Mt. Obispo (Cerro Obispo) Hike / Climb — in Sucre Bolivia
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 2.51 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,558 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 1,558 ft
- Max elevation
- 11,585 ft
- TrailRank
- 32
- Min elevation
- 11,585 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 5 hours 3 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1601
- Uploaded
- January 13, 2016
- Recorded
- December 2015
near Estancia Pitantorilla, Chuquisaca (Bolivia)
Viewed 4003 times, downloaded 36 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
This time the adventure was a hike to the summit of Mt Obispo, one of the highest peaks located near Sucre and part of the Cordillaera de los Frailes, near the city of Sucre in Bolivia. I planned the hike with the assistance of a tourist agency specialized in this area: Bolivian Explore and the company of an experience hiker / biker: Josue Bolanos. Thankfully the day was just perfect for this type of hike and the common rains and lightning storms of this season held off until the next day.
Hiking Mt. Obispo is as close as climbing as a hike can get. There are so many areas where hands have to be used to keep going, rocks vary from big boulders to very sharp. Variety is impressive up here.
Our climb was rewarded by amazing views of 3 condors flying over us to probably attracted by our presence. We were able to identify one male and two females, probably nesting in a nearby cliff. Seeing condors was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise because it is not common to see them in this area. They size makes of them something to remember.
Once we reached the summit, we decided to spend a couple of hours scouting the surroundings with the purpose of determining any other ascent routes. Frankly it seems that the north route is the most effective, attempting the climb via any other route would probably require real climbing gear and experience.
In the process of scouting, we discovered what until that day was a legend for many: a cave near the summit. Located about 40 meters from the summit on the east side of the mountain we located a miner’s cave. It is hard to believe that somebody worked so far away and had to carry miners tools all the way up there. However, the drill holes left on the cave walls are a clear indication that the cave was blasted with dynamite or some other types of explosives.
The cave descends about 20 meters very quickly; it narrows to the point that continuing into it would require crawling. Without the right gear we left further exploring the cave for a future opportunity.
Condors, caves and a great day were a real gift from Mother Nature!
Geo tagged Pics and GPX route: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3322195
Hiking Mt. Obispo is as close as climbing as a hike can get. There are so many areas where hands have to be used to keep going, rocks vary from big boulders to very sharp. Variety is impressive up here.
Our climb was rewarded by amazing views of 3 condors flying over us to probably attracted by our presence. We were able to identify one male and two females, probably nesting in a nearby cliff. Seeing condors was an unexpected and very pleasant surprise because it is not common to see them in this area. They size makes of them something to remember.
Once we reached the summit, we decided to spend a couple of hours scouting the surroundings with the purpose of determining any other ascent routes. Frankly it seems that the north route is the most effective, attempting the climb via any other route would probably require real climbing gear and experience.
In the process of scouting, we discovered what until that day was a legend for many: a cave near the summit. Located about 40 meters from the summit on the east side of the mountain we located a miner’s cave. It is hard to believe that somebody worked so far away and had to carry miners tools all the way up there. However, the drill holes left on the cave walls are a clear indication that the cave was blasted with dynamite or some other types of explosives.
The cave descends about 20 meters very quickly; it narrows to the point that continuing into it would require crawling. Without the right gear we left further exploring the cave for a future opportunity.
Condors, caves and a great day were a real gift from Mother Nature!
Geo tagged Pics and GPX route: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3322195
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