Full-day Chacaltaya And Valley De La Luna (Valley Of The Moon) Tour

I loved it. The very short hike up to the top of the Chacaltaya might be a bit challenging due to the altitude, but quite doable if you take as much time as you need (there is no rush at all). We had great weather on the first half of the day, which made the views amazing. For the second half it drizzled a bit, but even then I really liked el Valle de la Luna. Our guide was super enthusiastic (very appreciated!!) and shared a lot of interesting facts with us during the hikes. The drive up to the mountain was not as bad as I thought it would be given some of the comments I read about it, but definitely get ready for a bumpy road. I always felt quite safe during the ride, and as a nice plus I loved the choice of music during the ride :D I would definitely recommend this tour if you enjoy a good landscape.

Our hotel was not in the list of the pick up hotels but they changed the itinerary and came to our hotel anyway. That was great. The tour was supposed to be in English but it was half Spanish/English. That's OK but the guide was speaking more details in Spanish and his English was not easy to understand. The Valley of the Moon was OK. The day was sunny. The guide told us about geology of the area and how the landscape was formed. By the time we got to the saddle under Chacaltaya it became cloudy. The guide explained to us how to breathe and how to walk up the hill. So we started ascent. The top of the hill was covered with clouds. The guide encouraged us to keep going saying that in 10 minutes the clouds would be gone. But the clouds were coming down and it started snowing - snowballs the size of big peas! Thunders started, the air was full of electricity. By the time we got back to the start point in the saddle the snowballs were everywhere. We got into the van and started descent along a narrow rocky track covered with snow. Soon the van got bogged in the snow at the edge of the track. We got out and helped the driver to get the van out of the snow trap. We refused to get into the van and started walking down to the safe part of the track. The thunder appeared again so we got into the van to be protected. The driver and the guide wanted to continue driving but we yelled at them not to drive but to wait until the thunder ceased. We asked the guide if he checked the weather. He said the weather changes all the time. That's OK but as an experience guide he should see the signs of snowstorm and cancel the ascent. To see the falling snow, hearing thunder and feel electricity in the air is enough to realise that it was not safe to go up. Not mentioning that descending track changed into a snowy/muddy slide.

The most impressive place to climb and walk especially to be closer to heaven. a wonderful experience in chacaltaya, I recommend visiting this place to have a very peaceful nap time.

Had lots of fun exploring the abandoned ski resort, climbing chacaltaya mountain, and seeing the amazing Moon Valley! Tour started late due to circumstances but the guide made sure to ensure we had a good time. Would appreciate a lunch break in the middle, we were all starving by the time the whole thing was over.

I have visited this tour and enjoyed it. Guide was knowledgeable and cheerful! It cost me about 12-13$. Bought it on bus station in kiosk and went there the same morning. Have a lunch with you because there is no stops for food. It was pretty easy hike to the top, nothing to worry about.

Was great to go to the top of chacaltaya, Even though it was heavy breathing. Never been so high up before, so it was great. A little sketchy road to the top but it went fine! And valle de la luna was great as well

Chacaltaya is an amazing place. Beautiful view from the top, abandoned ski resort, lonely, yet fascinating.

Signed up with hardly any expectations but left with absolutely no regrets. The altitude is around 5000m and it’s cold and windy up there, so bring your warmest jacket! It’s an uphill walk from the car park to the top for the best pictures. Being an ex-skiing resort, it’s a shame that the building was just abandoned rather that being utilised to provide basic services.

Our guide Joel was really patient, spoke good english, and shared many interesting tidbits about the two sights throughout the day. We did not feel rushed at all. Drive was in a minivan that was adequate for the small group of 5, excluding driver and guide. Pick up was efficient and on time (leave around 8 am, return around 4pm on a sunday, may be later on weekdays). The tour itself was great, covering two very different but scenic sights, first at the top of a mountain peak at 5375M above sea level, then at one of the lowest points in La Paz, over 2000M lower. Both places have unique views and beauty. Tips: 1)Some walking at high altitudes required so best to be well-acclimatized before attempting. 2)Bring a jacket as it can get windy on the mountain. 3)There is no lunch stop but there is an opportunity to buy snacks at the start of the drive (or prepare ahead and bring your own). 4)Wear shoes with good grip. 5) when comparing tour vendors, consider that this particular tour I did included the entrance fees for both attractions (check the fine print). Overall I would recommend this activity. Well worth the time and costs.

I actually took three tours with Hanaq Patcha, and recommend the agency. Maya at the head office was very helpful and flexible about meeting my needs. Valeria was an excellent guide and very knowledgeable, and she took her guiding seriously. All in all, I am pleased with this organization. Specifically about the trip to Chacaltaya: it was superb. It would have been worth visiting there for an entire day, perhaps with some more and longer stops on the way, perhaps hiking part-way downhill and being picked up at another location. So many options. Adding the Valle de la Luna to the same trip was suboptimal. It's an entirely different area, an entirely different experience, and the two places have nothing in common. Moreover, they are a three-hour drive apart, during which the guide was sitting in the front with his back to us, conversing with the driver and looking at his phone and playing with the sound system. If a tour needs a guide in addition to a driver, the guide should be sitting with the group rather than with the driver, talk about whatever comes to mind, and respond to any questions group members may have. So in that sense, this was not a success. I'm rating this as a 4 because this style of guiding is not untypical for Bolivia. Hanaq Pacha could stand out as positively different and better if it trained its guides to be there for the guests. Otherwise, why bother to have them? I want to recommend Valeria one more time. She added value. Perhaps she should be promoted to head the guide training program.

To be honest, I didn't know what I had signed up for when I booked this tour. It was more to spend the day in La Paz where I would arrive overnight from Uyuni and depart in the early hours the following day. I had heard of the Valley de la Luna but had not paid much attention to the first part, 'Chacaltaya'. Boy was I in for a surprise. The minibus ride to the foot of Chacaltaya was a bumpy, twisty ride up bendy, single lane track snaking along the mountainside. The views got increasingly spectacular along with dizziness as the altitude grew unhindered. Once we got to the lodge (which, I believe was the ski resort long time ago), the guide (a feisty, engaging lady) explained that our trek up to the top of Chacaltaya and down would take around 1 hour and 20 minutes. The climb up seemed benign enough from the bottom as there were no sheer cliffs to climb with the aid of complex equipment. The apparent straightforwardness of the climb was an illusion. Although the path was easy enough, the gusty wind which sometimes blew to storm level made even standing up straight an impossibility, even for a guy with a bulky frame like myself. I had to repeatedly stop and crouch until the wind died down before resuming my climb. Half way up, there came a point where I thought I could not carry on. I had arrived in La Paz only 5 days ago, went on a 2 day/3 night tour of Uyuni with return overnight bus rides there and back, and was not exactly feeling strong and well rested. I protested to the guide that further climb would be an impossibility to which she replied that the trick was to keep an open mind. This was an inspiring choice of words for me. It gave me renewed will power to resume my climb and, one step at a time, I made my way up, until the summit was reached! The panoramic views were spectacular, for a want of a better word. In fact, no human words or expressions can fully convey the magnificence, grandeur, majesty, wonder and beauty of the far reaching views. This part of the tour was in itself well worth several times the price paid. It was an uplifting experience of a lifetime. The visit to 'Valley of the Moon' which is on the other side of La Paz was also interesting with strange, 'moon-like' rock formations a wonder to behold and walk through. I had not expected an enclosed 'park-like' set up but rather an open space but the park was well laid out and thoughtfully designed for visitors to experience the landscape. Interesting fact is that this place got its name from Neil Armstrong who visited a year after his landing on the moon and mentioned that the landscape resembled what he had seen on the Moon. Overall, this is a tour I would strongly recommend to anyone visiting La Paz but go with an open mind and be prepared for very strong winds but, more than anything, go expecting an experience of a lifetime!

I did 2 tours with HanaqPacha: the La Paz walking tour and the full-day Chacaltaya + Valle de la Luna. PROS: Their guides are extremely knowledgeable and speak both English and Spanish. I speak a bit of Spanish but getting to ask clarifying questions in English was nice for me. They offer a load of other tours around the city and mountains so it's easy to do multiple excursions with them. Their office is also a cafe and they have dinner/dance shows 1-2x a week and seems like great options for being in the city. CONS: Their other tours were pricier than other agencies I've encountered but you get what you pay for with HanaqPacha.

If you don’t have time to climb to Huayna Potosí or are afraid to do so, this can be a good alternative. This tour appears to be shared with others joining the tour from different companies. When you join this tour from here, all entrance fees are included. And there will be no restaurant visit for lunch. During the transportation to Chaltacaya, you’ll visit a small shop where you need to buy something to eat after Chaltacaya. And there will be no time given for lunch; you need to eat lunch in the middle of bumpy roads from Chaltacaya. If you like it, this might be unique picnic experience. The road to Chaltacaya is mostly unpaved and narrow. Although the driver could be different for each date, my driver had done an impressive job driving through risky roads to Chaltacaya. Hiking starts from former sky resort. Although the hiking route is not long or difficult, you need to take care when descending from the mountain as the route can be wet with snow and dangerous. Also, you need to be careful adjusting to sudden altitude change. You’ll visit and leave approx. 5300m within a day, so you might experience sudden altitude sickness after visiting Chaltacaya. The guide is good and professional in safely leading the hiking. But it appears that the guide is not leading us in group; during the tour the one lagging behind should try to pace up to meet the others ahead without the care of the guide. This could be tiring and even put you in risky condition while hiking the mountain. Valley of the moon visit is also fine. Here again, the guide is leaving us in free time after explanation. If you want guided tour, you need to keep following the guide. If you like to visit a place in your own pace, this method could be fine.

I had a very bad experience, they canceled the tour on the same day. They left me with no option to take another one with a different agency. They charged my money and have not refunded it.

The timing is perfect because it allows to visit these 2 poles of attraction on the same day.The guide knows his work well. A beautiful day!

Lack of information about the tours. I found very bad the attitude of the Guide who left me behind in chacataya. In the end, I couldn't climb the mountain alone and I almost lost myself. Not to mention that putting 2 tours so different and to the extremes was quite uncomfortable and tiring.

It was a wonderful day and it became perfect thanks to the empathy of the Guide Roberto who was always available to help us, including with the photos ...

Debido a la altura debi ir despacio, y la guía no considero re agrupar para que yo pudiera parar y recuperarme. Creo que podría mejorar el tour si hay mayor atención a las personas que al itinerario que es importante pero también las personas.

Well organized, punctual, great guide. I highly recommend. For people alone, families or groups.....

The day tour offered beautiful views despite fog in Chacaltaya. Drives quite a long time with a small bus, but the driver drove very carefully. We also did a city tour in La Paz with Luciana. Very informative and only for recommending.

Smooth running, breathtaking views! My preliminary questions were answered, super nice guide. Definitely back! The whole thing was done by “no fear Adventures”.

Wonderful place, super recommend, great place to take photos, to play with the snow it takes a lot of breathing

Chacaltaya and Valle de la Luna are two amazing locations, but I recommend consulting the agency about the means of transport and the duration of the tours before hiring. I was with my family and we waited for the pickup at the matched location. We were placed in a mini-van, whose remaining seats were very small and uncomfortable for a near 1.80-high Cover (pictured below). I complained with the guide and she made a rotating of the seats in the following passages. Arriving at Chacaltaya, the guide quickly climbed toward the top (it seems she forgot that tourists have difficulty breathing at altitude). Arriving at Valle de la Luna, we took a 40-minute walk, without any stops to eat or take pictures. I complained with the guide and she told me that this was the instruction she had received. I'm sure it's not her fault, it's Hanaqpacha Travel: they sell a product to us and buy from local operators. I recommend TripAdvisor to offer the tours directly from the operators. I booked a guided tour and only received the transportation. I want some of my money back because I couldn't follow any explanation from the guide.