Chacaltaya

In the heart of the Royal Cordillera and in the surroundings of La Paz, the glacier of Chacaltaya, 5300 meters height, offers the advantage of a day round trip. Before it was the highest ski slope of the world but the glacier’s decline (about 1m/year) made the station close, which didn’t have very important structures. The glacier's melt is sadly representative in Chacaltaya. However, there still is one of the most accessible peak; without being a good ‘Andinist’, you can climb it and enjoy the view from the heights thanks to a short way (some hundred meters) between the end of the road and the top of the mountain. From over there, a wonderful panorama is waiting for you; the other surrounding peaks (such as Huayno Potosi, at more than 6000 meters), Titicaca Lake at the north, high Andean lands and the city of La Paz, till the Yungas and the Amazon basin. A short trek (but at 5300 m it still drains you!) that is really worth to do.