UKC

Hi there,

Wondering if there is some experience on this forum relating to this.

Going on a solo trip to the above places in a couple of months, don't really have any other plans apart from to climb rocks and maybe Scuba. I am already planned to go to Hatun Machay in the Peruvian Andes and have found vague information on other places in those countries but wondered if anyone has any experience of good destinations or guide companies? I'll be taking harness and shoes.

Many thanks
Ben

In reply to Benclark1989:

I've climbed in Colombia but not the others - would recommend making the trip to Mojarra and staying at the Refugio la roca, I can pass on details if need be. Absolutely loads and loads of beautiful sport climbing on compact red sandstone facing into a valley (a bit like waterval boven in SA), a climbers' lodge at the top of the cliff run by really friendly people who make great food. You should be able to hire ropes QDs and a guide, I would have thought, and it's really cheap.

If you're doing Colombia I'd also massively recommend the El Cocuy national park and can recommend a good guide - the only climbing up there is mountaineering / trad, so far as I'm aware, but it is one of the most stunning places I've ever been.

Enjoy the trip!

In reply to andyfallsoff:

Cheers Andy, sent you a PM.

Thanks

In reply to Benclark1989:

Speak any German?

https://zweiueberstockundstei.wordpress.com/category/sudamerika/page/4/

I can give you their email address is you like. I get the feeling that the main event in terms of sport climbing in Peru is certainly Hatun Machay although there's some climbing around Cusco as well. If you go during peak season I doubt you'd need a guide as there would hopefully be others going you could tag along with (it would probably help if you're pretty good). Gear is easy to hire although not super cheap. We got very conflicting reports about whether it was possible to hire gear at the refugio. Eventually we decided not to bother but those Germans seemed to enjoy themselves.

I would say that I expected to climb a lot more on our recent south America trip but actually there is so much other great stuff to do that in the end we got very little done. The most fun climbingwise was in meeting some of the local climbing community (in Chile and Argentina), it helps if you speak some Spanish though. These Ecuadorians guides are all great fun (we met them on this expedition):

http://www.ecuadorescala.com/#!Expedici%C3%B3n-Cerro-San-Lorenzo-2016/cf15/...

I'm sure they'd take you out climbing or give you info on climbing in Ecuador. They didn't seem that complimentary of the climbing there though. I think their English is ok.

In reply to Benclark1989:

I live in Peru now. Climbing friends talk about Huayllay for sport climbing but I'm yet to get there, might be worth researching. There are bouldering mats you can borrow at hatun machay. In Colombia, I had a fun time bouldering at Suesca which is a few hours away from Bogota. I didn't see any decent rock where I travelled in Ecuador or Costa Rica.

In reply to andyfallsoff:
I can recommend La Mojarra in Colombia as well. Not only the rock is fantastic also the nature around and the people there.