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12-day Cordillera Huayhuash trek

12-day Cordillera Huayhuash trek
Cordillera Huayhuash trek
Cordillera Huayhuash trek
Cordillera Huayhuash trek
Cordillera Huayhuash trek

Join Hisao, a local mountain guide, on this 12-day Cordillera Huayhuash trek. And experience an intense adventure in the Peruvian Andes.

Andes

12 Days

Mar - Nov

High

Intermediate


Description

This 12-day Cordillera Huayhuash trek is the short way to go through a magnificent area of the Peruvian Andes.

This program is basically a shorter version of my classic 15-day hike through this area and it’s essentially the same route, but without visiting the Siula Grande Base Camp.

So, during this 12-day program you’ll enjoy the breathtaking views of this unique mountain range. We’ll be surrounded by rugged snow capped peaks, pristine white glaciers and deep blue lakes and lagoons.

And although it’s not a technical hike, you’ll need to be in a good physical condition because we’ll walk from 6 to 8 hours every day. And the whole route is over 4000 meters for which you’ll need to have a good acclimatization.

But the effort will pay off every day! The Cordillera Huayhuash is one of the most impressive mountain ranges in South America. 

Plus you’ll enjoy some of the spectacular features that this place have to offer. Like the trout fishing at Laguna Jahuacocha, the spotting of large herds of Llamas and Alpacas near lake Viconga or even the relaxing natural hot springs near on of our campsites. This adventure will be an amazing experience!

So send me a request now and we’ll start organizing this 12-day Cordillera Huayhuash trek for you!

Price includes

  • Guiding fee

Itinerary

Day 1: Huaraz -Chiquián - Llamac

Drive from Huaraz to the village of Llamac to set up camp (3300 m). 4 to 5 hours drive.

Day 2: Llamac - Quartelhuain

We’ll follow the river Llamac, hiking gradually up the valley to camp in open grassy countryside at Quartelhuain (4200 m). 6 hours hike.

Day 3: Quartelhuain - Cacanan Punta pass - Laguna Mitucocha

We’ll cross our first pass, Punta Cacanan (4700 m) and then descend to the camp at a large lake Laguna Mitucocha (4220 m). 6 hours hike.

Day 4: Laguna Miticucha - Punta Carhuac pass - Laguna Carhuacocha

We’ll climb steadily to our next pass, Punta Carhuac (4650 m), to camp at the trout filled Laguna Carhuacocha (4150 m) 6 hours.

Day 5: Rest day at Laguna Carhuacocha

We’ll spend an extra day at the spectacular Laguna Carhuacocha. Hike up to visit the three lakes of Siula, take an easy walk around Carhuacocha lake, go trout fishing or have a rest day and enjoy the surroundings.

Day 6: Laguna Carhuacocha - Laguna Carnicero

There are 2 options: A gradual ascent on a good path to cross Pass Carnicero (4600 m), which takes around 5 or 6 hours. Or a more demanding alternative Siula Pass (4800 m), which is a 6 to 7 hours hike. We’ll camp by the small Laguna Carnicero (4300 m).

Day 7: Laguna Carnicero - Viconga camp

We’ll go through the small settlement of Huayhuash, where a few farming families live, and then climb to yet another pass Portachuelo de Huayhuash (4750 m). We’ll descend past the large lake Viconga where we often see large herds of Llama and Alpaca to camp at (4480 m).

Day 8: Viconga camp - Punta Cuyoc - Quebrada Huanacpatay Valley

By now you should be well acclimatised and ready to cross our highest pass: Punta Cuyoc (5000 m). The descent is initially steep but then it becomes easier and we’ll arrive to our camp in the large and open Huanacpatay valley (4300 m). 6 hours hiek.

Day 9: Quebrada Huanacpatay Valley - Huayllapa Village - Huatiac camp

We’ll go down down the valley Qto the large mountain village of Huallapa. In the afternoon we’ll climb through a steep valley to a high camp in the pasture at Huatiac (4350 m). 6 hours hike.

Day 10: Huatiac camp - Tapush & Yaucha pass - Laguna Jahuacocha

We’ll cross two passes, Punta Tapush (4750 m) and Punta Yaucha (4800 m) and then descend to our camp at the beautiful Laguna Jahuacocha (4150 m). 8 hours hike.

Day 11: Rest day at Laguna Jahuacocha

An extra day at Laguna Jahuacocha which must be one of the most beautiful sites in the Huayhuash. Climb up Cerro Amarrillo Peak (5000 m), visit Soltera Cocha Lake, hike up the pass Sambunya (4750 m) or take a rest and try trout fishing.

Day 12: Laguna Jahuacocha - Llamac pass - Llamac - Huaraz

The final pass Pampa Llamac (4300 m) and a long descent to Llamac. 5½ hours. Return to Huaraz in our private van.

 

Details

More info

Note: If you do not wish to hike from Llamac to Quartelhuain, you can choose to drive direct from Huaraz to Quartelhuain and camp there the first night. You MUST however have at least three days in Huaraz doing day hikes for acclimatisation for this option.

Meeting point


About the guide

Guide profile image

Hisao

Mountain Guide

Hisao is the third of the Morales brothers, and like his eldest brother Eli, Hisao began working with trekking and climbing groups from a young age while still at school. He soon developed a passion for climbing and climbed extensively with porters & guides while receiving ongoing instruction from Peruvian and international guide instructors with the House of Guides in Huaraz.

Hisao took a break from guiding to attend university in Lima and graduated with double degrees in psychology & philosophy, and in education. He then spent 3 months in New Zealand in 2003 on a working holiday and improving his English, before returning to Huaraz to found Peruvian Andes Adventures with Eli.

Hisao speaks fluent English and good German which he is continuing to study. Hisao has considerable experience in the education sector, business and in organising trekking & climbing groups and is our business general manager

Languages

German | English


What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

Cami

Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

 

4.8

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