Introduction

The Pequeño Alpamayo (also known as Alpamayo Chico or Fabulosa; pequeño means small), called this way because of its resemblance to the least known face of the peruvian Alpamayo, is a beautiful summit which is barely visible from the base camp in the valley of Condoriri-Tuni, but which is by all means one of the most attractive peaks of the area. From Chiar Khota lagoon (black lagoon in aymara), towards the south, its summit barely shows behinds the Tarija (which must forcefully be climbed when going to the Pequeño Alpamayo). If it weren´t because it is already a pretty well known mountain, which we owe to the curiosity of its first climbers, the fact that it is not visible from any place in the valley, except from the ridge between the Tarija and the Ilusión (also known as Piramide Blanca), would prevent us from setting the Pequeño Alpamayo as one of our goals.

Despite its secondary role in the Condoriri surroundings, and despite its name, this summit is one of the true treasures of the area. Not only because of its winding ridge, which carries us up to its summit, but also because it looms over the deep valleys of the Yungas (bolivian jungle), thousands of meters below, thus contrasting with the little altitude gain that can be observed towards the altiplano (andean plateau or highlands). The most surprising fact is that these stunning places are easily reached in barely a couple of hours from La Paz.


Main Routes

Two are the routes most known and used by mountain climbers, both pretty obvious and both accessed from the Chiar Khota lagoon (the mountain is little and does not have many faces, thus not leaving much space for creativity):

• Normal Route, Soutwest Ridge. Climbed the first time by the Whitelock brothers (brother and sister) from South Africa. 45-55º in the last 250 meters (the part that diferentiates the peak from the Tarija-Ilusión cirque). AD.
• Direct Route, Southeast Face. 55-65º. First climbed by an american party in 1990. D-.