Huayhuash Trek

The Huayhuash Trek is considered one of the most beautiful hikes in the whole world and the ones who do it say it’s the highlight of Peru ahead of Machu Picchu! From the world famous Tres Lagunas and the 360° panoramas of Siula Pass, to the snow-capped peaks and glaciers of Trapecio, the marvel of San Antonio Hill and the Yaucha Pass’ display of peaks lined up next to each other, this trek will never stop to amaze you!

The mountain range is 30 km long and includes seven peaks over 6,000 m, including Yerupajá which, at 6,617 m (21,709 ft), is the second highest peak in Peru. Another notable peak, Siula (6,344 m) was made famous by mountaineer Joe Simpson in his book Touching the Void.

In this spellbinding 8-day adventure, you’ll circle around Cordillera Huayhuash to get stunning views from all sides of the mountain range!

DAY 1 - Huaraz – Cuartelhuain – Mitucocha

We pick you up at 5 AM at your hotel in Huaraz and take you past beautiful scenery until we reach Chiquian at 3,400 m, where you can stock up on snacks. A few hours later our bus will arrive in Cuartelhuain (4,180 m).

Here we start a climb up to Cacananpunta Pass (4,700 m), where we can eat some snacks and take our pictures with gorgeous views of valleys, hills and snow-capped peaks. We then descend to have our brought box lunch on the peaceful trail which leads us to our first camp. We pass by vast, open landscapes until we reach camp Mitucocha where we have dinner and spend the night.

You have the option to take the 45 minute hike to Lake Mitucocha and enjoy the serene lagoon with the cows surrounding it if you’re not too tired after all the travel and hiking!

Meals: Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 520 m
Distance: ~4 hours bus, ~5-6 hours walk

DAY 2 - Mitucocha – Carhuac Viewpoint – Carhuacocha

The second day offers easy terrain to reach Carhuac Viewpoint at (4,650m). From this pass we’ll enjoy breath-taking views of the highest peaks of Huayhuash, such as Yerupaja (6,617m) and the famous Siula Grande (6,344m).

After this almost spiritual experience, we start descending until we get to Lake Carhuacocha, which is a truly gorgeous campsite with astonishing mountain views behind the lake giving it stunning reflections to enjoy while have our meals and enjoy the rest of the day at camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 420 m
Distance: ~5-6 hours

DAY 3 - Carhuacocha – Tres Lagunas – Siula Pass – Camp Huayhuash

We start our most spectacular day of the trek enjoying the sunrise, as the lake reflects the mountains’ images, before we make our way to the 3 Lagoons. We’ll walk along these lagoons and a picturesque turquoise river leading us to the most famous of viewpoints!

After we’ve had our famous postcard pictures taken in front of the triplet lagoons, we continue uphill towards the panoramic marvel of Siula Pass, where you’ll feel obliged to take many more photos! We feast on our lunch at the pass before we head downhill until we reach Camp Huayhuash (4,330 m).

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 690 m
Distance: ~7-8 hours

DAY 4 - Huayhuash – Trapecio Pass – Elephant Camp

After breakfast we ascend from camp towards the spectacular pass of Trapecio, where we’ll find glaciers and snow-capped peaks lined up in a row fighting for our attention. We spend some time here enjoying the incredible views of the spectacular mountain range, and a short glacier walk if we feel like it.

Once we are content, we descend a couple of hours through rocky valleys to reach Lake Cuyoc and finally the ‘Elephant Camp’ where we enjoy our meals and rest in the huge valley surrounding us.

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 650 m
Distance: ~6-7 hours

Day 5 - Elephant Camp – San Antonio Hill – Huayllapa Village

After breakfast, we start our 1.5-hour hike uphill to San Antonio, where we’re greeted by one of the best views of the cordillera Huayhuash and several lagoons! Having enjoyed several viewpoints at the top, we then descend the same trail to return to Huanacpatay Valley, where our hike is more flat and less challenging.

We descend impressive waterfalls, as flora and fauna we couldn’t expect on previous days tingle each of our senses. The birds twitter and the butterflies greet us as we’re reaching greener pastures on our way to Huayllapa village.

Here you can stock up on things such as drinks, batteries, toilet paper etc. From this village we walk up a narrow valley until reach the grass valley of Hepatica, where our next camp is located!

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 500 m
Distance: ~8-9 hours

Day 6 - Huayllapa – Tapush Pass – Gaspa Camp

Once we’ve enjoyed our delicious breakfast, we make way from camp as the sun rises between the hills. We enjoy sights such as Mount Diablo Mudo and Lake Susucocha on our way to the beautiful Tapush Pass.

After having a rest at the top, feasting on our snacks, we enjoy every breath we take as stroll down the valley past lagoons mirroring the peaks making picturesque paintings of our surroundings. We reach camp where the silence is serene and we can meditate or read in between meals and prepare ourselves for the spectacular Day 7!

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 450 m
Distance: ~6-7 hours

Day 7 - Gaspa Camp – Yaucha Pass – Jahuacocha

Day 7 includes what for some are known as the best views of the entire marvelous trek! We munch our breakfast and head towards Yaucha Pass early in the morning, seeing the first rays of the sun illuminate the hills we climb on our slow but safe uphill ascent.

Once we reach the pass we can enjoy the most spectacular mountain views of the majestic Yerupajá and its neighboring peaks all lining up for a panoramic wonder of nature. We have high probabilities of also encountering condors who like to inhabit the valleys that we pass.

We continue by walking on top of a steep hill, parallel to the the spectacular wonders on display until we reach Lake Jahuacocha and Jirishanca mountain. Here we have another break seeing the mountain range from another stunning viewpoint. After having ingested some more snacks, we take the steep and challenging descent down to the valley until we reach the idyllic Jahuacocha Camp.

Here we enjoy our well-deserved lunch before spending the full afternoon with the stunning views and short hikes around Lake Jahuacocha. We can also take a refreshing plunge to energize ourselves or relax by helping our chef catch fish that they’ll later cook.

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks, Lunch, Tea, Dinner
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 380 m
Distance: ~6 hours

Day 8 - Jahuacocha – Llamac Pass – Huaraz

Our last day of our unforgettable adventure, we walk through the valley until we reach an uphill climb over hills towards Llamac Pass at 4,300 m, where we take a rest for taking our last pictures and enjoying our last snacks.

After the break before start descending on the slope trail until we return to civilization and Llamac Village, where our private transport is waiting for us to safely drive us back to Huaraz once again. Soaring like condors high in spirit, we are changed forever.

Meals: Breakfast, Snacks
Accommodation: Large Tent (4) for every 2 people
Altitude Climb: 250 m
Distance: ~4 hours walk, ~4 hours bus

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