Huayhuash Circuit

If you’re flying into Lima today you will be met at the airport and transferred to the group hotel, where the remainder of the day is free at leisure for you to rest or start exploring. We plan to have a group briefing before dinner, however this will be subject to all group members arriving during the day – otherwise we will have the briefing tomorrow. Our hotel is in the Miraflores area, home to some of Lima’s best galleries, restaurants and shops. Steeped in fascinating history, Lima is South America’s oldest capital. It was in 1535 that the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro overthrew the Inca Empire and moved the capital from Cusco, establishing the new city of Lima. Peru’s busy capital is now a sprawling metropolis that’s blessed with world-class restaurants, brilliant museums and galleries, and a superb combination of Spanish colonial and 19th century European architecture. If you have time to visit a museum we would recommend the Museo de La Nacion or the Larco Herrera Museum. Overnight in Lima.

Today we travel to Huaraz, our gateway to the stunning Cordillera Blanca. It’s a long day’s journey but we’ll be treated to some incredible scenery along the way. Groups operating with 10 or more people will have private transport. For smaller groups, we will travel with our guide on a comfortable tourist class air-conditioned coach which provides restrooms, reclining seats and touch screens.

We now have two days in Huaraz to explore this stunning region with some day walks—and at an elevation of 3,052 m (10,013 ft), our time spent in Huaraz is crucial to our safe acclimatisation. Huaraz is a scenic town set at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca with views directly up to the highest peak in Peru, Huascaran (6,768 m / 22,205 ft). There is a range of different walking excursions we can make from our base here for a couple of days, and these hikes will be invaluable acclimatisation for our trekking program ahead. As the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca, Huaraz is a bustling tourism hub and also serves as a pick up point for our crew and all supplies and equipment for the trek. On Day 3, we enjoy a 4hr loop walk on the Cordillera Negra to Laguna Wilcacocha (3,714m / 12,185ft). It is one of the simplest hikes to do, given its closeness to Huaraz, with some fantastic views over the impressive peaks of the Cordillera Blanca range. On Day 4, we make a day trip to Laguna Churup (4,485 m / 14,715 ft), a beautiful glacial lake set at the base of Nevado Churup (5,493 m / 18,022 ft). This is one of the most popular day treks in the Cordillera Blanca and takes around 4–5 hours to complete. Today’s trek is an excellent training and acclimatisation hike for our upcoming Huayhuash Circuit, and our efforts will be justly rewarded when we arrive at this stunning turquoise glacial lake. Overnight in Huaraz.

Today we head south of Huaraz to our first campsite Matacancha (4,198 m / 13,730 ft). Today we get our first glimpses of the range, and we’ll pass Conococha Lake, the village of Chiquián and our trek finishing point at Llamac. After around 6 hours of driving, we’ll arrive at our first night’s camp at Matacancha, where our “arrieros” (muleteers) and “burros” (donkeys) will be waiting. Overnight at campsite.

Trekking to our first pass and crossing the divide to the east, we gain our first serious views of the mountains. Zigzagging steadily upwards over rocky and loose terrain above our previous night’s camp, the trail then becomes steep in a final hill across to the Cacanampunta Pass (4,684 m / 15,420 ft). From here we descend briefly before contouring the hillside to find the mountains at the north end of the Huayhuash opening out before us: Ninashanca (5607 m / 18,396 ft), Rondoy (5879 m / 19,288 ft), Jirishanca (6,094 m / 19,993 ft) and Jirishanca Chico (5445 m / 17,864 ft) among them. Our path descends to the village of Janca (4,244 m / 13,923 ft), where we'll find our camp by the river, surrounded by mountain vistas. In the afternoon there is an optional hike to Mitucocha Lake.Overnight at campsite.

Today we trek for around 6 hours, making our way to Lake Carhuacocha (4,180 m / 13,914 ft). After trekking south for 3-4 hours, steadily gaining altitude, we reach the Carhuac Pass (4,633 m / 15,256 ft). The trail then drops steeply for the next hour, passing a couple of dwellings at Yanayana and then a small lake, before the one-kilometre-long emerald green Laguna Carhuacocha comes into view. If we’re lucky we may see the Andean geese that are often spotted on the lake. Tonight’s camp is set above the lake, beneath the eastern flanks of Yerupaja Chico and Yerupaja, the latter being the centrepiece of the massif and the second highest mountain in Peru, after Huascaran (6,768 m / 22,205 ft). Yerupaja is the highest point of the vast Amazon basin watershed that feeds into the Rio Marañón, a principal tributary of the Amazon.Overnight at campsite.

Photographers are advised to wake up before dawn this morning to watch the sunrise over the Lake and Peaks from our campsite. The sun’s first rays catching the peak of Mt Yerupaja (6,634 m / 21,765 ft) certainly make the effort more than worthwhile. Today is a long gradual climb up a beautiful valley surrounded by the splendor of Yerupaja, Yerupaja Chico, Siula Grande, Jirishanca, Santa Rosa and Carnicero and past the lakes Gangrajanca, Siula and Quesillacocha. Then we climb steeply to the top of the rocky Siula Pass (4836m / 15,866 ft). Descend to Huayhuash Campsite (4,353 m / 14,281 ft) surrounded by other mountains such as Trapecio and the three Jurau’s peaks. Overnight at campsite.

We begin our day ascending towards the Portachuelo de Huayhuash Pass sitting at 4,750 (15,583 ft). We will be surrounded by remarkable views of the Cordillera Huayhuash's snowcapped Trapecio and Puscanturpa glacial peaks as well as the snow-capped peak, León Huacanan sitting at 5,427m (17,805 ft) in the Cordillera Raura. We will begin our descent down the massive Viconga lagoon which is towered over by the glacial peaks of the Cordillera Raura. We will make our way to the Coñuc thermal springs 4,367m (14,327 ft) where we’ll spend the rest of our day relaxing in either of the two hot springs much needed after several days of trekking.Overnight at campsite.

We commence the day with a 3 hour steady uphill walk to our second highest pass of the trek, Cuyoc, 5047m(16558 ft). Here we are welcomed with stunning southwest panoramic view of the Cordillera Huayhuash. The views are breathtaking; to the southeast we’ll see the Cordillera Raura’s 5,000 meter jagged peaks, and to our north we’ll see the giants of the Huayhuash mountain range. After the pass, our trek gets easier with a steep 50 meter descent into the wide valley of the Quebrada Huanacpatay. Upon reaching the valley, we will continue on to our camp at Pampa Cuyoc, 4,530m (14,862ft). Overnight at campsite.

Today we cross the highest pass of our trek, the Santa Rosa Pass (5,078 m / 16,660 ft). We begin with a 3 hour ascent to the pass, where we’ll have views of three glacial lakes: Siula, Sarapo and Jurau. From the pass we begin our descent into the Jurau Valley, making our way to our camp at Cutatambo (4288 m / 14,068 ft), passing the beautiful lakes we saw this morning from afar. Overnight at campsite.

Today we’ll be using our camp at Cutatambo as a base while we pack a picnic lunch and head out on a day trek to the summit of Cerro Bella Vista (5,150 m / 16,896 ft). Today’s excursion offers what are arguably some of the best views in all of Peru! After a fulfilling day in the mountains we descend back to our camp at Cutatambo for the night.Overnight at campsite.

This morning we take a half-day to descend the Jurau Valley at a leisurely pace, following the river to the pretty farmlands of Huayllapa (3,596 m / 11,79 ft). We have lunch just outside the village, then start climbing up the valley for another three hours to our beautiful camp at Huatiac (4293 m / 14,084 ft). From tonight’s scenic campsite we’ll have excellent views of the peaks of Diablo Mudo (5,223 m / 17,136 ft). Overnight at campsite.

Leaving camp, we trek northwards and wind our way up and over a lesser-defined trail to the plateau. After around three hours we cross the Tapush Punta Pass (4,790 m / 15,715 ft), continuing on past a small glacial lake and several alpine meadows as we make our way to our next campsite, a couple of hours away. Camp in Gashpapampa (4,556 m / 14,947 ft). Overnight at campsite.

We start today with a 2,5 hour ascent to our last mountain pass of the trek, Yaucha pass (4,848 m / 15,905 ft), followed by an easy descent to Jahuacocha Lake (4,076 m / 13,372 ft), our camp for the next two days. If this circuit trek had a highlight it would most likely be the views from this camp, truly encapsulating the wild beauty of the Huayhuash range. There is a small community living nearby that can often be seen fishing for trout in the pristine lake in their spare time. Overnight at campsite.

Today we have a rest day in our stunning camp at Jahuacocha. In the morning we’ll take a hike up to Solteracocha Lake where we’ll have really close views of the main glaciers of the Huayhuash range. In the afternoon we will try the famous ‘Pachamanca’—a traditional Peruvian BBQ feast of meat and vegetables cooked in the ground using hot stones.Overnight at campsite.

On the last day of our trek we see distinct changes in climate and flora as we descend through farmland to the warm, desert environment that we originally set out from. We follow a canal for 4 hours to our lunch stop, and then descend steeply for two hours to the small village of Llamac (3,320 m / 10,892 ft). We will met here and driven to Chiquian town. Overnight at local hotel in Chiquian.

Today we make our way by private vehicle south to Lima. A full day’s driving of around 8 hours. Overnight in Lima.

After breakfast, our trip concludes. If you are flying home today, you will be transferred to the airport in time for your departure.