Hello everbody,
I am planning to visit Bolivia and planning to climb Pequena Alpamayo, Huana Potosi and either Sajama or Parincota. I looked on online for some guide companies and was wondering if any body has any experience with boliviamountain guides (http://www.bolivianmountainguides.com) or Bolivia Mountains (http://www.bolivianmountains.com) or Bolivian Journeys (http://www.bolivianjourneys.org).

I am just one person and looking for some fixed departure dates. Does anyone know any other guiding company (local) that are good.

Thanks.

Rocky

We used Bolivian Journeys last summer

http://www.splattski.com/2014/bolivia/index.html

I used Bolivianmountainguides twice. I plan to use them again.

Woodie

rocky29oct wrote:Hello everbody,
I am planning to visit Bolivia and planning to climb Pequena Alpamayo, Huana Potosi and either Sajama or Parincota. I looked on online for some guide companies and was wondering if any body has any experience with boliviamountain guides (http://www.bolivianmountainguides.com) or Bolivia Mountains (http://www.bolivianmountains.com) or Bolivian Journeys (http://www.bolivianjourneys.org).

I am just one person and looking for some fixed departure dates. Does anyone know any other guiding company (local) that are good.

Thanks.

Rocky

My wife and I have booked with Bolivian Mountain Guides for Pequeno Alpamayo, Huayna Potosi and Sajama in May 2015. When are you planning on going? I'll post a review when we're back home if you haven't booked by that point.

Made the choice based on positive comments found on this site along with other testimonials.

Cheers!

Hello,
I went to Bolivia some years ago. I strongly recommend Jose, IFMGA mountain guide (best international certification).
Enjoy the country!!

Hello,

I have booked my climb to Pequeno Alpamayo , Huayna Potosi and Sajama through Boliviamountains. they have fixed departure dates in late June. PA (starting 23rd June), HP (starting 26th June) and Sajama (no fixed date departure yet). So far I am the only one who is registered for these dates and hopefully I find more groups during these time frame.
Is anyone going to be on these mountains on these dates?

One of my friends just came back from Bolivia and she was only one in her group and was not rally satisfied with the guides. she booked her through Bolivian Journeys. She mentioned that her guide was not very helpful and he did not want to go up on the mountains and kept telling her to turn back on HP and she was the first one to summit and come down on that day and was very negative. The avg is about 6 hrs on HP and she made it in 4 hrs. Also, did not put too much effort in the food so my friend ended up bringing her own food on Illimani.

I hope I do not get the same experience as I am the only one so far signed on these dates.

Thanks.

Rocky

Just got back from Bolivia. I used [url]ClimbSouthaAmerica.com[/url].
Excllent service and guides. They are one of four operations that use IFMGA guides. I have not heard many great things about Bolivian Journeys. Andean expeditions is also supposed to be very good.
Make sure that your guide is IFMGA cerified both to protect yourself and to protect the real guides.

Also, if you have some old gear that you don't need anymore, take it down and give it away to guides or porters. It will be greatly appreciated.

Here is my recent experience with BMG Bolivian Mountain Guide.
I had a very-private tour (me alone) with BMG this June, a net 7 days (+ travelling) in the Sajama region. A planned climb to Acotango, Parinacota, Sajama.

1. I do not speak Spanish. Asked very clearly for an English speaking guide. What I was given, was a guide said to speak basic English - well, that was closer to no English. (I asked "when?", he answered "si, si".)
2. The guide communicated only minimally. No communicated planning, nothing about the weather, snow conditions or the route, not on timing, speed, nothing.
3. I had a detailed, decent plan, put together months before. The plan was messed up by the guide day-after-day-after-day. Not primarily because of the weather, or other unexpected conditions, but simply messing up, no planning.
4. Acotango in the Sajama region is considered an easy 6000er. Even when there is fresh snow, it should be done easily. Instead of going the normal route (even partly a maintained mining road), we went straight-on in the direction of the crater, "followed our nose". That seemed to me pretty unusual, uncomfortable. The guide did not communicate anything about this, why he chose this and not the normal route.
5. My guide was not only lacking the language skills, but his attitude was also fairly strange for me: I have never seen anything like what he did "guiding from a distance" ever before (100-150 meters, when I was in a fairly bad shape). Or starting talking about timing, cutover time when we are halfway up the ascend.
6. Eduardo is a certified (UIAGM), highly appreciated guide. However, be aware that Eduardo does not do any guiding any more because of health reasons (knee), he "only" manages the operations. All the other members of the staff are not certified (according to the agmtb.org site) - they still may be experienced (however, my experience with my very experienced guide was very poor).
7. BMG is a small, family-run company. They can put together and organize private tours, but when something unexpected happens, they can hardly handle it, do not have the resources for that. Example: I had an accident, and (as 10 days later, from an X-ray back in Europe, it turned out) I broke my leg (fibula). We managed somehow to get down from Parinacota (5700m to the 4x4 accessible 5100m), I walked down basically on my own. But then, when I had the next two days to do nothing in Sajama village (could not really walk those days), BMG was not able to manage to get me a transfer back to La Paz.

All in all, my verdict: very poor experience.