4-day Santa Cruz Classic Trek in the Cordillera Blanca
A certified guide wants to take you across one of the most dazzling hikes in Peru, the Santa Cruz trek in the Cordillera Blanca. Follow him into this amazing adventure.
Group
Andes, Cordillera Blanca
4 Days
Apr - Oct
High
Intermediate
Highlights
- Discover a magical place in the middle of the mountains
- Explore the Huascaran National Park and the Cordillera Blanca
- Conquer one of the most famous treks in Peru, Santa Cruz
Description
This is one of the most amazing and classic trips. The Santa Cruz trek in the Cordillera Blanca is one of the most popular and famous trips for a good reason. It explores a good portion of the Huascaran National Park. And it reaches breathtaking places like the Quebrada Huaripampa Valley, passing through enchanting villages, forests, lakes and mountain passes.
One of the places we’ll explore is the Quenual forest. We’ll also cross the Punta Union Pass (4,750m). And we’ll get the best views of mountains like Alpamayo, Artesonraju, Santa Cruz and Taulliraju. Moreover, we will encounter dazzling glacial lakes, with hypnotizing turquoise shades.
What’s more, all throughout our journey, we’ll run into curious creatures such as llamas, Andean geese, ducks, Andean foxes and the adorable mountain vizcachas. And, if we pay enough attention to the skies, we might even see falcons, hawks, mountain caracaras, American kestrels, puna ibis, Andean swifts and hummingbirds.
Then, we will also see many wildflowers and Andean alpine flora. The colors and scents are so exquisite, it will be difficult to leave behind. Some of them are orchids, buttercups, bromeliads, lupines and ranunculus.
Please note this trek requires you to have a good fitness level. But don’t worry, my main goal is for you to enjoy the sceneries and hike at your own pace. Thus, there will always be someone at the rear of the group to help you continue. Plus, all your belongings, except your day-pack will be carried for you.
So, if you are up for this wonderful journey across the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, just send me a request. Don’t miss the chance to tackle the Santa Cruz trek, one of the best and most famous hikes in the region!
You can also check this trek to Pisco Base Camp & Lake 69 in Peru, 2 days.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Itinerary
Day 1: Huaraz – Paria
We pick you up and drive you across the Callejon de Huaylas Valley. Then we drive into the Huascaran National Park, passing the Llanganuco Lakes and the Portachuelo de Llanganuco Pass. After which, we head to Vaqueria, to start our trek. There, mules we’ll start carrying our belongings as we hike passing the Paria Valley. And, we’ll get the chance to meet local shepherds and farmers.
Day 2: Paria – Taullipampa
Due to the demanding journey ahead of us, we’ll begin early ascending to the Punta Union pass. Upon completion, we’ll descend back to our camp Taullipampa.
Day 3: Taullipampa – Llamacorral
On this day we’ll reach the Quebrada Arhuaycocha valley. Then, we’ll descend along the Santa Cruz valley, as we pass a stunning lake towards our last campsite at Llamacorral.
Day 4: Llamacorral – Huaraz
We will hike down from the Quebrada Santa Cruz Valley to the town of Cashapampa. Finally, we’ll drive back to Huaraz.
Details
More info
We highly recommend that you arrive to Huaraz at least 2 days before the trip and spend time doing day hikes to higher altitude, to help acclimatize. I can help organise day hikes for you.
Meeting point
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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