Via Mine Road

Approach

Walk to the cementary on the SE side of Ollague. Here the tour starts

Route Description

Follow the road towards the base of the mounta. At about 4000 m (13100 ft) there is a short-cut up the mountains to the left. Take that one.

There a path leds to ruins at 4300 m (14100 ft), where there is perhapsthe highest basket ball course on earth.
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From there continue again on the main road. There are often short-cuts on the lower part of the mountain, so you do not have to take the serpentines.
At around 4850 m (15900 ft) you will pass a remainder
of an house. Further up, the serpentines will become shorter as the volcanoes steepens.

Eventually you will reach the place where the mine used to be, at around 5600 m (18370 ft),.
From there, following the path in northerly direction you can easily reach the western summit (ca. 5700 m / 18700 ft).

From the mine you can also climb one of the main summits (both around 5865 m / 19250 ft), with the southern one being slighly lower.

For people intending to take their bikes:

The road is in really bad shape. You will have to carry your bike for a big part of the climb. The descend is rough, surprinsingly technical and demanding!

Essential Gear

- lots of water
- sturdy boots
- warm clothing
- if you intend to spend the night up on the mountain: Expect down to -40° C in winter and -15° in summer during the night.

In Winter and Rainy Season: light crampons and piolet if there is snow in the summit region

If you intend to go up and down with bicyle you probably know what to take. I will anyways post my high-altitude cycling setup here soon.

Miscellaneous Info

If you have information about this route that doesn't pertain to any of the other sections, please add it here.

Images

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