High summits of the Cordillera Apolobamba [Full Image]

Trekking The Jewel of the Andes

When we were looking for a new trekking route in Bolivia, we didn't realise we were going to find what we and our local guides believe to be the best mountain trek in South America.

Apolobamba National Park, Ulla Ulla Vicuña Reserve and Madidi National Park together form one huge protected area which covers all of the ecological zones in the Andes and the Amazon: from the high glaciated mountains down to the Amazon rain forest.

This route starts in the remote and isolated mountains to the north of the small town of Pelechuco, then descends down through the cloud forest of the upper Madidi National Park, before climbing again to the mountains on the western side of the Apolobamba mountain range. The whole expedition ends at Curva, the capital of the Callawayas. This journey will give you a deep insight into Bolivia's culture while you trek in the remote magnificence of the largest protected area in South America.

Along the way, you'll visit several ancient pre-Hispanic ruins and meet people from some of Bolivia's original ethnic groups: the Aymaras around Titicaca, the Quechuas in the northern Apolobamba range and the Callawayas on its southern end, all of whom have a lifestyle unchanged in centuries.

The whole area is very sparsely populated, the nature is pristine and your chances of spotting wild animals are far more realistic than anywhere else in the Andes: condors, dozens of bird species, lots of vizcachas (Andean marmot), and with some luck, a spectacled bear, coyotes, deer, foxes and even the elusive pumas.