Parinacota, Dormant stratovolcano in Oruro Province, Bolivia

Parinacota is a dormant stratovolcano in Oruro Province, Bolivia, standing at 6,380 meters in elevation. The mountain displays a symmetrical cone shape with a crater spanning roughly 1 kilometer across at its summit.

Parinacota began growing during the Pleistocene, building a large cone. At some point between the Pleistocene and the Holocene, its western flank collapsed, sending a giant landslide west that dammed a pre-existing drainage and impounded or enlarged Lake Chungará. Later eruptions rebuilt the cone, erasing the collapse scar. Its first ascent was on 12 December 1928 by Bolivian Carlos Terán and Austrian Joseph Prem.

Parinacota and its neighbour Pomerape are called the Nevados de Payachata, "the twins", because the two cones resemble each other. The Aymara name pairs parina, flamingo, with quta, lake. Aymara legends of an eruption imply that local people may have witnessed the volcano's last activity about 200 years ago.

The mountain can be climbed with local guides from Sajama village, with multi-day climbing expeditions available. The best climbing season is during the drier months when weather conditions are more stable.

Three parasitic cones called Ajata dot the southern slopes and produced distinct lava flows across the landscape. These smaller volcanic features reveal a more complex volcanic story than the main cone alone suggests.