Stage 2 16 Sept 2011 -
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Hot Rock South America 2011 |
Argentina |
Chile |
Bolivia |
Peru |
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Leaving Lima, we head first to the weird Nazca lines, some of which are 200m across, which have never been explained by scholars. They might indicate the flow of water or be connected to rituals to summon water. The spiders, birds, and plants could be fertility symbols. Other possible explanations include: irrigation schemes, giant astronomical calendars, or landing for spaceships... you can draw your own conclusions. Here, we can also sandboard Cerro Blanco, at 2600m the highest sand dune in the world, on our way to Atiquipa. |
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Ariquipa is a beach bouldering destination on pink granite. It was only discovered in 2008 but is rapidly gaining popularity and of course the previous hot rock trip will have explored it for us already to find the best problems; we'll spend some chilled out time setting our own. |
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Leaving Arequipa, we head inland, to Cusco via the immense Colca Canyon. This canyon is twice as deep as the grand canyon and provides the best opportunity on the trip to spot condors, the largest flying land bird in the world with a wingspan of over 3 metres. (In case this sounds contrived, it basically means they're bigger than anything apart from albatrosses and ostriches.) It's an extraordinary place, well worth a visit even if there's no climbing... but there is... |
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We then drive up through the high Colca valley to Cuzco. For those that want, the inca trail is a possibility though it requires advance reservation (through me.) But it is easy to avoid the millions of people slogging along the inca trail simply by picking a different walk. You can still finish at Macchu Picchu, and no advance reservation is necessary. |
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We don't yet know what to expect at our next destination, Suykutambo, though the first hot rock trip to South America will doubtless have explored a bunch of routes already. There is little info available online but the photos look great; it'll be a case of turning up and seeing what there is to go at. I'll have been in touch with local climbers too, to get all the beta of course. We've got 5 days slated here, split between suykutambo and macchu picchu; if it is really good we can draw on a couple of extra days too. |
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From here we drive south via Lake Titicaca to La Paz We'll stop off to see the floating reed islands of the Uros indians on the lake, and then cross the Bolivian border. Situated high on the altiplano at above 4000m, La Paz is the setting for climbing and trekking in the Cordillera Real; 6x 6000m mountains surround the city including Illampu, Ancohuma, Huayna Potosi, Illimani and more, not to mention endless lower peaks. The trekking is top draw, and as we'll be well acclimatised already, altitude issues will be well reduced. We have a week scheduled in La Paz but alpinists can easily increase this by catching us up in Oruro.
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Climbers, on the other hand, will enjoy the cragging at Aranjuez. Situated on the outskirts of the city, the conglomerate rock has a wide range of single pitch bolted routes from f4a to f7a+ - and just in case that sounds easy, remember you're at 4500m here! La Paz is not a city to fly into from low altitudes - this is why it is not a changeover point. But of course, you can leave from here very easily. |
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South of La Paz, we have 8 days climbing split between Oruro and Valle de las Rocas. At nearly 4000m, the cragging here will literally leave us breathless, but we better acclimatise quick as there is 20km of mostly undeveloped crags along the Valle de las Rocas for us to have a go at. The rock is volcanic, and forms pockets, huecos and cracks... should be interesting! |
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We'll then head off on one of the greatest of all overland journeys: the Uyunyi Salt Flats. The Uyunyi salt flats are the world's largest. They cover a huge area of the border between chile and bolivia... a place where there are many vehicle tracks and no international border posts. We'll simply "sign out" of Bolivia at the final town, drive the flats, and sign in to Chile 16 hours later. It is an epic crossing, not possible in winter (as the flats get wet and turn into briny bog) - certain to be a travelling highlight of the trip. |
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San Pedro de Atacama is our first destination in Chile, famous for its geysers, salt flats, and the weird rock formations of the Valle de la Luna. But mostly for the Atacama desert itself - by some measures the world's driest. And it will be cameras at the ready here as this area, sandwiched between the snowcapped Andes, the great salt flats and the Atacama desert is famed for its sunsets. |
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We'll spend 5 days climbing at the twin destinations of Socaire and Toconau near San Pedro before taking the highest road of the trip, a 5000m pass into Argentina, land of steak and wine. |
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Across the pass, we'll stop off at the highly rated roadside cragging of Tuzgle for 4 days, where just 30 routes have so far been put up, alongside 100+ boulder problems. The petzl Roc team rated Tuzgle as the best bouldering in South America... we'll see! From here we drop down to the plains, and to the city of Cordoba. |
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For those needing to perfect their footwork, Cordoba is the cultural capital of Argentina, which means it is quite possibly the best place in the world to learn to tango. Argentina's national dance and hot rock's fancy dress box... a killer combination on the streets. (or on the roof of Birt... come on!) Now with perfect footwork, and maybe a sore head, we'll head off to La Ola to test it out... |
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Tango in Cordoba |
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La Ola is one of the best known crags in Argentina, and together with Los Gigantes (its sister crag) it boasts 250 routes, sport and trad on roadside granite. Enjoy the granite during our 5 days here; it's the last you'll see for a while as now the expedition heads further east, to the sandstone and samba rhythms of Brazil. |
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La Ola, Cordoba |
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No trip to South america would be complete without spending a day or two being soaked at the incredible Iguacu falls. Situated on the boundary of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the spectacle is reckoned to outdo even Victoria and Niagara. There's no climbing here as it'd be - well, damp! But a couple of days to let shredded tips regrow will be welcome. |
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Iguacu falls |
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En route to Rio we'll stop off for several days at Pedro do Bau, a spectacular volcanic plug that boasts some of Brazil's best known climbing. The 200m sandstone contains a mix of sport and trad routes, perfect build up for what is to come further east in Rio itself... |
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Pedro do Bau |
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We'll spend a full week in vibrant Rio, a dead cert highlight of the expedition. Climbing in Rio is in Urca, on the sugar loaf, even on the Cristo Redentor... it's everywhere. And there's usually a cable car down as well! The sandstone is reputedly solid and of course, the entire area is extensively guidebooked so you can be sure that the main lines are well travelled. Changeover is halfway through this week, so there'll be farewells to some and a welcome to new faces as we climb, party and chill out on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema. |
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Rio; climbing straight to the Cristo Redentor! |
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Non climbing days can be spent on Copacabana or Ipanema beaches. You could watch street footie being played in the spiritual home of the beautiful game, taking a tour into the amazon or endless other activities. Not to mention the infamous nightlife... Carnival! South America is famous for its fiestas, every town has its own celebrations throughout the year. Though we miss the Rio Carnival as it's the wrong season for climbing (how thoughtless of them) we will aim to hit other fiestas in towns throughout the trip. It's a private aim to get the truck involved as a float for one of these processions and see what the local reaction is. If you like what you've just read, check out the dates & prices and get in touch! |
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Dedo do Deus, the finger of god |
