How to hike the Condoriri Trek and climb Pico Austria without a Guide

The Condoriri Massif in the Cordillera Real Bolivia is a group of 13 peaks ranging from 5100m to 5648m (the highest: Cabeza del Condór – the head of the condor) and home to the Condoriri trek. We stayed 3 days in the area, climbed pico Austria (5350m), visited the glacier (and an ice cave), and walked around the Lagunas. There are multiple options to visit this area with a tour group from La Paz (one-day to multi-day options) but we preferred to go without a guide. This post describes our self-guided itinerary for the condoriri area and pico Austria.

Preparation for the Condoriri trek and pico Austria

What to Pack

• Layered Clothing: Be prepared for every weather: from sun to snow.
• Camping gear: A good sleeping bag is a must (you will also need it for sleeling in the refugio). We recommend bringing a tent in case the refugio is full – see the section about the Refugios.
• Food & Snacks: There is no way to resupply, but there is a kitchen in the refugio (pay extra). We brought our alcohol stove and did not use the kitchen.
• Offline maps: There is no mobile signal in most of the area. We use downloaded maps in Mapy.cz.
• Water Filter: There are llamas and sheep in the area. We use a Sawyer Squeeze.
• Good Hiking Boots & Trekking Poles: The way to pico Austria is steep.

When is the Best Time to Go

We visited in the middle of October, which is the end of the dry season/beginning of the wet season. Locals told us that at this time it is quite common that the mornings are clear but around noon clouds, wind, and rain/snow are coming.

For more stable weather it might be better to visit in the dry season, but we enjoyed the landscape with fresh snow.

Go with a Tour or Do it By Yourself?

In general, we didn’t miss a guide and would do it again by ourselves. Getting to the trailhead was not the most simple but with basic spanish and some adventure-spirit, it is possible 🙂

When going on a tour consider the following: We saw multiple groups that did a one-day tour from La Paz to pico Austria. They started the climb to the peak when we already came down and the weather started to get cloudy and thunder started rolling in.

At least in the shoulder season, we would not recommend doing a single-day trip. We think it would make more sense to spend a night in the refugio and start the climb early in the morning so that you have a higher chance of having clear views from the peak.

How to get to the Trailhead – DIY

First you need to get to this point on the road between La Paz and Batallas (direction Copacabana, or Sorata). To do this from La Paz, you can basically take every colectivo heading along this road, but the cheapest option is to take the colectivo heading to Palcoco from Terminal Interprovincial El Alto. This is supposed to cost 5 Bolivianos per person.

When we arrived at the terminal in El Alto there was already a huge line of people for the Palcoco-minibus but no bus… After waiting a bit and trying to find other options, we paid 10 BOB per person for a minibus heading to Sorata. Tell the driver to get out for “Condoriri” and follow your drive on Google Maps to make sure you get out at the mentioned point.

Here, there are normally some taxis waiting. Tell them you want to go to Condoriri and make sure they will take you to the end of the road: here. The ride to the trailhead takes 40 to 60 minutes. We paid 100 BOB but also heard of people who did the drive for 80 Bolivianos so don’t hasitate to bargin.

Now is already a good time to arrange with the taxi driver a day and time for pickup for your return journey, or take the number to do so later. If you want to do this, be aware that there is almost no mobile reception in the park. The only place where we had a signal to call or text is on top of pico Austria. Most tours arrive around 9:45-11:00 to the trailhead, so you can get a return ride even without booking in advance.

Option 2 – ride with a tour

Even without taking a guided tour, you can contact a tour company and organize just the transportation from La Paz with them. We got offers for 350/400 BOB for 2 people for 1 direction (with Jiwaki and feel bolivia), but maybe you can get a better price if you are the last to fill the bus.

The Hike

There are a lot of options to hike in the Condoriri area. From doing a multi-day round with sleeping at Laguna Chiar Khota, climbing pico Austria, and continuing to Laguna Yuri Khota, to heading in the direction of Huayna Potosí Base Camp (6088m, famous for being a relatively easy climb, still don’t do this without a guide!).

We decided to take it easy this time and stay two nights in the same refugio (so that we can leave all of our stuff there) and do day trips from there.

Refugios at Laguna Chiar Khota

There are two refugios around laguna Chiar Khota. One on the southern side and one on the northern side of the lake.

We did not find any information on how to reserve or check if there is room available and therefore brought a tent just in case we needed it. When we arrived at the southern refugio an lady greeted us and showed us a room with two mattresses where we could sleep. She didn’t speak a lot of spanish and was not very friendly but we got a mattress. We paid 20 Bolivianos per person and night without kitchen use. If you want to use the kitchen it is 30 BOB (if we understood correctly).

We learned that it is not possible to reserve a bed in the refugio and a local guide we talked to told us that there are times when it is fully occupied which is why he always carries a tent when coming here.

Also important to note: The Refugio is very basic. There are only (old) straw mattresses. You need to bring your own sleeping bag.

We did not check the refugio on the northern side of the laguna but heard that it’s pretty much the same: 30 BOB, no option to reserve, including kitchen and very basic utensils, bring your own sleeping bag.

Day 1: From the End of the Road to the Refugio

From the trailhead, it takes a bit less than an hour to reach the southern refugio. We planned to visit the glacier the same day, but just when we arrived a snowstorm started! so we stayed in the refugio.

• Distance: 2.5km
• Height Profile: From 4460m to 4650m
• Map: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/condiriro-parking-lot-to-refugio-188526355

Check the map below for the way:

Day 2: From Condoriri Refugio to Pico Austria

The second day we got up early to climb pico Austria (5350m). The weather here is normally better in the morning. We did this hike in the middle of October when you can already feel the rainy season rolling in: Every day we had clouds with some rain and snow coming in around noon, so it’s recommended to do the hike early in the morning.

We got up at 5:00 am to discover it had snowed in the night and started hiking with the first light around 5:45 am. The snow made the hike a special experience and it was beautiful to see the contrast of the new snow and the rough peaks!

• Distance: 6.3km
• Height Profile: 720m climb and descend, Max elevation: 5350m
• On a clear day, you can see lake Titicaca on one side and all the peaks of the Cordillera Real around you.
• Map: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/condoriri-refugio-to-cerro-austria-188526344

We were at the peak around 9:00 am, spent time there, made coffee, enjoyed the breathtaking views, and then started the way back to get to the refugio before the rain hit. We arrived at the refugio between 12:00 and 13:00 just before the snow and rain started again.

Day 3: Visit the Glacier and an Ice Cave

When we were on pico Austria we texted our taxi driver and organized a pickup from the parking lot at 12:00 today. This gave us enough time to see the glacier and an ice cave. If the weather allows, it’s probably better to do this at day 1, as in the morning there is still no sun in the area and it’s very cold (as we could expect from a glacier if we would think about it enough…). Anyway, if you are well dressed, it won’t be an issue.

The way to the glacier from the southern refugio goes first around the eastern side of laguna Chiar Khota. Afterward, you start heading northwest in the direction of the glacier. In the beginning, you can find the trek in mapy.cz. But at some point you need to leave the marked path: once you reach a small stream, instead of crossing this stream as the marked path in the map you have to follow the stream north-east until you reach the glacier. You can see our recorded trek in the map above.

When we were there you could go up to the left side of the glacier and could see an ice cave. It goes quite deep into the glacier but it is not advised to go inside.

• Distance: 6km (round-trip from the refugio)
• Height Profile: 400m up, 400 down
• Map: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/condoriri-ice-cave-188526358

More Hikes in Bolivia

• Next to Sucre: How to do the Maragua Crater Hike without a Guide (2024)
• Sajama National Park: Lagunas de Altura Hike – Sajama National Park Bolivia
• Near Samaipata: Codo de los Andes Hike without Guide
• From La Paz: El Choro Trek, Bolivia: How to do it Self-Guided (2024)