Sorata

Sorata is often described as Bolivia's "hidden gem", a kind of "beach" for South America. It's certainly hidden and it's certainly beautiful, but those seeking idyll may be disappointed.

To get to Sorata from La Paz you have to negotiate a perilous mountain road. I have heard that it is a road with one of the world's worst safety records, and it is not difficult to see why. For 3 hours you toil along a remote road ...
...of heart!

Sorata is located beneath Mt Illampu, a breathtaking 6502m snow covered peak. At 2600m it is substantially lower than La Paz, with a much milder climate. Continuing down the valley you would meet the rainforest. It is marketed as a trekking centre, but there are very few facilities (the attraction, of course to many who want to get away).

The town itself reminded me of frontier towns of the USA in the 19th ... more

Sorata is often described as Bolivia's "hidden gem", a kind of "beach" for South America. It's certainly hidden and it's certainly beautiful, but those seeking idyll may be disappointed.

To get to Sorata from La Paz you have to negotiate a perilous mountain road. I have heard that it is a road with one of the world's worst safety records, and it is not difficult to see why. For 3 hours you toil along a remote road with a steep drop to one side. Not for the faint of heart!

Sorata is located beneath Mt Illampu, a breathtaking 6502m snow covered peak. At 2600m it is substantially lower than La Paz, with a much milder climate. Continuing down the valley you would meet the rainforest. It is marketed as a trekking centre, but there are very few facilities (the attraction, of course to many who want to get away).

The town itself reminded me of frontier towns of the USA in the 19th century. An attractive central square was surrounded by the ubiquitous cheap shops of Bolivia, a couple of restaurants, a handicrafts shop (definitely worth visiting for the beautiful alpaca woollens) and ... not much else. There was also a trekking outfitters off the main square. As with most of Bolivia, expect livestock in the streets, along with rubbish, bad guttering and poor drainage.

Accommodation - expect it to be basic. Overnight the water supply was cut off (apparently not an uncommon occurrence) and some of the less adventurous people in my tour group weren't happy about this. Breakfast was very basic bread and Papaya juice. Also, as with much of Bolivia, Sorata is at altitude, and winter nighttime temperatures can be low - so make sure you have a lot of blankets.

Food - we ate in a pizza restaurant where service was, quite frankly, appalling. We ordered drinks and food together in a group of 5, and although we were the only group in the restaurant drinks came after food, which took about an hour to materialise (though were fine when they did). A lunchtime meal was even more dubious, in a seedy fly-infested cafe.

Activities - you come to Sorata for the trekking, and I was not disappointed. There are numerous trekking routes from the town, but the most popular (and easy to find) is along the main road down the valley. Looking back you see the full glory of Sorata's location beneath Mt Illampu. If you walk far enough there is a cave with a man who'll let you in for a fee. He'll crank up the string of bulbs into the cave, then let you walk in. It's a bizarre experience, exactly how caves must have been before tourism got hold of them and arranged good lighting and tours. Inside the cave is a pool which you can swim in! It's surprisingly warm and a really eerie experience. The cave is protected as it has a bat population.

In conclusion: If you don't mind basic conditions, and want some trekking miles from anywhere, you'll love it. But don't tell too many people or you may just find it's become another Macchu Picchu!
 

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