Cordillera Apolobamba

The Apolobamba runs along the Peruvian frontier north of Lake Titicaca, a range of glaciated peaks over six thousand metres protected as a national area of integrated management, and it is one of the least visited parts of the Bolivian Andes. Two things distinguish it. The vicuña population is among the largest in the country, and the traditional chaku round-up and shearing is still practised. And the valleys are the home of the Kallawaya, itinerant healers whose knowledge of medicinal plants and Andean cosmology has been passed down for centuries and was recognised by UNESCO as intangible heritage in 2003. The Charazani to Pelechuco trek crosses the range in four to six days over passes near five thousand metres.

What you actually see

• Vicuña herds - large numbers on the high puna.
• Kallawaya villages - the healers' communities in the valleys.
• Glaciated peaks - the six-thousand-metre frontier summits.
• The crossing trek - Charazani to Pelechuco over high passes.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, for trekking; passes are snowbound and the valleys wet otherwise. Nights at altitude are severely cold. The Charazani hot springs are welcome at either end.

Honest expectations

This is remote country with no rescue and minimal facilities: guides, mules and supplies must be arranged in Charazani or La Paz. Passes reach near five thousand metres and acclimatisation is essential. Roads in are long and rough. Very few outsiders come.

Nearby

Charazani is the base; Lake Titicaca lies south.