Introduction

The Condoriri, which in aymara means "condor head", is possibly one of the most beatiful mountains in the Cordillera Real (called this way by the spanish conquerors owing to its majestuosity - Real = Royal), and of the entire Andes range. Since it is within a short hike from La Paz, the Condoriri area is very popular in Bolivia, and a must for every foreign visitor. The peak is within the national park which carries its name: Tuni - Condoriri National Park; the nevado is surely the highest and most impressive peak around. The park offers various possibilities for rock, ice and mixed climbing.

The Condoriri controls two massifs, one to its left and the other to its right, as seen from the lagoon (North and South wings, respectively), thus resembling a giant condor in the motion of taking off.

The area was first explored by europeans when the English mountaineer William Martin Conway visited it at the end of the nineteenth century. Conway later said, that while night fell, clouds of condors would pass flying above their heads.