Driving in Bolivia
Special considerations should be kept in mind while driving in Bolivia. The roads are generally narrow and of a very low quality, and that means that the frequent encounters with drunken drivers, speeding buses or badly trained drivers are extremely dangerous. The best is to assume the driver in front of you won't be able to keep a steady route within his lane and that he may perform surprising and dangerous maneuvers. Another point of importance is the frequent tollgates. They are always present at the city's entrances, and exist also at random points between the cities - mostly at departments' borderlines. They are always manned by uniformed policemen and they perform identity checks. Keep your documents handy. If an unexplained delay occurs there, it means the policeman is waiting for a "regalito" ("a little gift" - a bribe); 5BOB (seventy-five American cents) should be enough to cross the gate.
Public Transport
Public transport within Bolivia is limited and quite dangerous. To Sorata there are buses and minivans leaving from the General Cemetery at downtown La Paz. From Sorata to La Paz they leave from Sorata's main plaza. They are dangerously crowded and provide thus the perfect environment for the abundant thieves. It is not recommended at all.
The New Road Achacachi - Sorata
A new road is being paved between Achacachi and Sorata. As these lines are being written, less than half of it has been completed. By the end of 2007 the road should be finished, except for a geologically unstable part which will not be paved at all. Meanwhile, several parts are quite narrow and dangerous; follow the instructions of the workers there and beware of the deep cliffs.
Traveling Within the Sorata County
Within the county there are few roads and only one is paved. Public transport between the county's capital - the village of Sorata - and the other villages is scarce and sporadic. The best approach is to follow the locals: they walk between the riverbeds connecting the villages. See the Trekking and Millipaya entries for additional - and important - information for this option.
The Route
Traveling from La Paz to Sorata is easy. Pick the ten miles long highway - the only highway in Bolivia - connecting La Paz with El Alto. From El Alto take the road going to Copacabana, a town by the Titicaca Lake. The road is the one splitting north from the Rio Seco Junction in western El Alto. From there a splendid way awaits the visitor. The road follows the southern side of the Cordillera Real's central part (the Real Andean Range) and four peaks can be seen clearly. The first has no snow and can be recognized by a tiny - and quickly melting - glacier. It is called the Chacaltaya and is practically part of the El Alto City. Following it, the Huayna Potosi appears. Completely snowed and isolated from the other mountains in the range, it offers a majestic sight. Afterwards, the range gets crowded. The most distinctive mountain is the Condoriri, which reminds of a condor forming a circle with its wings and is one of the most beautiful and distinctive mountains in Bolivia. At the end of the range is a mastodon of irregular shape: the Illiampu Mountain. At its feet is the village of Achacachi - a central junction in the Northern Altiplano. At its entrance is a military base, from where the right (northern) side should be chosen. It looks as if the road goes directly to the Illiampu's Summit and it is nearly so. The road travels around the peak and then performs a quick descent into Sorata. Once the new road would be finished, the whole trip should take around two hours.