Refuge Santos (Bolivia)

As well as being a wonderful place for exploring new landscapes and testing your limits, the Cordillera Real mountains offer the chance to meet with local people. This mountain range is actually home to indigenous Aymaras, and it's possible for tourists visiting and exploring this section of the Andes to stay the night with them.

Located at the heart of the wonderful Chiqapa Jawira valley,  Refugio Santos is a mountain refuge constructed entirely out of stone by the people in Uma Palca community. This "Qala Uta" ("stone house" in the Aymara language) is the perfect place to stop, rest and relax when trekking in the Cordillera Real mountains. When we visited, we got the chance to do some mountaineering and managed to get to the Laguna Tres Picos lake, which is a few hours' walk from the refuge.

Refugio Santos is the ideal place to go to if you want to meet the local inhabitants and learn more about the indigenous people living in the Andes. Please note that some of the local people only speak Aymara; your guide will be able to act as an interpreter if you wish to communicate with them.