{"id":1945,"date":"2026-02-20T19:30:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T18:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/to-the-top-of-cerro-hualchisa-with-a-dog-in-the-car\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T08:28:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:28:11","slug":"to-the-top-of-cerro-hualchisa-with-a-dog-in-the-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibo.guide\/en\/to-the-top-of-cerro-hualchisa-with-a-dog-in-the-car\/","title":{"rendered":"To the summit of Cerro Hualchisa\u2014with a dog in the car"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The town of Llica sits on the western edge of the Salar de Uyuni, high on Bolivia\u2019s Altiplano. It\u2019s a quiet, unassuming place that feels a little cut off from the world\u2014and in a place like this, you naturally want to explore. With a whole afternoon ahead and no rush, we scan the map for where to head after our visit to the Ulo crater<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

On the map, a road climbs all the way to the summit of Cerro Hualchisa above the town. It doesn\u2019t look like a tourist attraction, more like a local service track\u2014which makes it all the more tempting.<\/p>\n\n

The plan is simple. We\u2019ll drive as far as we can. If needed, we\u2019ll walk the rest. A bit of exercise at altitude won\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n\n

We\u2019re fairly well acclimatized. Our recent ascent to the crater of the Tunupa volcano<\/a> helped, so altitude shouldn\u2019t be a major issue this time. Llica sits at about 3,700 meters and Cerro Hualchisa tops out at 4,363 m.<\/p>\n\n

The first kilometers and a healthy respect for altitude<\/h2>\n\n

The track starts right outside the village and at first runs along the floor of a wide valley beneath the peak. From the first few meters it\u2019s clear this won\u2019t be a comfortable ride. The surface is rutted, rocky, and battered. We go slowly but surely. No need to hurry.<\/p>\n\n

Roughly two kilometers past Llica, at around 3,950 meters, the road swings sharply left and begins to climb in earnest. A few meters later it bends right, and a steep ramp reveals itself on a track that\u2019s clearly in poor shape.<\/p>\n\n

Iva\u2019s internal warning lights come on immediately. She suggests she and Ibo should walk from here. I propose one thing first\u2014eat and drink properly. Critical decisions at nearly four thousand meters are easier on a full stomach.<\/p>\n\n

We pull over and get out. Break time. We take out the salte\u00f1as we bought that morning in the streets of Llica and wash them down with a warm quinoa drink. Everything tastes a little more intense up here. The weather is kind. A typical Altiplano mix\u2014sun on your face, cool, crisp air. Not a cloud in the sky. I think each of us savors the moment.<\/p>\n\n

Splitting the crew<\/h2>\n\n

The decision comes naturally. Iva and Ibo continue on foot. Bra\u0148o and I will try to push the car a bit higher and see how far we get. Bra\u0148o is driving; I\u2019m back-seat driving. The road ahead is rutted and properly steep, but our Hilux 4×4 can handle the obstacles. We still haven\u2019t had to engage low range. The view forward, though, doesn\u2019t bode well. In fact, it doesn\u2019t bode anything\u2014the track disappears. We have no idea how we\u2019ll reach the saddle ahead, but as long as there\u2019s a road, we keep going. Around each bend, another stretch appears, and we trust the map isn\u2019t lying and that we\u2019ll make it all the way up. We reach the first critical spot: big rock steps, with stone walls on both sides that likely mark someone\u2019s plot. Low range is now essential. We crawl up, slowly and carefully, literally at walking pace. It starts to look promising and the saddle edges closer. We reach it at a respectable 4,125 m. For the first time, we can see what\u2019s on the other side. In the distance we can make out sections of the track from our earlier journey from the village of Tahua.<\/p>\n\n

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An exposed finish below the summit<\/h2>\n\n

Here the track swings right and continues toward the very top. Now and then the summit comes into view, crowned by a transmitter mast. These sections feel genuinely exposed: a steep slope on one side, a drop-off on the other. We\u2019re finally stopped by a bend on a very steep hillside. The terrain here is extremely steep and broken, with large boulders in the middle of the track. We know we could force our way higher, but why push it? We\u2019re at about 4,200 m. We can walk the last bit to the top.<\/p>\n\n

Walking up a steep track at this altitude doesn\u2019t come easy, of course, but with regular breaks we manage the final meters of ascent without much trouble. The summit rewards us with beautiful views. Llica lies at our feet. Turn a little and the Tunupa volcano still stands crisp on the horizon, even though it\u2019s more than 50 km away. Looking north reveals another salt flat, dominated in the middle by Lake Coipasa.<\/p>\n

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From up high our whole approach lies open beneath us. What looked like a lost track from below becomes a clear line from above. While we\u2019re taking in the views, Iva and Ibo reach our parked car. Time to head back. But first, of course, we shoot what we can\u2014and our drones get their turn too. We descend the same way: on foot first, then by car. In the end the outing was a fitting finale to our stay in Llica. We spend the rest of the day in town and at our lodging, planning the next leg to San Pedro de Quemes. We\u2019d like to slip in a visit to the Empexa hot springs<\/a>, which are roughly on our route. We\u2019ll see how it goes.<\/p>\n\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n
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In the end, each of us went as high on Cerro Hualchisa as courage and common sense allowed that day. Iva and Ibo chose certainty and a steady pace from the first steep climb; Bra\u0148o and I drove the car a bit higher and finished the rest on foot. Each of us had our own comfort zone\u2014and that\u2019s exactly how it should be in high mountains.<\/p>\n\n

Bolivia is exceptional in this regard. You\u2019ll find plenty of roads that reach extreme elevations, often well above 4,000 meters. Their condition varies\u2014some are relatively drivable, others rough and technical\u2014but they share one thing: they can carry you by car into truly rarefied heights that elsewhere would require a long ascent.<\/p>\n\n

Our drive up Cerro Hualchisa was just a taste. Compared with the track up Uturuncu\u2014one of the highest drivable roads on Earth\u2014it was fairly tame. Even so, it made one thing clear: anything above 4,000 meters isn\u2019t a detail, it\u2019s a factor you have to plan for.<\/p>\n\n