Sajama National Park

About this place

Sajama National Park is Bolivia's oldest national park, in the Oruro Department on the border of Chile's Lauca National Park. Its land rises from 4,200 to 6,542 metres around the snowy cone of Sajama volcano, the highest mountain in the country. It is home to the Aymara people and a hub of ecotourism and walking. The area was declared a nature reserve in 1939 to protect its queñoa trees, then being cut for charcoal for Bolivian mines. The forests on the slope are regarded as some of the highest in the world. The park joined UNESCO's tentative list on 1 July 2003. About 300 families live in the area, herding llamas and alpacas and spinning yarn, and traditional round houses can still be found. You see the white cone of Sajama above golden plains, and the park also includes the Payachata volcanic group. An hour's walk from Sajama village are hot springs and geysers with rising steam, and wetlands around them where llamas graze. The 2026 census registered 1,689 vicuñas. Birds include condors, flamingos and rheas. The village has an old stone church, seen from outside. The park is 187.3 km in a straight line west of Oruro and 197.4 km south-west of La Paz. The altitude is a real danger, so acclimatise first and go down if a headache worsens. The mean temperature is 3.4 °C and it can fall to -12.9 °C, so bring very warm clothes. British advice mentions a state of emergency and road blockades in the country, so check your government's advice and never try to cross a roadblock.