeliad in the world, a rosette of spined leaves that grows slowly for decades on the high Andes and then, once, throws up a flower spike up to ten metres tall carrying thousands of blooms, sets seed and dies. Cerro Comanche protects one of the more accessible stands in Bolivia, several thousand plants scattered over a rocky hillside at around 4,000 metres, with a few in spike at any time. The site is a reserve and a short climb gives a view over the altiplano toward the Cordillera Real. Hummingbirds work the flowers when they open. Comanche village below is known for its granite quarries. It is a straightforward half-day from La Paz for anyone interested in the plant.

What you actually see

• Puya raimondii stands - thousands of plants across the hillside.
• Flower spikes - the ten-metre inflorescences on the plants that are flowering.
• Altiplano views - the plain and the cordillera from the slope.
• Hummingbirds - birds working the open flowers in season.

When to go

Flowering peaks roughly October to December, though individual plants spike at different times and there is usually something in flower. May to September gives the driest roads. The plant is worth seeing even out of flower.

Honest expectations

Only a small fraction of plants are in flower at any time, so the spectacular spikes may be few. The hill is at 4,000 metres and the climb is felt. The leaves are viciously spined and should not be pushed through. Facilities are none.

Nearby

La Paz lies northeast; the altiplano runs south.