ascencion of Uturuncu 6008m altitude - the super volcano competing with yellow stone
Uturuncu is the only volcano in the area which reaches the symbolic limit of 6000m altitude. Thanks to an abandoned sulfur mine there is a dirt road which can bring you above 5600m. By the way this is the highest road in the world today. The volcano left head titles in the news when they discovered, thanks to infrared satellite images, that his magma chamber is not only huge, but fills up at rate never measured before (1m3/sec). Super volcanoes are rather rare happenings, and Uturuncu has only rather recently been discovered.
Along the trail you will cross some fumerolles just before you begin with the steeper part. The last 400m +d should not take more than 3 hours. From the summit you will have a view over the whole south Lipez region, including the Salar. Adding an extra day to the classical overland tour in the region, you can summit this volcano. None the less it is better that you got used to altitude before.
Uturuncu is rather a high altitude Hike than serious mountaineering.
 the Zig Zag trail is snow covered parts of the year |
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 caught in a snowstorm (the climate has to be on our side to make it an easy 6000m summit) |
 old lava fields near Qetena village |
 eventhough the climate is stable in the region there are snwofalls every now and then |