Sajama rises alone from the Altiplano, a perfect volcanic cone of 6,542 metres, the highest peak in Bolivia, and the national park that surrounds it, created in 1939, was the first in the country. The mountain stands in the west, near the border with Chile, in a flat, high, windswept country of yellow grass, with twin snowy peaks of Parinacota and Pomerape, on the Chilean side, standing as neighbours. Seen from the road in the clear, thin light, it seems close enough to touch and takes hours to reach.
The land around lies at about four thousand metres, and the altitude affects everything, so spend time acclimatising in La Paz and take it slowly. Nights are very cold, and daytime sun is fierce, with strong ultraviolet and a drying wind. The park is home to vicuñas, the wild relatives of the llama, whose fine wool is among the most valuable in the world, along with rheas, Andean foxes, viscachas and flamingos on the lakes. On the slopes of the volcano grows the queñua forest, one of the highest forests in the world, with twisted trees at over four thousand metres and above.
The village of Sajama is a small cluster of adobe houses, with a church from the colonial era and a number of chullpas, ancient burial towers, standing on the plain. Close by, hot springs bubble at Manasaya and the geyser field at Sajama, a warm bath in the cold dry air after a long ride. Along the way, the church at Curahuara de Carangas, with its painted interior of the seventeenth century, is known as the Sistine Chapel of the Altiplano and is well worth a stop.
The road from La Paz, about two hundred and eighty kilometres, runs across the flat Altiplano, much of it paved, with long straight sections, and a final stretch that may be rough. Wind is constant and can be bitter, and bikes are pushed around. The air is thin and engines lose power, so jetting and fuelling need attention.
Simple lodgings and a campsite serve visitors, and the stars at night are astonishing, in a dark sky with the Milky Way blazing. Pack a thick sleeping bag and a flask.