La Paz, Bolivia sits at over 12,000 feet above sea level, so it’s no surprise that it’s surrounded by mountains. Tourism agencies in the city offer tours to several of the nearby mountains including Huyana Potosi, Chacaltaya, Charquini, and others. On these tours, you’ll leave the city and travel even higher to get some incredible views of the surrounding mountains.
I did two of these mountain tours while I was in La Paz and this guide is going to tell you exactly what to expect on a visit to Chacaltaya.
What to Expect on a Tour to Chacaltaya
This is my experience on a tour to Chacaltaya. My tour was combined with visit to Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) to make a full day tour. The actual visit to Chacaltaya only accounts for about a half day.
A Note About the Weather on My Trip
It had snowed the night before my visit to Chacaltaya, which my guide told me was unusual. There wasn’t a ton of snow (maybe an inch or two at most), but just enough snow to make it things interesting. Because of that, my experience at Chacaltaya was different than what most people will experience.
Rather than driving all the way up to the old ski lodge and hiking to the top of Chacaltaya, we stopped part way up the mountain and hiked the rest of the way to the ski lodge. Two people went all the way to the top of Chacaltaya, but given our timeframe, I opted to skip this climb. It’s a little disappointing, but I don’t regret skipping it.
Getting to Chacaltaya
Chacaltaya sits at nearly 5,400 meters above sea level, which is even higher than La Paz. Needless to say that getting to Chacaltaya takes a little bit of work. Luckily for you, your van can drive most of the way to the top. You see, for many decades, Chacaltaya was actually home to the world’s highest ski resort and a road leads the way to the top of the mountain.
The road starts out pretty normal. It’s paved part of the way from La Paz, but you’ll eventually turn onto a gravel road. We stopped off at the sign for Alto Milluni. This is a fantastic photo stop because you’ll be able to see not only Chacaltaya (the black mountain to your right), but also the 6,000 meter Huyana Potosi (the snow covered mountain on the left). Also here are some black marks on the ground which are the remains from rituals by shamans.
Back in the van, you’ll continue driving toward the ski resort. However, I have to give a warning that this road can be terrifying. I don’t get freaked out my mountain roads very often and at this point, I had spent nearly three months in South America on windy mountain roads. That said, this road was different and I was definitely a bit freaked out.
I think what made this road so bad in my case was that it had snowed the night before. While most of the road was pretty standard sketchy mountain road, the snow added another terrifying element. And to be clear, I’m from Wisconsin and am no stranger to driving through snow. However, at one point we were fishtailing up a mountain with no guardrails and I legitimately thought there we were going to end up falling off the mountain.
Thankfully, another girl in our group spoke up (more like cried out) and the driver stopped. Everyone was more than happy to get out of the van and walk the rest of the way. We stopped about a mile from the top, but I would so much rather walk through the snow than fall off a mountain.
To be clear, there wasn’t a lot of snow. At most there was only an inch or two, but that was enough to lead to some very sketchy mountain roads.
Hiking at Chacaltaya
As I’ve already mentioned, my Chacaltaya hiking experience was different than most. For most visitors, you’ll drive to the ski lodge and pay a 20 boliviano fee to climb to the top of Chacaltaya. It’s not a long hike and it’ll take about an hour round trip. I did not hike this, but two people on my tour did and that was their approximate time to ascend and descend. Instead, my hiking was limited to the final mile up to the ski hill.
Regardless of where you hike, you need to be aware that you’ll be very high in elevation. Chacaltaya is more than 17,000 feet above sea level, which is more than 5,000 feet higher than the city of La Paz. Keep in mind that La Paz is the highest capital city in the world!
I definitely huffed and puffed my way up to the ski lodge at Chacaltaya, but in a weird way, it felt easier than the next day when I hiked to Laguna Charquini which was “only” at 16,000 feet. I’m not sure how to explain that, but it’s what I felt.
When we finished our hikes, we got to drive down that terrifying road again. While we didn’t slide like we did on the way up, the hairpin turns still had me feeling uneasy. Our driver was great, but the road was not.
Should You Take a Tour to Chacaltaya
There’s two important things that I think you should consider before visiting Chacaltaya. The first is that you need to have a strong stomach for windy mountain roads. This was one of the worst roads I encountered in South America and I was thoroughly freaked out. For context, the next day I visited nearby Charquini to hike to Laguna Charquini. This road was so much better and I never felt like I was going to fall off a cliff.
The second thing to consider is the weather. Talk to your tour agency and ask about the weather. Snow is rare, but if there is snow, ask to reschedule (or change to another tour). While I still think the road can be a scary without snow, I firmly believe it would be significantly better.
So to answer the question, it depends. If you have good, non-snowy weather and you have a strong stomach for mountain roads, I say go for it.
Visiting Chacaltaya and Moon Valley Together
When I visited La Paz, I booked a tour that included stops at both Chacaltaya and Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna). Despite being on opposite ends of the city (Chacaltaya is north of La Paz and Moon Valley is south), it somehow still worked. The only downside is that there is no stop for lunch. Bring plenty of snacks for the day.
Typically, the tours will visit Chacaltaya in the morning and then visit Moon Valley in the afternoon. My tour was slightly different and we visited Moon Valley first. This was a last minute swap due to the snow the night before and I think it was 100% the right decision.
What to Bring on a Tour to Chacaltaya
I highly recommend bringing layers. La Paz sits at 12,000 feet above sea level, so it’s not a warm city to begin with, but at Chacaltaya, you’ll get even higher and it can get cold, even in the afternoon sun.
I wore a long sleeve, fleece, puffy jacket, and rain jacket on my afternoon visit to Chacaltaya. We had sun and I probably could have done without one jacket, but I was glad to have the option. I also wore a hat and gloves.
Make sure you wear decent shoes on your visit to Chacaltaya. As mentioned, I had snow on my visit, but even without the snow, you want to have shoes with a decent grip.
Your tour company will likely provide you a walking stick, but if you have your own hiking poles, there’s no harm in bringing those.
More in La Paz
La Paz is one of the capital cities of Bolivia (Sucre is the other) and there’s some interesting things to do in the city. Wander the city center (I recommend a walking tour to get the most out of your experience) or see a cholita wrestling show. Outside of the city, there’s no shortage of day trips. Moon Valley in the southern part of the city offers unique and incredible views.
For those interested in mountains, Charquini allows you to visit a beautiful lake. For more adventure, consider hiking Huyana Potosi, a mountain with a peak above 6000 meters.
If you’re looking for even more adventure, consider taking a biking tour of Death Road.
Final Thoughts
While I enjoyed the views from Chacaltaya, I did not enjoy the road getting to and from Chacaltaya. I think that hiking to the top of Chacaltaya is a reasonable mountain (provided you’ve acclimatized a bit in La Paz), but you need to be ready for a nerve wracking drive up the mountain.
