El Choro Trek

El Choro is the best known of the paved routes crossing the Cordillera Real, a path of stone slabs and drainage channels built before the Spanish arrived and maintained in stretches ever since, running from La Cumbre pass at 4,650 metres down to around 1,300 metres at Chairo in three days. The descent passes through every zone in between: bare high puna with llamas, then cloud forest thick with moss and bromeliads, then subtropical valley with bananas and biting insects, so the walk is essentially a compressed transect of the eastern Andes. Communities along the way charge small fees and offer camping and basic lodging. The stonework is the other interest, in places remarkably intact after five centuries or more.

What to look for

• Pre-Columbian paving - stone slabs and drains surviving on the route.
• The full altitude transect - puna to cloud forest to subtropics in three days.
• Cloud forest - moss, bromeliads and dense growth in the middle section.
• Village camps - community stopping places along the path.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, when the path is firm and the rivers crossable. The wet months bring mud, landslides and leeches, and the descent becomes hard going.

Good to know

It is almost all downhill, which is harder on knees than people expect and causes most of the injuries here. The lower sections are hot and insect-ridden. Camping gear must be carried or a porter arranged. Transport from Chairo at the end needs organising in advance.

Nearby

Coroico lies northeast of the finish; La Paz is above the start.