PRINCIPAL MOUNTAINS OF APOLOBAMBA

CHAUPI ORCO 6,044M / 19.834 ft
Click on the map
Apolobamba North	Tour Costs Included: 1) Mountain Guides ( Bilingual Franch/Spanish and English) 2) Cook and an assistant 3) Pack animals 4) Collective Technical Equipment 5) High Altitude Porters

Peaks on Bolivia – Perú Border

Great confusion arises due differing opinions on the name and exact heights of peaks within this group. (Southampton University Mountaineering Club/ Ade Miller, 1992) I have tried to use the names adopted by Jill neate (1994) and Wil payne/ Paul Hudson (1997 - 1999), “Cordillera Apolobamba final report” ( “Mount Everest Foundation”).
Chupi Orco Norte 6,100m/20,008ft – Chupi Orco Sur (saluyo) 6,044m/19,824 ft/ - Angelicum 5,750m/18,860 ft - Jorge Chavez 6,000m/19,680 ft – Ichocollo s. 5,423m/17,787 ft – Chokacota 5,800m/19,024 ft - Flor de Roca 5,808m/19,050 ft - Donegani 5,710m/18,728 ft.

APOLOBAMBA CLIMBS - FIRST ASCENTS

1. Northern Apolobamba

Katantica III 5,610m/18,400 ft Karl Gross, Dieter Hain. May 1968 - Katantica Oeste 5,630m/18,054 ft. British Expedition. West Face, 1992 - Ascarani/ Azucarani 5,580m/18,307 ft. William Melbourne, Geoffrey Bratt, John Jenkinson, Arthur Smith, July 1959 - Monte Alba 5,525m/ 18,122 ft. 1969 - Nevado Palomani Grande 5,768m/18,924 ft. Ricardo Mamani, A. Esteban Eba, JC Martinez, 1932 - Palomani Tranca 5,633m/18,480 ft. Italian Expedition, 1958 - Nevado Bures 5,560m/18,037 ft. British Expedition, 1969 - Nevado Chocñacota 5,800m/19,029 ft. Italian Expedition (CAI), 1958 - Matchu Sutchi Coochi 5,680m/18,635 ft. Melbourne Expedition, 1959. Nevado Sorel Oeste 5,640m/18,504 ft. Imperial College, 1959 - Nevado Radio-Aficcion 5,580m/18,037 ft Spanish Expedition, 1969 - Montserrat Norte 5,555m/18,045 ft - Spanish Expedition - Lloco Lloco 5,605m/18,532 ft. Karl Gross Dieter Hain, 1968 - Cerro Apolo I 5,650m/18,532 ft. Spanish Expedition, 1968 - Apolo II 5,630m/18,466 ft. British Expedition, 1992 - Pico Presidente 5,700m/18,696 ft. Spanish Expedition, 1969 - Pelechuco Huaracha 5,650m/ 18,537ft. Melbourne Expedition, 1959 - Chucuyo Grande 5,430m/ 17,815ft. Melbourne Expedition, 1959 - Chaupi Orko South 6044m/19,830 ft. Werner Karl, Hans Wimmer and Hans Richter, August 1957 - Chaupi Orko North 6,000m/19,685 ft. Italian Expedition - Flor de Roca 5,808m/19,053 ft. Italian Expedition, 1958 - Nevado Salluyo 5,808m/ 19,056 ft. Italian Expedition CAI, 1958 - Hanaco 5,720m/ 18,761ft JDAV-Expedition, 1995.

Apolobamba Noth

INTRODUCTION

The Cordillera Apolobamba is one of the least explored mountain regions of the Andes. It was considered by many to be the hiding place of El Dorado or Paititi (the city of gold). The mountains of Apolobamba drop precipitously into the rainforests and jungle basin of the Madidi National Park, home to the indigenous Toromonas tribes.
Apolobamba, as described in the “National Geographic” magazine (March, 2000) is one of the world's most unique mountain and rainforest ecosystems. It has an extraordinary variety of cultures, and many as yet unclassified species of flora and fauna. There is so much to write and praise about in Apolobamba, so many hidden secrets and mysteries that it deserves far more than a single chapter in a book. A detailed study of the climbing opportunities are beyond the scope of this work and so I have decided to provide only background information and historical facts to the region. I will not provide route descriptions to the climbs as this is my next project. The British climber, Yossi Brain was enamored with Apolobamba, so much so that he left England to live and work in Bolivia. In his book, “Bolivia: A Climbing Guide”, Yossi gives a historical overview to the region and provides descriptions to the major mountains; Chuapi Orko, Palomani Grande, Ascarani, Katantica Central,Cololo, Cuchillo and Acamani. Yossi died tragically in an avalanche on this range in 1999.
There has been recent international interest in Apolobamba. A 1979 report entitled, “French Expedition Report- Club Alpin Francais,” attracted a number of European expeditions such as the 1986 “Anglo-Scottish Womens Expedition to Apolobamba”, the 1988 “Yorkshire Ramblers Club”, 1989 “Bath University Apolobamba report” among others. The works of Paul Hudson (1993), including the Mount Everest Foundation report from the Edinburgh University Bolivian Mountaineering Club (1999) and the Swedish Apolobamba Expedition (2001), attest to the intrigue of the Apolobamba range.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EXPEDITIONS IN THE APOLOBAMBA AREA

The writer Cesar Augusto Machicao Gomez wrote in “The History of Apolo and the Franz Tamayo rovince” (ed. CIMA, 1990) that during the Inca reign of the 13th century, Yahuar Huacaj marched across the Apolobamba mountain range in charge of 15,000 men and conquered the Amaru Mayu, “Serpent River” or what is today known as the Madre de Dios River. A century later at the head of 10,000 men, Inca Yupanqui followed the route of his great-grandfather and descended to the Beni, in the Amazon. Later Huayna Capac, the son of Yupanqui sent his general Hurcu Huaranca at the head of a further 10,000 men. The first myths of the famous Patiti or El Dorado, appear to date back to these great invasions.
Once the colonizing Spanish forces exerted initial control and dominance over the American territory, Evangelization or Christian conversion of the traditional populations followed. The Spaniards settled in Franciscan, Augustine and Dominican missions all along the Apolobamba and Apolo regions. However e secret, main reason for their presence was not to preach the word of God, but to find the Golden treasures of the Patití. In 1573, the appointed governor of the Arexaca Province (today referred to as Larecaja) Juan Álvarez de Maldonado, became the first great explorer of Apolobamba and the founder of the town of Apolo. The few surviving reports, archived in the Spanish National Library, describe explorations all along the Nudo de Apolobamba (Apolobamba Mountain Chain), in search of gold. These small expeditions concentrated on the villages of Ilo-Ilo, Mojos and Keara. After 1619, the alliance of Diego Ramirez Carlos with the bishop of the city of La Paz, Fray Gregorio de Bolivar de la Orden de San Francisco led to much bigger explorations.

A Brief History of the Pelechuco Region

The historical records, like in other parts of Bolivia, are inaccurate and scanty. Many legends and myths, passed on through the oral tradition of story telling have been mingled with actual historical facts to create a magical realistic account of history. In Pelechuco, at the beginning of the Colonial period it was well known that between "the frozen summits and the fast-flowing rivers" there was an abundance of gold! Cristian de Tejada and Juan de Salinas were the first explorers to cross the Pelechuco mountain ranges. In 1551, Juan de Nieto described the mountains as "so high that they are rarely seen through the thick layer of clouds". Anton de Gaston and Diego de Aleman in 1563 wrote about the incredible beauty of the region and described expeditions over the high mountain passes. They spent time with locals who feared that dangerous animals would descend from the mountains.

Sommet Katantica Central

In 1780 auriferous veins of gold were discovered in the mountains of Ilo-Ilo, in the Apolobamba region and the next generation of explorers were geologists, botanists and cartographers, who were forced to become Andinists and climbers in their search for the glowing metal. In 1853, the geologists Hans Hortemann and Hover Hotanghel, reached some of the minor peaks of Akamani (5,666m/18,584 ft). According to hand-written documents found in Pelechuco, they reached the summit on August 21, 1853. The first maps of the Apolobamba region archived in the Royal Geographic Society date back to 1911. In the 1940’s, the first German and Austrian expeditions arrived and tackled the main peaks. Japanese and English expeditions soon followed.
In 1957, the “Defense Mapping Agency” published the first aerial photography maps of the area. Unfortunately, the mountain names on the map were completely inaccurate. In August of that year, during their expedition, Wimmer Hans and Richer Hans used the I.G.M. map (58 pages) with a scale 1:250.000. The maps were so imprecise that they unwittingly climbed on the Peruvian side, instead of the Bolivian side as they had planned. When they finally identified Chaupi Orko (6,044 m/19,824 ft.), they made the first ascent. W.H. Melbourne of the “Imperial College” drew the first geographical map of the northern part of the Apolobamba, covering the area from the Pelechuco valley to the Peruvian border.

Apolobamba Geography

Geographically situated in the Ulla Ulla National Park, the Apolobamba range is a national reserve and protected area, 240km northwest from the city of La Paz. The Cordillera Apolobamba is north of Lake Titikaka and crosses the border into Peru. To the east is the extraordinary Madidi National Park, with the highest concentration of fauna and flora in the entire Amazon Area (See: National Geographic, March 2000). UNESCO declared Apolobamba and Ulla Ulla biosphere reserves in 1997. Despite this they continue to be relatively unknown to the rest of the country. The Apolobamba mountain range is 120km long and is divided into southern and northern regions. Access to the south is from the towns of Charazani and Curva (home to the nomadic, traditional Kayahualla healers). The northern access is from the colonial town of Pelechuco, which is nestled between four valleys at 2,700m/8,856 ft. The area from Pelechuco to the Peruvian border has the highest and most difficult peaks.
The 4-day trek from Charazani to Curva and Pelechuco takes the traveller into a mystical and ancient world, were Condors soar far above the cloud-bathed peaks. The area between the Akamani (5,666m/18,584 ft.) and the Chaupi Orko (6,044m/19,824 ft.) mountains is still an undiscovered Eden. From Pelechuco there are old pre-Columbian and Jesuit roads that go down into the rainforests and the town of Apolo (9-day trek). It is also possible to continue through the Madidi National Park by following the Tuichi River.

Apolobamba Sud

Click on tha map
Map Apolobamba South	Cololo Tour Costs Included: 1) Mountain Guides ( Bilingual Franch/Spanish and English) 2) Cook and an assistant 3) Pack animals 4) Collective Technical Equipment 5) High Altitude Porters

APOLOBAMBA CLIMBS - FIRST ASCENTS

Southern Apolobamba

Cololo (Ccachura) 5,915m/19,406 ft. Werner Karl, Hans Wimmer, Hans Richter, 1957 - Pico Scwarzewand 5,500m/18,040 ft. 1957 - Nubi 5,710m/18,800 ft. 1957 - Huanacuni 5,798m/19,017 ft. 1957 - Yana Orko 5,600m/18,368 ft. 1961 - Coruquini 5,810m/ 19,056 ft 1965 - Nevado Cuchillo I 5,655m/18,548 ft. Shigeyuki Okajima, Keisuke Miyazuki, May 1965 - Cavayani 5,702m/18,702 ft. 1961 - Canisaya 5,706m/18,715 ft. 1961.- Akamani 5,666m/18,589 ft. Kei Kurachi, Hiroshi Nakajima. August, 1961 - Corohuari 5,668m/18,591ft. 1965 - Posnansky 5,480m/17,974 ft. 1957.
3. Peaks Between paso pelechuco/ Paso Osipal
BJE 4 5,4450m/17,876ft – Posnansky 5,480m/17,974ft – BJE2 5,350m/17,548 ft – Huanacuni East 5,500m/18,040ft – Huanacuni central 5,789m/ 18,987ft - Nubi 5,510m/18,072 ft – Cololo 5,916m/19,404 ft - Pico La Concordia 5,760m/18,892 ft – Schwartzewand 5,540m/18,171 ft. - Hualacollac 5,816m/19,076 ft – cerro Levis Iscacucho 5,650m/18,532 ft – Cerro Levisitio (Mita) 5,500m/18,040 ft - Sunchuli 5,305m/17,405 ft – Lisa 5,400m/17,717 ft.

Cololo

 

 

Cuchillo

History

The name “Pelechuco” comes from the Quechua language. The two words, “Puyo” and “Kucho” translate into "region of fog", which is clearly appropriate as Pelechuco is often under the cover of thick, humid cloud. The average humidity is 80% and the average annual rainfall is 1,000mm. Like Charazani and Curva, Pelechuco is a place of extreme beauty and real adventure. Pelechuco however is even more isolated than other towns in the Apolobamba and so the challenges of climbing and exploring in the region are even more dramatic. It is a colonial town with 1,200 inhabitants and most of the historical information comes from legends and extraordinary tales of men who today would be considered improbable heroes or crazy. One such character is the eccentric British explorer, Colonel J. P. Fawcett.
The Paititi and Carlos Franck
During the 19th and early 20th century Pelechuco attracted a number of European explorers. Amongst them was the colourful Carlos Franck, an adventurer who left an indelible mark. My friend Freddy Céspedes Espinoza, an intelligent, serious, historian and travel agent researched the life of this extraordinary man and allowed me to use information from his study to illustrate the fascinating history of the town. Espinoza recounts that Franck was a German explorer whose extravagances left a deep impression in the collective memory of the area. Franck was an authoritarian King in his small kingdom of Pelechuco, converting the wealth of the Paititi into "Sterling pounds”.
Carlos Franck arrived in Bolivia with the father of Germán Busch (future president of the nation), and the ancestors of the future dictator and president Hugo Banzer Suarez. He arrived in 1860, at a time when the northern regions of the department of La Paz were part of the Caupolican Province. This vast area was refereed to in maps as an "unexplored region, inhabited by savages". In 1860 Carlos Franck stumbled upon Pelechuco unaware that within the unexplored wilderness lay the source of his future wealth. He enslaved the locals and became fabulously wealthy exploiting the Quinua bark (for the treatment of malaria) and tapping wild rubber trees. The rubber trees were only found in the lowland and pantanous regions of Tuichi, Ixiamas, Rurrenabaque and what is known today as the Alto (high) Madidi, an area full of pumas and infested by caimans and dangerous tropical diseases. Thanks to his bravery and determination in exploring these regions, not to mention his German obstinacy and friendship with Bolivia's president, José Manuel Pando, Franck was able to obtain extensive concessions in these regions.
The great fever over the discovery of rubber lead to countless skirmishes and battles between national adventurers and foreigners companies such as Gonzalvez Rubbers, Yuyotico de Federico Nielsen Reyes, San Carlos de Franck and others. Eventually in the early 1900's it led to the international conflict of the Acre war (with Brazil) and Franck personally financed the Bolivian army, who took 2 months to reach the combat zone.
The house were Carlos Franck lived is considered a historic landmark that still has the remnants of fine European furniture and the concert piano that was carried from La Paz on the back of mules. On the wallpapered walls there are impressionist paintings, curtains from Paris, ivory ornaments and a music box. The house had internal heating and the only indoor plumbing in the town. There were hidden passages between the rooms and a tunnel that crossed beneath the Pelechuco River. Carlos's clothes were imported from Germany, and the wines from France.
Franck was trained as a chemist, but contributed locally by financing expeditions to the northern region of the department of La Paz. He built hanging bridges, such as the one in Amantala. He also designed and financed the stone paved trail between Pelechuco and Apolo. Franck exported rubber and chloroquine directly to Europe and created an industry that employed “siringueros” (rubber tapers), porters, store workers and tradesmen. He became so rich that the liberal Pando government named him sub-prefect of the province, and gave him all the political powers to apply the law as he saw fit. The economic success was such that even the Republic of Perú had a consulate in Pelechuco.
Carlos Franck died in 1922 and his remains are laid together with those of his wife, Emilia Eyzaguirre Rivert in the Santiago de Pelechuco Church. Franck is dead, but the example of his work remains with us and I hope that others can follow his vision and re-conquer the north of the La Paz department to once again bring prosperity to this forgotten corner of the country.

Akhamani/ Acamani

 

	Akhamani/ Acamani Tour Costs Included: 1) Mountain Guides ( Bilingual Franch/Spanish and English) 2) Cook and an assistant 3) Pack animals 4) Collective Technical Equipment 5) High Altitude Porters

Mountaineering Books:

• Yossi Brain : Bolivia A Climbing Guide. Edition, The Mountaineers UK 1999
• Patrice Pawlak/ Patrick Wagnon : Les plus belles courses des Andes centrales. Edition Glenat Grenoble France. 2004
• Alain Mesili : Los Andes de Bolivia. Edition CIMA La Paz – Bolivie 2002
• Alain Mesili : The Andes Of Bolivia, Adventures and a Climbing Guide. Edition CIMA La Paz – Bolivie. 2004
• Victor Saunders : Trekking and Climbing The Andes. NZ 2002
• John Biggar: Les Andes, Guide d´alpinisme, Edition Nevicata, Belgique. 2000

 

Maps

There are no maps on the Apolobamba in Bolivia. There is a sketch map, by W.H. Melbourne, 1959. Also there is the map by the British Royal Geographic Society of 1911, Royal Geographical Society, border survey 1918 – Percy Harrison Fawcett map 1919 - DAV maps 1957.- AAJ 1960 - Sangaku 1962 – CAI, Italy, 1982, 367 – Southampton University, 1992 – Loughborough Students Andes Expedition 1989 – Yorkshire Ramblers Club Expedition Report 1988 - Paul Hudson 1993. La Rinconada 1:100.000 (Lima Perú)
Akamani, sheet 5748- I. Scale 1: 50.000. However, this map has many errors. IGM: Pelechuco Series H632 Sheet: 3041, 1997

BOLIVIAN MAPS

I have provided references to Bolivian maps in several chapters. The most reliable maps are those of the IGM, which cover most regions of the country.

Scale 1:50.000
The most precise is World Geodesic System WGS 84, Squares for UTM application with area signalization on each map. Degrees, minute system, conventional signs and reference of annual magnetic variation.

Scale 1:100.000
Prepared and published by the Defense Mapping Agency’s Hydrographic/ Topographic Center in Washington, D.C. Excellent editions. With GPS.

Scale 1: 25.000
Also published in the USA by Joint Operations Graphic. Used in mountains and covers the entire Bolivian territory. Assigned to aviation and applicable to GPS UTM and degrees.

Click on: Climbing apolobamba – Alain Mesili a living legend – mountaineering books - Frome the Andes to Amazinia – Maps of Trekking – Andean cartographies - Web Site about Bolivia
Curriculum Vitae by Alain Mesili - Bibliography

Photos: Alain Mesili, et Waldemar Niclevicz