October 6, 2018 – October 8, 2018
Parque Nacional Sajama is a small park on the western border of Bolivia. Volcan Sajama, at 6,542 metres (21, 463 feet) is the highest mountain in Bolivia, and is the centre piece of the park. The small town of Sajama within the park has a few small hostels, but you are allowed to wild camp almost anywhere in the area….we loved it!
The old church in the plaza of the town of Sajama.
Seymour getting ready to leave the townsite, with a cloud covered Volcan Sajama in the background.
For our first night in the park we headed towards a geyser field where we set up for the night.
There were maybe 80 steaming pools in the area.
Piper and the llamas having a stare down.
The next day we hiked to a pass and a lake, located just over the border into Chile…no passport required.
The first part of the trail was along a dusty road.
We saw a couple of Viscachas along the trail. When they move they’re easier to see! They hop on their hind legs like kangaroos.
We were camped down in the valley below, near where the second nose of land on the left juts out in the distance before the valley opens to the plain.
The views of Sajama behind us got better as we climbed.
A tower marking the Bolivia/Chile border at about 4870m, about 16000 ft
The lake at the pass. You can continue on and do a 2 day loop from here, visiting two more alpine lakes along the way. It was very windy here, if you were back packing you would want to find good shelter from the wind for your tent.
Some of the geysers where we were camped spilled their boiling waters into a creek that ran through the valley. The mixture of the geyser water with the cool creek water created the perfect temperature for a bath.
Ahhhh!!!!
Another spot in the river that we tried, with a boiling geyser in the background.
The further downstream from the geysers, the cooler the water in the little stream.
After our soak, Derek boiled some eggs for us in one of the smaller geysers.
Can you see Derek at work in his outdoor kitchen?
At this altitude, a perfect boiled egg takes at least 14 minutes, if not more.
We drove around the park some more and attempted to hike to the Sajama base camp, but the black sand was too hot for Piper’s feet. The ambient air temperature was about 10 degrees Celsius, but at this elevation and latitude, the sun’s rays are very intense.
Another photo of Sajama. Amateur climbers can summit Sajama, if properly acclimatized for the elevation. The best months to do so are July through September.
Derek played around with using the binoculars and his tablet to get some close ups. Ropes, crampons and Ice axe definitely required
A similar shot of nearby Volcan Paricutin
We stopped to ask a local Bolivian woman for directions to a spot within the park that we were trying to find, and she indicated to us that she would like a ride to her “camp”. We made room for her in the cab and chatted with her as we drove. At one point, we thought she was saying that she wanted out of the truck, but then realized that we had driven her to where her llamas were grazing, and having seen that they were fine, she wanted us to turn the truck around and take her home. No problem, as her camp was along the road on which we were wanted to head.
We found a spot for our last night in the park, and endured hours of intense wind coming from the west. By morning, all was calm.
I stepped out of the camper in the morning and was greeted by this guy standing on the little knoll just metres from our camper.
Paricutin and Pomerape volcanoes on Bolivia/Chile border
While at Parque Nacional Sajama, my digital SLR camera stopped working. At first I thought it had overheated, as I had had my camera in my lap in the intense sun while we drove. I let the camera cool, and tried it again…still not functioning. I then looked at the last photo that I was able to take with the camera:
A google search of the symptoms led me to the conclusion that I have a broken shutter blade, perhaps the result of all the bumpy roads we have been on. Nikon has repair shops in La Paz, Bolivia, and in Santiago, Chile. We decided we didn’t want to return to La Paz, and so we will see if we can get the camera repaired in Santiago. Bit of a bummer, as we have hauled a tripod with us all the way from Canada so that I could get some night time pictures of the amazing stars you can see from the Salar de Uyuni and the Atacama desert, both destinations still to come but long before Santiago. So phone and tablet pictures only from here on in until we get my camera repaired.
We loved our time in Sajama. The park was a bit out of our way, but the hiking, geysers and wide open spaces and wild camping was exactly what we needed after so many days in La Paz.
Hola Cathy, Derek and Piper,
In San Carlos Sonora since Nov 2. OMG you two! Of all the Blogs I have followed over the years of the people I met at Color Marino, yours is the one I marvel at the most with your descriptions, your eye for capturing an animal, a scene and also for the out of the way places you have chosen to explore. I am so filled with awe at times I want to get a truck like yours and follow that dream but age etc…. I check weekly your location and research using Google and ioverlander. I am always thrilled to see that I have received an email with your postings even though I have not always commented. You have captured the Visacha”s extremely long curly tail! Merci for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful journey. Wishes for continued health and safety for all 3 of you. Adele
Hola Adele! Glad to hear you are back in Mexico! And thank you for your kind comments 😁