EL CAMINO DEL ORO

This tour consists of a hundred kilometers of walking, from the Andes to the Amazon. Here, you'll see the two faces of Bolivia and their successive metamorphoses. Not to be confused with the even more arduous Mapiri Gold Trail, which also starts from Sorata.

Difficulty: high. Several passes at 4,750 m, to be negotiated on the way up to the Illampu glaciers. Crampons can be a useful accessory for touring the region.

Duration: 6 to 7 days.

Water points: fill up as much as possible before arriving in the Amazon, and take purifying pills with you. For the Amazon region, bring anti-malarial treatment.

Final destination: Llipi. You're already in the Amazon. From this hamlet, you can take trucks to Guanay, where you'll find the road to La Paz via Coroico. Alternatively, you can continue towards the Beni, in the direction of San Borja, San Ignacio, Trinidad or Riberalta in the dry season.

Day 1: Head east out of Sorata along the street that runs alongside the Residencial Sorata. You pass the cemetery before finding the Challasuy River, which flows down the foothills of the region. Follow the course of the river, and 1 hour's walk later, you'll reach the path leading to the pass, another 5 or 6 hours' walk away. To camp, you have to pass the village of Lakatiya. This is the end of the first day, and you're only 2 or 3 hours from the Illampu pass.

Day 2: crossing the pass, followed by a long descent to Ancoma. To get there, follow the 4x4 track. Camp in the village of Tushuala. From here, the descent becomes quite spectacular as the ecosystem changes. 6 to 7 hours' walk.

Day 3: we return to the Inca trail without too much difficulty. After 5 or 6 hours, you'll reach the Okara area, where you can camp. 5 to 6 hours' walk.

Day 4: the trail heads back up into the foothills, away from the Tipuani River. We pass through Lambramani and Wainapata, two gold-mining villages. It's here that we cross the fabulous 18-metre-long pre-Columbian tunnel. Pampa Quillapituni is 45 minutes away.

Day 5: the upward path winds through the forest. This part of the route is beginning to be affected by the colonization of gold miners. After a 5-hour walk, we reach Chusi, a real Wild West village. Keep a low profile. If you can take a truck to Llipi, don't hesitate to do so. If not, another day's walk will bring you to your goal.