From Copacabana I caught a La Paz bound bus eastwards, and at Huarina jumped off. It was the sort of town where the other travellers on the bus must have been wondering what on earth I was getting off for, but from here I could hail a Sorata bound minibus / collectivo, squeezing onto the last seat for the 2 hour drive into the mountains.

Sorata is a perfect destination to fit in between La Paz and Copacabana, it is a small rural town set amidst spectacular surroundings of lush valleys and snow capped Andean peaks, including Mount Illampu at 6300 metres. During my stay of two nights the weather generally frustrated, I only say glimpses of the high mountains before cloud would obscure the views but if I’d happily return again to this area, at a different time of year.

View through valley, Sorata, Cordillera Real, Bolivia

View through valley, Sorata, Cordillera Real, Bolivia

Traditional cobbled street in Sorata, Cordillera Real, Bolivia

Hotel facade in Sorata, Bolivia

View through valley, Sorata, Cordillera Real, Bolivia

View through valley, Sorata, Cordillera Real, Bolivia