Anybody ever tried a trek/climbing adventure starting off in Bolivia and ending in Peru? Is this feasible?
Thanks

This is an interesting idea and totally conceivable. It would be cheaper to start in Bolivia especially if you're thinking of hiring a guide and mules. One route could be through the Apolobamba range, climb Chaupi Orco and connect to Peru on the other side. May - September would be the best months, you could even make it to Ecuador. Look up John Biggar on the web, he is a leading authority on the Andes and might give you a hand.

In 1995 I bought a round trip ticket to Lima, touching down in Lima and flying immediately from there to La Paz on a one way ticket. Fooled around in Bolivia for a while, Huayna Potosi, Condoriri & the easy peaks in that group, a bunch of general tourist stuff, then off to Puno by bus and from there to Cusco on the train. Valle Sagrado and Machu Picchu, then flew back to Lima, took a cab from the airport to Cruz del Sur bus depot and off to Huaraz.

Worked well for me, though I'm not sure this is the kind of trip you're looking for. Travelling overland from Bolivia back to Lima looke like a real hassle to me and wouldn't have fit into my time frame. Could be interesting if you have the time.

Fares to LIM are generally a lot cheaper than to LPB and there are some really great sales once in a while.

I enjoyed that trip to SA more than my others, great sunny weather (July), saw a lot of stuff.

In 2007 I spent 3 month in the Andes.
I flew to Lima, took a bus to Huaraz & spent a few weeks climbing there. In june I took a bus to Lima and from there directly to La Paz. It took around 22 hours and probably was one of the worst bus rides in my life. I think it was Ormeno buses. I spent a month climbing in bolivia with friends. Then I travelled to Arequipa/Peru to meet friends. (there are a lot of volcanoes around Arequipa, too) From Arequipa I reversed my route via Lima to Huaraz, because I wanted to climb Chopicalqui and Artesonraju with a Peruvian friend.
If you have time it is no problem to travel these countries and move from one range to another.

Have fun!
Flo.

Same as bledl: I spent 3 months traveling through South America with my CZ (ex) girlfriend. We started our journey in Quito, Ecuador. Then crossed to Peru and visited Lima, then took a bus to Huaraz where we climbed, hiked, rode bikes and dirt bikes.

Got back to Lima again and kept traveling south to Cusco. We hiked to Machu Picchu and rode dirt bikes through Sacred Valley.

We even, went to Puno and sailed on a boat through Titicaca Lake, and visited three Islands (Uros, Amantani and Taquile). An awesome experience!

We exited Peru through Desaguadero and got to La Paz, Bolivia. Climbed Huayna Potosi, hung out a bit there and traveled southwest to Arica, Chile.. from where we turned back to Peru (we visited Nazca Lines on the way back). We continued north to Ecuador and continued climbing there.

There's so much to do in South America. With a little of planning you can do a lot here. If you got one month only for La Paz, Huaraz and Lima, you're all set!

This was one of my best trips ever.. and we did it all by bus !

Enjoy your trip, it's worth it!

Boriss...

I'd recommend the reverse. A few years back I flew into Lima and took flights and buses to Puno, near the border. Partly because it was expensive as hell to fly into La Paz, partly because doing stuff like hiking on Titicaca's islands is great for acclimatization. From there it wasn't a long ride into Bolivia and La Paz itself.

High Expeditions, I'm planning to do the exact same thing as you this summer. Do you remember which bus companies you took for all your travels? Was there one better than others? I'm planning to fly into Quito, Ecuador make my way south to La Paz, Bolivia but need to make my way back to Quito to fly out. I looked at one way tickets from Los Angeles to Quito and one way ticket from La Paz to Los Angeles and those are very expensive. A roundtrip in and out of Quito is relatively cheap.

Kevin!. I remember I took many buses, some were good, some were bad. I'll recomend you these:

In Ecuador:
Quito - Huaquillas: Transportes Panamericana, it's about USD. 10,00 for 13 hours ride. (Don't take direct buses from Quito - Lima. Their service is awful)

In Peru:
Huaquillas - Tumbes, 30 min. ride. (about USD. 1,50), Take a taxi, but don't leave your belongings in the taxi while you're getting off at Customs offices.

Tumbes - Lima: Transportes Cruz del Sur. The best!. It takes about 18 hours. I think I paid USD. 25,00 last year.

Peru, Bolivia:
The best transportation company in Peru is Cruz del Sur. The worst, Transportes Flores. It depends where you'd like to go. But you can take a bus from Lima in the same Cruz del Sur station to other destinations (Cuzco, Arequipa, or even to Desaguadero, which is the border with Bolivia). From Desaguadero you can take any of the buses or small vans to La Paz. There are many companies there.

Everything depends if you'd like to go to Cusco, or to head straight to La Paz.

It's a nice adventure!.

I was in Peru last year and I agree with you on Cruz Del Sur being the best. Very nice and roomy buses with good food and services. If going "first class" you get the luxury recliner seats which move back enough for some sleep. I intend to climb the 6,000m peaks in Ecuador then head to Huaraz to climb in the Cordillera Blanca then head to Bolivia to climb the 6,000m peaks there.

Any thoughts on flights from La Paz to Quito?

Are you up for some climbing around Mid June in Ecuador?

Yes Kevin, Cruz del Sur is the best in Peru. I always like to ride on the upper level's front row. We get the best view from up there.

We actually have only one 6000'er in Ecuador which is Chimborazo, but you'll see plenty of 6000'ers once you get to Cordillera Blanca and Real.

I think flights La Paz - Quito are a bit expensive, you'll find daily cheaper flights from Lima to Quito in Lan Ecuador.

Wow!, it's hard to know what I'll end up doing in June. It's high climbing season in Ecuador and I'm usually guiding non stopping, or I might just go to Peru or Bolivia and climb there. I need to take advantage of that summer awesome weather. Keep in touch Kevin, it'd be fun to hang out sometime.

Boriss...

I'm going to spend 3 months in Equador, Peru and Bolivia this summer. I had the same logistical challenges, where to start etc. I researched hundreds of alternatives, flying in to one country and flying out of another country (from Europe). But what I found out was that this approach was much more expensive than to just order a simple return flight to Peru. Secondly, flying locally between the 3 countries on one-way tickets with Lan Peru or Taca is as expensive as return tickets. Gambling on one-way tickets you also risk your chances of boarding the plane, getting visa etc. So I decided to just fly into Lima, which is well connected to both Equador and Bolivia.

I'm arriving Lima June 16 (from Europe). Same day I got a return flight from Lima to Quito (Taka Airlines, a bit expensive 450 USD return). I'm planning to climb the highest peaks of Equador during June 17 to July 3. I have nothing pre-arranged, doing it all independently, just grabbing a local bus or taxi to the trailheads. If someone wants to join on Catopaxi, Chimborazo etc then get in touch. Otherwise I'm fine to solo, but it would be nice with someone to share transportation costs and rope up on the glacier

July 3, I'm flying back to Lima, heading straight to Huaraz. I'm looking forward to the recommended Cruz del Sur bus ride . My main goal is Huascaran. I probably don't want to solo this giant (extreme crevasse risks), so if I don't get in touch with other independent climbers, I'm going to hire a guide in Huaraz. I just hope the canalete is in fine conditions this year.

Planning to spend entire July in Peru, before I leave for Bolivia and more 6000 meters peaks in August. I have no flights to Bolivia yet, not sure if I go overland or fly from Peru...

My return flight from Peru to Norway is Sep 17, so I got plenty of time.
If someone wants to join for a 6000m climb, just get in touch. I've done almost 500 ascents around the world, and climbed 12 peaks more than 6000 meters. Never had AMS before...

Cheers!
Lyngve Skrede, Norway
http://distantpeak.blogspot.com