[Bolivia - Chile] Parinacota (Volcano), The King of The North

The Parinacota fountain of liquid magma is possibly one of tourists' favourite mountains in the north of Chile. It is not just its tallness that makes it so engaging, but its stark marvelousness that blows your mind. In contrast to the dirt road ascents of most volcanoes in the north of Chile, the Parinacota offers for a change a glacier-covered summit and therefore an ascent with crampons and ice-axe. Although the inclination of the slope reaches 40°, under normal weather conditions, you do not require special gear such as ice screws or the like.



The crater itself is about 700 m wide and 240 m deep. The fumes from the crater remind you that the volcano is still active; however its last eruption dates back to 500 or 600 years. The ascent is rewarded by a fantastic view of the Altiplano as far as the Bolivian Cordillera Real. One of the most obviously memorable eruptive occasions in the well of lava's past was 8,000 years in the past, when a major collapse of the edifice produced 6 km³ debris avalanche. That avalanche blocked drainage patterns in some of the local area, creating Chungará Lake.

Climbing the volcano is relatively easy, alpine F grade, on a snow/rubble slope of about 35 degrees. A camp can be established at 5,300m at the saddle between Parinacota and Pomerape. Depending on the season, the main difficulty can be penitentes which make the ascent physically difficult or impossible. It is attempted by about 1 party per week in the season. If needed, guides and transport can be hired from Sajama village, 27 km away on the Bolivian side of the mountain.