You've probably heard of the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. Hundreds of dollars. Waiting list months long. But what most folks don't know is that there are Inka Trails all over the Andes and even treks that follow trails made by llamas. I just hiked one of these high country treks in the Cordillera of Bolivia. Here is what it was like.
There are no trees or bushes at this elevation of about 5,000 meters above sea level. Ichu bunch grass covers the ground. Llamas and sheep nibble it down to a buzz-cut stubble. Tiny white star-shaped flowers bloom in private crevices. Volcanic rock shoots craggy black spires against the sapphire August winter sky. Glaciers shimmer white in the changing light of the sun. We hear only the crunching of our boots on the shale gravel, the gentle laughter of water trickling over rocks and ice, the cry of a lamb scampering to its mother and the tinkle of a bell tied around the neck of a grazing llama.
I chose Adolfo Andino out of the many tourist trekking agencies that line Sagarnaga Street in La Paz, Bolivia. Since I am 51 years old and overweight, I requested a "lite" version of a trek. Adolfo recommended Tuni to the base camp of Condoriri for Day 1; for Day 2, a day hike as desired around that glacial valley or an attempt to reach Pico Austria; and for Day 3 a hike back to Tuni. For $110 each, he organized everything for our expedition—loaned us Doite Tents and Northface sleeping bags (a bit worn by much use), bought our food, coordinated our private transportation to and from the trailhead, and hired a guide and her mule to accompany my friend and me, carry our gear, and even set up our tents and cook our meals.
Regina, an Aymara woman, and her mule were our companions. She strapped on the back of the grey fuzzy-faced creature our backpacks, borrowed tents and sleeping bags, a kerosene cookstove, and a box with three days' worth of food. The trek started at Regina's home in the rural community of Tuni, which we reached from a dirt road that crossed the highway to Copacabana in the pueblo of Patamata. The first part of the hike crossed marshlands (jump over the rivulets!) then followed a dirt road that runs past a reservoir monitored by the water company EPSAS. After passing small dams with stonework that my friend Barb commented resembled the work of the ancient Tiwanaku culture, we left the dirt road and followed a llama path up a grassy slope.
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1 - Lynette Yetter, author of the novel, Lucy Plays Panpipes for Peace
Photos in this article are by Barbara Donachy, copyright 2010.