The Yunga Cruz Trail
On the Yunga Cruz Trail you hike from a crest behind the imposing Ilimani-massiv, with a good view of the Mujurata glacier, down through dense forest to the capital of South Yungs, Chulumani. This route is not very frequent and there are also no localities along the way. This makes him so fabulous. Particularly in the passages in the dense fog forest, the Machete is used again and again. Again and again there are countless bird species, insects and exotic plants to admire. At the destination in Chulumani, you can relax in pleasant temperatures, the place is by no means touristic.
Program 5 days / 4 nights
Available April to November
Day 1: La Paz – Chuñavi
Leaving La Paz, we go south of the city heading towards the guardian mountain of the city, Illimani Mt. as we approach the massif; its size becomes more and more impressive. We arrive to Chuñavi mid-afternoon and set up our tents. The muleteers will join us, in order to prepare the expedition for the next day.
Day 2: Chuñavi – Khala Ciudad
Today we will observe a different ecosystem commencing, with flowers and birds such as eagles, hawks, vultures and hummingbirds along the route. We need to reach the pass at 4,300 m. on the hill of Khala Ciudad (stone city) an incredible view from the Cordillera Real can be enjoyed from there if the weather is good. On the way we will also observe different types of bromeliaceous (a type of plant), characteristic of this inter Andean Valleys. We will then set up our first night’s camp.
Day 3: Khala Ciudad – Laguna Kasiri – Cerro Yunga Cruz
Birds and mosquitoes are the characteristic of this day. On the way we will observe flora, orchids, tree ferns, gymnosperm of European pine also reside in this ideal ecosystem for those who are nature lovers. We will walk around Laguna Lasiri and then hike up in order to reach the pass at 4,200m, from there we start to descent until we find Cerro Yunga Cruz, a good place for setting up camp.
Day 4: Cerro Yunga Cruz – Cerro Duraznuni
The vegetation turns dense and the temperature increases. Our pathways will get wider and we will observe the deep depressions of this humid area during the early season when few people have passed through. A machete is a useful piece of equipment since the vegetation may obstruct our way. Form this point we continue to the right of the hill and start climbing down and find our camping place in Duraznuni’s area.
Day 5: Cerro Duraznuni – Chulumani – La Paz
After a nice and easy trek we will arrive at a road into the village of Sikilini. We will find good viewpoints as well as coca leaf terracing plantations. From this point our trail will soon turn into a dirt track down to the Chulumani Village (Capital of the South Yungas section), time to wonder around, after lunch, we will drive back to L Paz. Three and a half hours of driving approximately.
