Huaraz and the mountains in eight days

One base, higher and higher outings

You always sleep in Huaraz, at about 3,050 m, and go up on day trips. Above 3,000 metres, the CDC recommends not increasing your sleeping altitude quickly: here, it does not change, and it is the outings that climb, stage by stage. This progression helps; it guarantees nothing. Physical fitness does not protect you from altitude sickness, and each outing is decided the day before. See altitude.

The outings, with their figures

The road distances come from the OpenStreetMap calculation; the tracks to Llanganuco, Pitec and Cebollapampa are slow, and the time in the vehicle often exceeds the walking time. The starting altitudes come from OpenStreetMap and the SRTM terrain model, and the elevation gains are derived from them: these are orders of magnitude, to be confirmed by your guide.

Day by day

Day 1. The daytime bus leaves Lima in the morning, follows the coast, then climbs to the high plateaus before going down into the Callejón de Huaylas: 8 to 9 hr for most services, with daytime departures from 7:00 and night departures until around 23:40. You arrive at the end of the day; a light dinner, an early night. The flight to Anta shortens the day: LATAM flights between Lima and Huaraz airport, at Anta, some forty minutes’ drive from the town.

Day 2. No effort at altitude. In the morning, the Áncash archaeological museum, opposite the Plaza de Armas, and its park of monoliths from the Recuay culture. Then Wilcahuaín, a stone complex from the Wari period, a few kilometres away. In the afternoon, the Monterrey baths.

Day 3. The road goes up the valley to Yungay, a town destroyed by the 1970 earthquake and avalanche, then climbs to the Llanganuco lakes, between Huascarán and Huandoy. You walk little; you look.

Day 4. Chavín de Huántar, on the other side of the Cordillera Blanca: a great religious centre from almost three thousand years ago, its dark galleries, the Lanzón in its original place, the tenon heads at the national museum in the village. The road crosses a high pass, but the site is lower than Huaraz: a good transition day.

Day 5. Laguna Churup is the real rehearsal: a short road, then a steep climb of about 600 metres. If it goes well, Laguna 69 can be considered the next day; otherwise, swap it with the spare day.

Day 6. Laguna 69, a turquoise lake at the foot of Chacraraju: departure before dawn, road to Cebollapampa, about three hours of climbing, the descent, then the road. A whole day in the mountains, from dawn to evening.

Day 7. A spare day. Laguna 69 postponed if the weather prevented it, rest if tiredness sets in, or Pastoruri, a glacier south of Huaraz, at around 5,000 metres, if all is well: the walk is short but very high. The glacier is retreating fast: it has lost a large part of its surface area in three decades.

Day 8. The daytime bus to Lima, or the flight from Anta.

If the weather or the altitude decide otherwise

Choosing the guide, packing your bag

• The guide: an operator authorised by SERNANP (compulsory for Laguna 69), who states the departure time, the road time and the walking time separately, the size of the group, and what they do if someone feels unwell (accompanied descent, first-aid kit). They must accept that you turn back along the way.
• The bag: warm layers and a windproof jacket, gloves and a hat, rain protection, a sun hat and sun cream, two litres of water, snacks, a head torch, walking shoes you have already worn in. The morning is freezing, the sun burns at midday.
• Insurance: check that it covers high-altitude hiking and mountain rescue.

Budget: the items to add up

Variant with a base in Caraz

Caraz, at about 2,260 m, is lower than Huaraz and closer to Cebollapampa and Laguna Parón: you sleep better there, and you save road time for the two biggest outings.

Variant around the Santa Cruz trek

The trek is built into the middle of the stay: acclimatisation first, the trek next, the buffer last.

Ask for the hours of walking per day, the elevation gains, the campsites and the evacuation plan. See hiking.