EL CAMINO DEL ORO

A hundred kilometers of walking, from the Andes to the Amazon. There you will see the two faces of Bolivia and their successive metamorphoses. Not to be confused with the Mapiri Gold Trail, which is even more difficult and also leaves from Sorata.

Difficulty: high. There are several passes at 4,750 m, to be crossed on the way up to the Illampu glaciers. Crampons can be a useful accessory if you want to make trips in the area

Duration: 6 to 7 days.

Water points: fill up as much as possible before arriving in the Amazon and take purifying pills. For the Amazonian part, foresee the anti-malaria treatment.

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

Day 1: leave Sorata towards the east by taking the street that runs alongside the Residencial Sorata. We pass the cemetery before finding the Challasuy river that runs down the foothills of the region. We follow the course of the river and after an hour's walk we reach the path that leads to the pass, which is another 5 to 6 hours away. To camp, we have to pass the village of Lakatiya. This is the end of the first day, you are only 2 to 3 hours away from the Illampu pass.

Day 2: Cross 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 with the change of ecosystem. 6 to 7 hours of walking.

Day 3: we find the Inca trail without much difficulty. After 5 or 6 hours, you will reach the place called Okara, where you can camp. 5 to 6 hours of walking.

Day 4: The trail goes back up the foothills and away from the Tipuani River. We pass by Lambramani and Wainapata, two gold mining villages. It is there that we will cross the fabulous pre-Columbian tunnel of 18 m length. Pampa Quillapituni is 45 minutes away.

Day 5: the path that goes up winds through the forest. This part of the route is beginning to be affected by the colonization of the gold diggers. After 5 hours of walking, we arrive at 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, one more day of walking will make you reach the goal.