The Choro Trek 2: Sandillani to Coroico

The third day of our trip we woke up around 6:30, and left Sandillani as soon as we could. This was the last day of the Choro Trek, but even though we were only going downhill this was almost worse than going up the montainside the previous day. After two days with around 12 hours of walking down the Inca Trail my muscles were sore, and going downhill wasn't exactly a pleasure. Luckily I only had one blister, so that part weren't too bad though.

As with the other days we had some great views, as you can see in the picture below:

Morning on the inca trail

 Though originally our guide Andres (aka Tarzan) had planned for us to use around 3 hours to get to Chairo. he seemed to have changed his mind cause he speeded up to the point it was hard to follow. But still we did have some time for breaks on the way to enjoy the scenery and to stop and look for monkeys in the woods. Unfortunately we didn't see any monkeys on our way, but here are some wild horses we passed by:

Some times you come across some random wild horses walking by themselves down the inca trail.

 Thanks to our last struggles we arrived in Chairo a lot earlier than we had though we would, and here we had breakfast in the local food store. From Chairo we were going by car to Coroico, and in the end we found out that the easiest and cheapest option was to call Andres' lady Carla, who runs Carla's Garden Pub in Coroico and make her pick us up.

Finally in Chairo!! You bet I was glad the walking was over.. Haha:)

While waiting for Carla Andres took us down to the river, where there also is a butterfly conservatory. Unfortunately the conservatory wasn't open, but at least we got the chance to chill out and take a bath in the river..! A bit cold perhaps, but really refreshing! ..The only thing that wasn't too good, was counting my mosquito-bites from the trip just to discover that I had more or less 40 of them on my left leg alone..
Anyway, Carla arrived to pick us up after an hour, and we could continue our trip to Coroico in more comfortable manners.

Our first view of Coroico from the car

Though Coroico is a small city, almost more like a village, it is considered the capital of the North-Yungas. It is situated up in the hillside, and from the city you have a stunning view of the surrounding valleys. When you arrive in the city you'll see a sign that says "welcome to heaven", and they aren't lying, the place is beautiful. And the air is so fresh here too, not like the dirty air in La Paz :p..

View from one of the small streets going down from the main plaza in Coroico

We were heading for Carla's bar; the Carla's Garden Pub, which was situated up one of the small street going up from the bus station to Coroico's main plaza. Here we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening, and thanks to Carla and Andres' kindness we were going to spend the night here as well. Normally the pub isn't open on Sundays, so we were really lucky! And since the place was open only to us, we really got to relax and enjoy the drinks, the food and the beautiful garden to the fullest.

The sign at the enterance to the garden pub.

Andres ready to serve a cold beer or perhaps a fancy drink:)

Our host Carla by the entrance to the pub to the left, and not to mention the garden & view!

Cheers!

 After all the walking it was really great to sit down and have a cold class of beer. The weather was great, and so was the surroundings. In the garden we could see hummingbirds in the daytime, and fireflies in the evening!

Asger got to test out the hammock. Just have to say that Dorte and Asger are such a cute couple:)

In the evening the weather shifted suddently, and it was rainy and stormy. Still, we had a good time, and for dinner Andres showed off with his cooking skills, and I must say I was impressed. It was really great!! (They can also throw birthday-parties etc at Carla's Garden Pub, and if you have the chance this is something you shouldn't miss, so don't hesitate to ask them about it!). Unfortunately he didn't want to share any of his recipes with us though, I would have loved that.. Haha.. :p

Both the drinks and the food was really great. Who would have thougt that Andres is such a good cook?!

The pub by night

The pub by day

Coroico bus station

We originally planned to stay a day extra in Coroico, but there were almost no clean clothes left, and Dortes had some nasty blisters that made it really painfull for her to walk. Besides, or plan for the day had been to hang out by the pool of one of the hotels in town, but it was cloudy and cold. So in the end we decided that we might as well go home earlier. Just down the street from Carla's Garden Pub there is a bus station where the busses leaves more or less every hour. We payed 25 Bolivianos for a ticket to La Paz with one of the more comfortable vans and one Boliviano as a fee for using the station. But because of our luggage they also made us pay for an extra seet to put our luggage on.. Hrmf..
Anyway, the trip back took us about 2 1/2 hours, and we had great views most of the way!

The Choro Trek and the time we spent in Coroico was really great. If I have the chance to come back and spend a day in Coroico when the weather is better I definately will.!

All Blogposts from Bolivia
The Choro Trek 1: La Cumbre to Sandillani

About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.