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Chacaltaya

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Overview

Chacaltaya is in the La Paz Department of Bolivia. This mountain, at an elevation of 5,486 m (17,999 ft), has beautiful views and what was once the world's highest ski area. However, the snow melted entirely due to clima

Facts

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia788 words

WBP editorial3

Beyond the Snow: Why Chacaltaya Still Draws Visitors

Even without its glacier, Chacaltaya offers a rare high‑altitude experience that few peaks in the Andes provide within easy reach of a capital city. The ascent is a gentle trek rather than a technical climb, allowing trekkers to acclimatise while enjoying sweeping views of the surrounding Cordillera Real. Along the path, modest stone chapels and weather‑worn cairns hint at the mountain’s spiritual role for local Aymara communities who have long considered the summit a place of offerings. For photographers, the stark convergence of snow‑free rock against a backdrop of distant peaks creates striking contrasts, especially at sunrise when the thin air renders colours unusually vivid.

A Lesson in Climate Resilience

Chacaltaya’s lost glacier has become a living laboratory for Bolivian scientists and educators. Field trips from La Paz universities now use the barren ice basin to demonstrate glacial retreat and its downstream effects on water supply for surrounding valleys. Visitors can join guided walks that explain how altered precipitation patterns and temperature spikes have reshaped the local ecosystem, from the disappearance of specialised alpine flora to the emergence of hardy lichens. Engaging with these informal classrooms offers a tangible sense of the broader climate narrative, turning a once‑tourist ski slope into a site of environmental awareness.

Practical Tips for the Altitude‑Curious

Approaching Chacaltaya from La Paz means you’ll already be above 3,650 metres, so the extra kilometre of ascent can catch the unprepared off‑guard. It is advisable to start early, allowing time for a slow ascent and frequent water breaks; the dry air accelerates dehydration. Pack layers that can be added or removed quickly – solar radiation is intense, yet temperatures can drop sharply after noon. While the summit no longer hosts a ski lift, a small, community‑run kiosk near the base sells boiled potatoes and coca‑leaf tea, both traditional remedies for altitude symptoms. Lastly, check the weather forecast for strong wind gusts, as the mountain’s name hints at its breezy reputation.

Introduction

Mountain in Bolivia ChacaltayaChacaltaya peak, October 2012Highest pointElevation5,421 m (17,785 ft)Prominence658 m (2,159 ft)Coordinates16°21′12″S 68°07′53″W / 16.35333°S 68.13139°W / -16.35333; -68.13139GeographyChacaltayaLocation of Chacaltaya in Bolivia LocationLa Paz Department, BoliviaParent rangeCordillera Real, AndesGeologyMountain typeFold mountainClimbingEasiest routeWalk up Chacaltaya (Mollo language for "bridge of winds" or "winds meeting point"[citation needed], Aymara for "cold road"[dubious – discuss]) is a mountain in the Cordillera Real, one of the mountain ranges of the Cordillera Oriental, itself a range of the Bolivian Andes. Its elevation is 5,421 meters (17,785 ft). Chacaltaya's glacier — which was as old as 18,000 years — had an area of 0.22 km2 (0.085 sq mi) in 1940, which had been reduced to 0.01 km2 (0.0039 sq mi) in 2007 and was completely gone by 2009. Half of the meltdown, as measured by volume, took place before 1980. The final meltdown after 1980, due to missing precipitation and the warm phase of El Niño, resulted in the glacier's disappearance in 2009. The glacier was located about 30 kilometers (19 mi) from La Paz, near Huayna Potosí mountain.

Ski area

[edit] Enhanced image of Chacaltaya ski resort, November 2007 The glacier on Chacaltaya served as Bolivia's only ski resort. It was the world's highest lift-served ski area and the northernmost in South America. The rope tow, the first in South America, was built in 1939 using an automobile engine; it was housed in the site's original clapboard lodge, and is now inoperable. The road to the base of the 200-meter (660 ft) drop is reached by a narrow road, also built in the 1930s. Traditionally, due to the extreme cold weather, the lift operated exclusively on weekends from November to March. Since 2009, skiing is restricted to a 600-foot (180 m) stretch that sometimes receives sufficient snowfall for a run during the winter. The mountain is also popular with amateur mountaineers, as the road stops only 200 metres (660 ft) from the summit. Guinness World Records considers the ski resort restaurant to be the highest restaurant in the world.

Retreat of Chacaltaya glacier

[edit] View of Chacaltaya glacier, May 2005 Scientists at the Mount Chacaltaya Laboratory started measuring the Chacaltaya glacier in the 1990s. Predicted at that time to survive until 2015, the glacier melted at a faster rate than expected. By 2009, it had been reduced to a few small patches of ice and snow near the top of the mountain. Many Bolivians on the Altiplano and in two of Bolivia's main cities — La Paz and El Alto — depend on melt water from Andean glaciers for part of their water supply during the dry season. The World Bank has warned that many glaciers in the tropical portion of the Andes are expected to disappear within 20 years.[clarification needed] This will threaten the water supplies of nearly 80 million people as well as the future generation of hydropower. Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru depend on hydropower for about half their electricity.

Observatory

[edit] The automatic weather station located in the northwestern ridge of Mount Chacaltaya, Bolivia. It is one of the highest in the country, located at 5380 m above sea level. Until 1952 the station belonged to the Bolivia's National Meteorological Service but since that date it belongs to the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés. Located at 5,240 meters (17,190 ft), the Mount Chacaltaya Laboratory began as a weather station in 1942. It is an important site for gamma ray research and was the site in the 1940s of the first observations of pions. Chacaltaya Observatory, March 2011 The Chacaltaya (Astrophysical) Observatory belongs to the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés and it is operated in collaboration with other universities worldwide. It hosts a cosmic ray research group, and since 2011 the Chacaltaya Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station. The GAW station is one of the few monitoring sites of Essential Climate Variables (meteorological variables, aerosols, and greenhouse gases) in the Southern Hemisphere.

Climate

[edit] Climate data for Chacaltaya, elevation 5,188 m (17,021 ft) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 8.0(46.4) 10.5(50.9) 12.0(53.6) 8.3(46.9) 8.5(47.3) 7.7(45.9) 6.5(43.7) 9.7(49.5) 6.9(44.4) 11.0(51.8) 10.1(50.2) 10.0(50.0) 12.0(53.6) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.8(38.8) 3.1(37.6) 4.0(39.2) 3.6(38.5) 3.2(37.8) 2.7(36.9) 2.3(36.1) 3.4(38.1) 4.1(39.4) 5.7(42.3) 5.1(41.2) 4.7(40.5) 3.8(38.9) Daily mean °C (°F) 0.3(32.5) −0.2(31.6) 0.2(32.4) −0.1(31.8) −0.9(30.4) −1.5(29.3) −2.7(27.1) −1.1(30.0) −0.4(31.3) 0.9(33.6) 1.0(33.8) 0.8(33.4) −0.3(31.4) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.8(25.2) −4.0(24.8) −3.9(25.0) −3.8(25.2) −5.2(22.6) −5.8(21.6) −7.7(18.1) −5.6(21.9) −5.5(22.1) −4.3(24.3) −3.8(25.2) −3.8(25.2) −4.8(23.4) Record low °C (°F) −13.7(7.3) −12.5(9.5) −15.0(5.0) −8.7(16.3) −13.4(7.9) −13.8(7.2) −12.9(8.8) −13.5(7.7) −15.9(3.4) −13.6(7.5) −12.6(9.3) −11.6(11.1) −15.9(3.4) Average precipitation mm (inches) 81.1(3.19) 80.7(3.18) 68.2(2.69) 33.9(1.33) 22.7(0.89) 4.6(0.18) 3.4(0.13) 9.7(0.38) 38.3(1.51) 29.5(1.16) 38.7(1.52) 65.0(2.56) 475.8(18.72) Average precipitation days 14.7 13.6 10.3 5.6 3.4 0.9 1.3 3.0 7.7 7.5 8.1 11.1 87.2 Average relative humidity (%) 84.5 86.7 83.7 79.0 76.0 68.0 69.1 67.8 72.4 75.6 78.6 78.4 76.6 Source 1: Servicio Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología de Bolivia Source 2: