Hola amigos! Huayna Potosi is a mountain located within a stones throw of Bolivia’s capital, La Paz. It soars 6088m into the clouds, an imposing monolith of stone, ice, and snow in an already extremely mountainous region. Despite rising to such heights, it’s one of the few 6000m+ peaks on earth that can be climbed with no technical mountaineering experience at all. So if you can manage the altitude sickness and the gruelling physical challenge, Huayna Potosi could reward you with a memory—and a view—that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
I climbed Huayna Potosi in May 2023; it’s become a core memory of my travels and life. Although it was very difficult, I believe that anyone with a reasonable level of fitness can climb it with the right advice and guidance.
Why should you climb Huyana Potosi?
But first, my friends, why should you take on the humongous challenge of climbing Huayna Potosi? Well, there are a few reasons you should risk life and limb to summit. I’ll outline them here, and hopefully at least one will apply to you!
Pushing your limits
If you’re reading this, you clearly have an adventurous bone in your body. You want to leave your comfort zone and see what you are capable of when you put your mind to it. Having ventured above 5000m four times now, trust me when I say this: there is no better way to find your limits than through gruelling exercise at extreme altitudes.
When you’re hours from the summit, running on fumes, and suffering from altitude sickness, you’ll question every life decision that led you to this point. But if you push past it and reach the summit, you’ll be rewarded with the most incredible view of your life—and a dopamine rush like no other.
Bragging rights among friends
I’m ashamed to admit that this was at least 50% of the reason I did it. After all, how many people can say they’ve summited a mountain at all? Let alone a monster like Huayna Potosi. When I was suffering on summit day, I felt reassured that my friends back home working their office jobs would be amazed with my achievement.
Incredible views of the Andes chain and the Amazonas
Speaking from experience, you don’t even get a view like this when you’re on the roof of the world—the Himalayas. Sure, on the Annapurna Circuit, you’ll see a handful of the world’s few 8000m peaks, but you won’t tower above everything; you won’t see the shadow of the peak you conquered cast over an entire city, and you certainly won’t see the mountains fall away, revealing the world’s largest rainforest.
A great entry point into mountaineering
Mountaineering is often thought of as a rich man’s sport, and rightly so; you’ll have to shell out over £40,000 to summit Everest. I didn’t try mountaineering for years because of this, until I found out about Huayna Potosi.
It cost me approximately £120 to summit Huayna Potosi; that includes 2 nights in very comfortable accommodation, three high-quality meals a day, a guide shared with one other climber, AND a glacier trek and climb. For context, I wanted to do a glacier trek in Argentina, but the cheapest I could find was £200.
The mountain is also non-technical, meaning you don’t need to learn how to use ropes or advanced climbing gear. With the right guides, you can really summit without stressing too much about anything other than your health. There really is no better way to start mountaineering worldwide, at least as far as I am aware.
Sure, there are a few mountains in Nepal like Island Peak that are billed towards beginners, but I have good authority from friends that have completed it that it is an intermediate mountain with technical sections.
The best Instagram post ever
This one might tie into bragging rights among friends, but how many people have a photo on top of a mountain nearly 2000m higher than the highest European peaks? To put that into perspective, it’s more than half the height of a cruising aeroplane.
On the summit, you will see the sun rise over the Amazon. Tell me, can you think of a better backdrop for your new Tinder or Instagram photo?
What is difficult about it?
Altitude
The biggest factor in the mountain’s difficulty is, unsurprisingly, its altitude; at 6000 m, you have less than 10% of the effective oxygen compared to sea level, meaning the peak sits at an extreme level of altitude. People really aren’t meant to be this high up, and it places you at high risk of some serious health risks like pulmonary oedema, which can be life-threatening if not spotted and treated early on.
Most people won’t reach this point, though, especially if you train for it beforehand. But you should remain vigilant for specific symptoms and communicate with your guides at all times.
You can expect to feel extreme fatigue and low energy, but should you feel confusion, splitting headaches, irrationality, or dizziness, please tell your guides immediately. If you vomit due to the altitude, you should immediately descend to a lower altitude as fast as is safe.
Top Tip: A common symptom of mild altitude sickness is loss of appetite, but while climbing you will be expending near marathon levels of energy, so you need to eat regardless. Even if you mainly eat fairly liquid meals like porridge and eat slowly, you still need the calories.
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Scary points like knife-edge ridges and crevasses
Despite being non-technical, that doesn’t mean that it’s a complete cakewalk. There are some points of the hike that will really test your nerves and have your legs shaking, even if you’re not afraid of heights.
Early on summit day, you will cross a glacier field before you reach some of the steepest, rockiest inclines. The majority of the glacier is fine, but there are some really dicey points where you will either have to jump over a crevasse or walk on a narrow strip of ice straddled on either side by icey caverns you can’t even see the bottom of.
It doesn’t seem so bad on the way up when it’s dark, but on the way back down to high camp, you see the scale of the cavernous holes, and your heart rate will rise, relieved only when you make it safely to the other side. I was too scared to take my own photo of the crevasses, so here’s one from someone braver than me!
On the final 100 metres of climbing to the summit, you will face what can only be described as a knife-edge ridge. On the side of the Amazonas there is a rocky cliff falling 300m to the glacier field below, but on the La Paz side of the mountain you are greeted by a sheer, dizzying drop that is seemingly never-ending. I’m scared of heights, and peering over the edge of this ledge took my breath away. With what breath I could summon instinctively, I used to shout expletives, which my fantastic guide Edwin found hilarious.
Physical challenge of summit day
Summit Day is, in one word, gruelling. You will set off from high camp at about midnight, and your first hour of climbing will be decided by who you choose as your guides. For me, travelling with Jiwaki, I was on the lower side of high camp, so I spent half an hour climbing a loose, rocky cliff in the pitch black wearing what are essentially ski boots, which is obviously less than ideal.
You won’t realise this at the time, but this is the easy part of the day, when you still have a lot of energy from your pre-climb meal. After this, you have 5 or 6 more hours of nearly straight uphill. Don’t get me wrong; there are points that are a lot easier than others, but largely speaking, it is very difficult.
Altitude sickness affects everyone differently; in fact, the marathon runner in my group struggled the most out of all of us. But you will struggle, and it will test your willpower every step of the way. Just remember to take one step at a time, and you will be at the top before you realise it.
What should you pack?
Battery Pack
It should go without saying, but both low camp and high camp have either no charging facilities or very unreliable charging. Although you won’t have signal on the mountain, you will want your devices charged so you can get some snaps of your journey.
Multiple layers of clothing
Being so exposed up on the mountain, your temperature will fluctuate constantly as you cross different points of the climb. In particular, I remember the half hour before the summit push being bitterly cold and windy, for example.
As a result, you should pack as many layers as possible so you can easily remove and add layers to fit your needs at the moment. Every tour operator worth their salt will provide you with a mountaineering jacket and trousers, but at the bare minimum, make sure you pack a single-layer waterproof (and windproof) jacket and a jumper or hoodie.
Snacks for a much-needed summit day boost
There are no shops at all once you leave La Paz, not even at Low Camp. Therefore, please buy everything you need before you go on the tour; you’ll expend a lot of energy on summit day. So you’ll need a boost every now and then. I recommend getting some chocolate or gummy sweets for a quick release of sugar into your bloodstream. When the going gets really tough, this could give you the boost you need!
Altitude Aids
At the risk of sounding like a broken clock at this point, you will, at some point, struggle with the altitude. It is extreme, and even those with incredible cardiovascular fitness will not escape unscathed.
As such, you should always prepare for this eventuality. Thankfully, Bolivia is a very easy place to prepare; every pharmacy in the city sells Diamoxy (altitude sickness medication) without the need for a prescription; just pop into one and say “¿Tiene medicamentos para el mal de altura?”.
But as you are in South America, you should try the indigenous solution too. Coca leaves, although demonised in the west, are legal in Bolivia and are used to ward off the effects of altitude sickness. They’re freely available from shops in the Witches Market, but if you have any difficulty, just ask your hostel receptionist where you can get some.
A good camera
I’ve spoken about this before: My biggest regret in my travel life is never owning a good enough camera. For the Huayna Potosi climb, for example, all I had was an ancient Huawei phone to use for photos. You can see my best efforts below; they’re just about good enough quality for Instagram, but they really aren’t good enough for anything else, especially blogging.
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Don’t make my mistake; invest in a camera and capture the beauty of the moments you will experience. I promise you will not regret it.
Some spare cash
Those who have travelled to Bolivia before will know that you will have to pay for entry permits for every activity you do, and it’s never included in the price of the tour for some reason.
Huayna Potosi is no different; on the final approach to High Camp, you will have to enter a small hut and pay an entrance fee. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it wasn’t much. Bring more than you need, though, as you should tip all of the workers. I’m typically British; I don’t tip anything willingly, but these people are responsible for keeping you safe in what can be life-threatening situations, and they deserve it.
How should I prepare for Huayna Potosi?
Fitness training
I was travelling for three months prior to the climb, so my preparation for this gruelling challenge was eating junk food, drinking, and smoking almost every day.
Ideally speaking, you should do whatever training you can beforehand. Before doing the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, I would visit my local gym and go on the stair trainer for an hour with a 20-kg backpack on to simulate the effects of altitude as best as I could.
Spend some time at altitude before
If you are already in South America, however, the best thing you can do is just exercise at an already very high altitude. This will acclimatise you, and most importantly, you will know what to expect.
There is no shortage of options for high-altitude adventure in Bolivia; in La Paz itself, you could do the Death Road mountain biking. On this tour, you’ll descend from 4500m to approximately 1800m over the course of a day.
Alternatively, parts of the Salar de Uyuni jeep tour ascend to nearly 5000m; you won’t do too much exercise on this, but there will be plenty of chances for you to wander off on your own for a bit.
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Picking a tour operator
For those who are cavalier and like to do everything on their own, this is not for you. It’s far too difficult and challenging to even attempt Huayna Potosi without a tour. In fact, I doubt you would even be able to pass High Camp without one. Every single tour operator in the witches market offers a Potosi climb, so how on earth do you choose which is best for you?
Generally, I’ve found the best way to decide this is to speak to other backpackers to get their reviews. That’s how I did it and ended up with Jiwaki, and they were great!
What should I look for in a tour operator?
There are a few big green flags you should look for in a Huayna Potosi tour operator, the first being no more than two people per guide. Guides really do need to be able to pay attention to how their clients are performing and to any decline in their health; more than two people per guide will make it difficult to be attentive to each person.
Accommodation
Thankfully, I didn’t have this problem, but I can’t imagine there being much worse than a cold, uncomfortable bed at high camp. Ask the tour operator for photos of all accommodations offered. You have to be reasonable with your expectations, but you will also want your own space and a nice communal area.
Quality food
Food is fuel, and you will need a lot of fuel over the course of your expedition. The quality of food was very surprising on my climb; in fact, I don’t think I had a bad meal, and I certainly wasn’t left hungry at any point!
Just make sure all concerns are covered before you pay. Do you need vegetarian or halal meals? What about any allergen concerns? The mountain is remote, so this won’t be possible to source once you have embarked.
What gear do they provide?
Before you pay, ask the tour operator to inspect the gear they provide for you. Any decent operator will have some spare kit lying around in the office and won’t get pensive if you want to see it. They should provide a mountaineering sleeping bag, helmet, boots, jacket, and trousers at a minimum.
What about the acclimatisation day?
Providing you do the three-day option, I strongly recommend you ask about the first day (acclimatisation day). The good tour operators will take you for a hike, glacier walk, and glacier climb; do not book if they don’t do this; the climb isn’t technical, but you will use a lot of what they teach you on this walk.
Who do I recommend?
I strongly recommend you summit this beast with Jiwaki; they’re who I chose for my climb, and I don’t have a single complaint. The food was fresh and tasty at every meal; even the accommodation at high camp was warm and comfortable; and most important of all, my guides were fantastic.
Even when I try to think of something negative, nothing comes to mind. I’m sure there are also plenty of other fantastic tour operators, but if you know one provider is fantastic, why would you try anywhere else?
The following days post-summit
If you’re anything like me, you will be a dishevelled mess for at least a few days after summiting. I might not be the biggest purveyor of self-care; in fact, I probably preach self-indulgence more than anything. But if there’s ever a time to look after yourself, this is it. Book a nice hotel, eat some good food, and most importantly, just sleep and watch Netflix for a few days.
Final Tips
In the days leading up to your trip, rest as much as possible. I was stupid enough to spend the day before doing the Death Road MTB, and I was exhausted before I even started.
Finally, even though you might be tempted by the late-night street food, eat safely in the week beforehand. Having food poisoning on the mountain sounds about as bad as it can get, and it’ll stop you from being able to summit.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading my complete guide on climbing Huayna Potosi. If you follow the tips in this guide, you will give yourself the best possible chance of summiting this incredible mountain safely. If you do attempt to summit, please leave your thoughts on the experience in the comments below!
Stay tuned for my hour-by-hour trip report of climbing Huayna Potosi, coming soon!
