Nevado Sajama in the context of Polylepis tarapacana

The Cordillera Occidental or Western Cordillera of Bolivia is part of the Andes (that is also part of the American Cordillera), a mountain range characterized by volcanic activity, making up the natural border with Chile and starting in the north with Juqhuri and ending in the south at the Licancabur volcano, which is on the southern limit of Bolivia with Chile. The border goes through the innominated point located at two-thirds of elevation of Licancabur's northeastern slope at the southwesternmost point of Bolivia at 22° 49' 41" south and 67° 52' 35" west. The climate of the region is cold and inadequate for animal and plant life. Its main feature is its ground, in which are large quantities of metallic minerals including gold, silver, copper, and others. The range consists of three sections:

• The northern section, in which you can find the highest peaks in Bolivia, tallest of which is the volcano Sajama at 6,542 meters. Sajama is perennially covered in snow. It contains the volcanoes Pomerape and Parinacota (called Payachata collectively), the latter being a dormant volcano with a cone of snow similar to Mount Fuji in Japan.
• The central section, situated between Uyuni and Coipasa. Its most prominent summit is the Ollagüe (Ullawi) volcano on the border with Chile.
• The southern section, characterized by volcanic activity and by having sandstorms and fog, taking into account Licancabur, which is 5,920 meters high (but only two-thirds of the northeastern slope of the volcano belong to Bolivia up to 5415 meters). The lakes Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde can be found on Licancabur, so named because of their respective colors.

Illimani (Aymara and Spanish pronunciation: [iʎiˈmani]) is a prominent fold mountain within the Cordillera Real of Bolivia, a subrange of the greater Andes, and located approximately 82 kilometres (51 mi) southeast of La Paz. With an elevation of 6,438 metres (21,120 ft) at its summit, it is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real and the second-highest in Bolivia, surpassed by Nevado Sajama.

The mountain lies in the transitional zone between the high Altiplano plateau to the west and the deep valleys of the Yungas region to the east. Its snow-capped massif consists of four major peaks arranged on a north–south axis. Its composition is of made of metamorphic rock and intrusive granites. Its formation results from the ancient folding associated with the Andean orogeny, as with the majority of the neighboring mountains in the cordillera. The snow line lies at about 4,570 metres (15,000 ft) above sea level, and glaciers are found on the northern face at 4,982 metres (16,350 ft).