This post describes maybe the most amazing experience I have ever had, Parinacota trekking in the border between Chile and Bolivia. This upland in the north of Chile is fantastic. Endless lands with alpaca and small villages with amazing volcanoes that sprout out as mushrooms. These volcanos are extremely high and very wild. Very few people dare climbing them even though they do not present any particular technical difficulty. Hiking till the 6310m of Parinacota crater is something amazing I advise to all trekkers of the world and, if you are “wild” enough you do not even need a hiking guide for this climbing. The amazing thins is that you do not need to be a professional climber to climb till the top. If you need some equipment you will find it at Parionacota Village where some “travel agent” provide taxi services till the base of the Volcano. Pariacota is maybe the most emphatic but there are many other volcanoes that surely worth the climb: The Pomerape Volcano,the Guallatiri and the Sayama, in Bolivia. Hiking in Parinacota volcan is in the Parque Nacional Lauca and I advise all the mountain firends to visit this place.
This is maybe the most different environment I have ever experiences compared with my homeland mountains. Alps are certainly less high but also much more humid and full of colours. desertic environment can be extremely “mystic” but also quite monotonous. Alps beauty comes from the differences you can find in every single valley at less than 30 Km from each other.
No matter where you are: hiking around the world is the best activity you can chose for your free time!