Sorata

Sorata lies at around 2,700 metres in a valley on the eastern side of the Cordillera Real, low enough to be warm and green after the altiplano and directly beneath Illampu and Ancohuma, two of the highest peaks in Bolivia, whose glaciers hang above the town. It was a rubber and quinine trading centre in the nineteenth century, which explains the substantial old houses around the plaza, and it has been a walkers' base since the middle of the twentieth. Routes go up to the lakes at Laguna Chillata and Laguna Glaciar at over five thousand metres, on the multi-day Illampu circuit, and down into the Yungas. The Gruta de San Pedro, a cave with an underground lake, lies a couple of hours away on foot.

History

In colonial times Sorata was a link to the goldfields and rubber plantations of the Alto Beni and a gateway to the Amazon basin. In August 1781 Andrés, nephew of Tupac Amaru, besieged it with 16,000 men in an unusual way: they built dikes above the town, let them fill with runoff from the slopes of Illampu and then opened them, washing the town away (Wikipedia, Sorata).

What's there

• The glacier backdrop - Illampu and Ancohuma above the valley.
• The old plaza - nineteenth-century trading houses around the square.
• Trekking routes - paths to high lakes and the Illampu circuit.
• The San Pedro cave - the underground lake a walk from the town.

When to go

May to September, the dry season, for trekking; the wet months from December to March bring landslides on the access road, which is prone to them at any time. The town is warm by Bolivian standards.

What to expect

The road from La Paz is long, winding and subject to landslides. Trekking routes reach very high altitude and need acclimatisation and a guide. Facilities in town are basic. The valley is deep and afternoon cloud is common.

Nearby

Lake Titicaca lies west; the Cordillera Real runs south.

Key facts