Illimani

Illimani, Bolivia's second tallest peak, rises to a height of 21,122 feet (6,438 meters). The mountain lies in the La Paz Department, and its parent range, like Illampu and Ancohuma, is the Cordillera Real. The peak is visible from the cities of La Paz and El Alto, which serve as the headquarters of the Bolivian government. The mountain contains four main summits, the tallest of which is Nevado Illimani, the south summit, which is a renowned mountain climbing destination. At 4,570 meters (15,000 feet) above sea level, the snow line is reached, and glaciers can be observed on the northern slope at 4,983 meters (16,350 ft).

In 1898, Englishman William Martin Conway and Swiss-Italians Antoine Maquignaz and Louis Pellissier made the first known ascent of the mountain. Eastern Air Lines Flight 980 crashed into the mountain on January 1, 1985, killing all 29 people on board. Illimani is mostly made up of granodiorite, which was intruded into the sedimentary rock that makes up the Cordillera Real during the Cenozoic epoch.

Illimani is a notable landmark in El Alto and La Paz, and can be seen from both cities. Many local songs have been written about the mountain, the most famous of which is "Illimani," which contains the refrain "Illimani, Illimani, centinela t eres de La Paz! Illimani, Illimani, perla andina eres de Bolivia!" ("Illimani, Illimani, you are the sentinel of La Paz! Illimani, Illimani, you are Bolivia's andean pearl!")

Location: Bolivia

Range: Cordillera Real

Elevation: 6438 m | 21122 ft