Bolivia - Andes Downhill Trip
Our mountain bike tour in Bolivia is an expedition of extremes. Spending most of our time around La Paz, the world’s highest capital city, perched on the edge of the Andes and plunging into the Amazon, we’ll explore a small island on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, and brave the world’s most intricate road outside of Coroico. Our mountain bike tour rides plunge down through a wide variety of eco-systems and scenery, often starting in snow, traveling through sparse mountain tundra, down into pre-mountain cloud forests, and finishing in lush jungles. The people of Bolivia are as unique as the Amazon is breathtaking, preserving an air of tradition and simplicity 14,000 feet above sea level. During our mountain bike tour, we will pass through mining towns, ford rivers, dodge the occasional truck, dig the jeep out a few times, and generally make the most of this incredibly remote part of Bolivia. The country is blessed with beautiful terrain ideally suited for the mammoth mountain bike tour we’ll take you on!
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| Group Sizes |
3 to 15 people
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| Course Durations |
10 days
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| Required Skill Level |
Open to All
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| Required Equipment |
Optional
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| Targeted Activities |
Camping, Cycling, Mountain Biking |
Class & Lesson Types |
Private Lessons |
Kids/Youth |
Instructor Course |
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Group Lessons |
Elderly |
Workshops/Seminars |
Mountain Biking Skills & Disciplines |
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Road Cycling |
Urban Terrain |
Lap Racing |
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Offroad Biking |
Cross-country |
Hill Climb |
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Downhill |
FreeStyle |
Dirt Jumping |
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| Day 1 |
Upon arrival in La Paz, Bolivia, our guide team will meet you, transport you to the hotel, and fit you for the perfect mountain bike. We’ll hold a welcome dinner to discuss our mountain bike tour plans during the evening.
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| Day 2 |
We’ll spend the first half of the day acclimatizing to the elevation in Bolivia with a bycicle tour through the southern section of La Paz and up through rural scenery to an isolated village for lunch. Our first ride will be a 10,500ft./3200m. mountain bike tour descent consisting of narrow, steep downhill campesino (farmer) trails with some great scenery. It should be a good test ride to release jet lag!
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| Day 3 |
The highlight of our mountain bike tour day is the site of the 2001 Bolivia National Downhill Championships, which we’ll tackle three times, concentrating on technique, adjusting to the altitude, and soaking up the scenery. Afterwards, we’ll head over to Collana Pass and charge down a combo of demanding dirt roads and flowing single track. After a late lunch, we’ll tackle a trail that drops rapidly through cacti, a village, steep switchbacks, and a riverbed.
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| Day 4 |
We’ll start the mountain bike day out charging down a winding dirt road through traditional farming towns of Bolivia in the Altiplano region, lending a beautiful view of Mount Illimani. Then we’ll launch into a smooth mountain bike single track, finishing with a section of river bedding requiring intense concentration and momentum. Arriving at the hotel, you’ll be greeted by natural hot springs, perfect for relieving tense muscles.
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| Day 5 |
To begin the day, we’ll mountain bike a twisty, curvy, tight-flowing “slice of heaven,” dropping 1000 m. To make sure we squeeze the most out of it, we’ll drop down three times. After lunch, we’ll take a route along rural roads to a small island on Lake Titicaca, setting up our campsite in one of the most scenic spots in Bolivia, with views of the entire Cordillera Real chain of mountains.
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| Day 6 |
From the campsite, we’ll jeep up through the town of Achacachi to a high pass above the idyllic mountainside town of Sorata. We’ll mountain bike down through villages along single track walking trails and dirt roads to the valley floor. The jeep will take us back up for a fun blast down into Sorata, the final 5k being a cross-country dirt road mountain bike ride.
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| Day 7 |
Over these next three days, we’ll explore a seldom-used mountain bike route down into the jungle of Bolivia. We can expect 60-100km’s a day of non-technical but rough cross-country mountain bike riding. There are potholes and ruts big enough to swallow trucks! Campsites will depend very much on the group’s progress, but by day nine, we’ll head into Coroico, a town nestled in the jungle at a pleasant 1,000m altitude. The hotel has a sauna and pool to ease out those riding pains. We’ll have a farewell meal out in Coroico.
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| Day 8 |
Over these next three days, we’ll explore a seldom-used mountain bike route down into the jungle of Bolivia. We can expect 60-100km’s a day of non-technical but rough cross-country mountain bike riding. There are potholes and ruts big enough to swallow trucks! Campsites will depend very much on the group’s progress, but by day nine, we’ll head into Coroico, a town nestled in the jungle at a pleasant 1,000m altitude. The hotel has a sauna and pool to ease out those riding pains. We’ll have a farewell meal out in Coroico.
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| Day 9 |
Over these next three days, we’ll explore a seldom-used mountain bike route down into the jungle of Bolivia. We can expect 60-100km’s a day of non-technical but rough cross-country mountain bike riding. There are potholes and ruts big enough to swallow trucks! Campsites will depend very much on the group’s progress, but by day nine, we’ll head into Coroico, a town nestled in the jungle at a pleasant 1,000m altitude. The hotel has a sauna and pool to ease out those riding pains. We’ll have a farewell meal out in Coroico.
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| Day 10 |
Our final day! We’ll return to La Paz, driving up the world’s most intricate road of Bolivia and say our goodbyes at the airport.
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| Meals |
All Inclusive
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| Local Transport |
Not Included
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| Insurance |
Not Included
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| Additional |
All meals will be provided for, whether it be a breakfast buffet in the hotel, a packed lunch prepared by our private cook, or a dinner out at a local restaurant. You can expect to be eating a lot of maize, however there are various options including local dishes with llama and alpaca. Soups are the Bolivian specialty, usually with potatoes, quinia (a type of maize), and chicken. If you’re lucky, you’ll also find Cuy, or guinea pig, that is roasted whole and served as it comes. Trout from Lake Titicaca is another example of typical fare. While in the cities, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to visit great restaurants. Coroico has a particularly excellent one, French-owned and serving local food with a twist. Sorata has a few great places, and La Paz is quite literally one, big street market, making it certainly memorable. For nightlife, La Paz has a wide variety of opportunities including pubs, nightclubs, wine bars, and cafes. The hotel in Coroico has a movie theatre.
It is always good to use familiar equipment, so if you have your own bike and are willing to bring it with you, we suggest doing so. Please see below for instructions on traveling with your bike. We recommend that your bike have at least front suspension and that it is a quality brand (Giant, Trek, Kona, Cannondale, Scott, Specialized etc ). If you bring your own bike it is important that you check it thoroughly to ensure it is in good mechanical order before you depart for your trip. |
| Nearby Attractions |
Whenever possible, we integrate cultural excursions into our trips to enhance the social experience as much as possible. On the Bolivian Andes Downhill Tour, you'll experience the breathtaking scenerey and unique culture atop the Andes. |
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Basics & Backgrounds
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