The twin volcanoes, with their unusual pyramid shape, have been the titanic guardians of the Sajama region for centuries.
Majestic volcanic cones, the Pomerape and the Parinacota are the protagonists of many local legends.
Pomerape and Parinacota, almost identical peaks, rise side by side and form the Payachatas mountain range. This Aymara word means "twins" and indicates the perfect symmetrical shape drawn on the horizon by these volcanoes.
Additional Info
Sajama National park entrance fees: for foreign tourists Bs 100, for national tourists Bs 30 and for national students Bs 10.
Suggested periods
- Spring
- Summer
- Weekend
Where
Sajama National Park, Curahuara de Carangas municipality, Oruro department.
Transportation
By public transport
With minibus from La Paz to Patacamaya. Once there, take a microbus to the Sajama National Park. You can only get to the town of Lagunas, the closest entry point to the park.
By private transport
From La Paz take Highway 1 La Paz-Oruro to Patacamaya; once there, take highway 4 Patacamaya-Tambo Quemado until the detour to the park; You enter through the first or second entrance to the Sajama protected area identified with the signage.
Visiting Rules
For your health and the health of local population, remember to comply with all biosecurity protocols and codes of conduct before and during your stay: wear a mask and carry hand sanitizer, plus a first aid kit, with sunscreen and medications for altitude sickness.
During your visit remember to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the region.
Popular legends
The profile of these mountains has led to the creation of numerous legends to explain their origin or history.
One of these tells of then impossible love between a prince and a princess born in two rival towns. Like in an Andean version of Romeo and Juliet, the two youths challenged the rivalry between their townspeople with their love. To prevent them from marrying, however, the people of the two towns decided to punish the lovers by sacrificing them. Mother Nature, angered by such cruelty, destroyed the two cities by turning them into lakes, the Chungará and the Cota-Cotani, which today lie across the border in Chile. In the place where the two lovers had died Mother Nature decided instead to erect two imposing twin tombs, the volcanoes Pomerape and Parinacota.
Another story tells instead that the two volcanoes were the place where the Incas, defeated by the conquerors, hid the treasures of the city of Cuzco: the golden statues of the monarchs, which adorned the niches of the Temple of the Sun, and the silver statues of the queens, which adorned the Temple of the Moon, along with many other riches. If this suggestive story were true, the treasure of the Incas, which survived Atahualpa's downfall, sought after by archaeologists from all over the world, is protected by the perennial snowfields of the Payachatas.
The volcanoes
Pomerape reaches a height of 6,222 meters at its summit; like Sajama, Acotango and other peaks in the area that surpass 6,000 meters, this volcano attracts expeditions of mountaineers who tackle a very difficult climb indeed.
Its twin, the volcano Parinacota, reaches 6,352 meters. It is probably the highest mountain in the area, although less technically difficult to climb. The word Parinacota could be translated from the Aymara language as "place of parinas" and surely owes its name to these birds, also called puna flamingos.
These exceptional landscapes are part of a border territory between Chile and Bolivia and both countries have teamed up to preserve them, by establishing environmental protection zones. In fact, the Chilean slopes of the Payachatas are included in the Lauca National Park while the Bolivian slopes are part of the Sajama National Park.
Visiting these lands means entering immense unspoiled spaces where nature alone reigns supreme. Be brave, visit this border area and have some extraordinary experiences.