Cordillera Huayhuash and Raura trek

Trip includes:

• 5 nights hotel, 1 night rural guesthouse and 7 nights camping
• Transfers from/to airport and bus stations
• All food during the trek and some meals the first and last days as is indicated in the itinerary
• Bus tickets (Lima – Huaraz – Lima) with a first-class agency
• Transportation to and from the trek
• Two acclimtazation hikes in the Huaraz vecinity
• A bilingual (English/Spanish) guide for the trek
• Camp cook
• Burro driver
• Pack animals (burros and/or horses)
• Emergency horse
• General camping equipment for everyone’s use
• Entrance fees to the park and tourist sites
• First aid kit
• General logistics for the trip

Trip does not include:

• Food or meals not specifially mentioned above
• Travel or accident insurance
• Visas or Immunizations

Acclimatization

As you can see on the itinerary, the trek includes two days of acclimatization hikes in the vicinity of Huaraz, because the trek takes place in regions higher than 3000 meters.

Hotels

These are the hotels we will be staying in on this tour: Hotel Bay View in Lima and Hotel Morales in Huaraz, both of 3 star category. In the event that there is no availability, we will change for other of the same category.

Equipment list

• WA backpack with a capacity of 60 or 70 liters (this could be a duffle or other similar bag of comparable size)
• A daypack
• A sleeping bag (we recommend that it be lightweight, synthetic or down, compressible, and warm to temperatures that may drop below 12°C.
• A warm down or synthetic jacket
• Three pairs of trekking pants (cotton pants such as jeans are not advisable because they will not dry when they get wet)
• Two to four pairs of wool socks
• T-shirts, long sleeve shirts, a sun hat, and a wool knit cap
• A light rain jacket or rain poncho and a pair of rain pants
  A good pair of trekking boots in good condition
• A light pair of shoes or sandals for camp
• A pocketknife
• A headlamp with spare batteries
• A pair of sunglasses (VERY IMPORTANT)
• A tube of sunscreen and lip balm with sunscreen (VERY IMPORTANT)
• Any medicines you need
• Personal and hygienic items
• A set of light or medium weight long underwear tops and bottoms
• A pair of gaiters
• A pair of gloves

Optional

• Trekking poles
• Personal sleeping pad
• Camera
• Book, notebook, and pen

Climate

The trekking season in the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash extends from April to September. Even though this is technically winter in the southern hemisphere, this is also the dry season with very little rain in these months as we are close to the equator. In the dry season the weather is very stable; we can expect only a couple of days with precipitation each week. The average temperature in the mountains above 4000 meters from April to September is between 10 and 14°C. At night the temperature may drop below freezing.

Is this trip appropriate for me?

Anyone who joins a trek like this must be prepared to live with only the basics. You’ll be sleeping in a tent with a sleeping bag and without access to showers. You’ll need to be reasonably physically fit, in good health, and able to adapt to the high altitude environment. For people who have a health concern that could affect their ability to perform on the trek, it is recommendable that they discuss this with their doctor.

Day 1: Arrival in Lima

Airport pickup and transfer to hotel.
In the hotel meeting with the group, welcome words from one member of the staff of Go2Andes and tour briefing.

Meals included: breakfast

Day 2: Lima – Huaraz

At the appointed time you will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the bus terminal. You will travel to Huaraz leaving at 9:30 a.m. and arriving at about 5:30 p.m. You will then be picked up at the bus station and taken to your hotel.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 3: Wilkawain archaeological site

At the appointed time after breakfast you will be met at your hotel and driven to the village of Paria (3250m). From here we will walk for about an hour uphill to Wilkawain (3400m) where we will spend approximately an hour exploring the ruins. Afterwards we walk another hour to the Monterrey hot springs where we will be met by our vehicle and brought back to Huaraz. The afternoon is free.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 4: Lake Uruscocha

After breakfast at the hotel, we will travel for about fifty minutes by car to the village of Pashpa (3650m). From here, there is a magnificent view of Huascaran and other peaks in the range. We then hike for about three hours, through forests of trees native to the region, to Lake Yanacocha (4300m) and then ten more minutes to another lake known as “Uruscocha”. Both lakes are surrounded by abundant flora and situated below Urus Peak. After a rest and plenty of time to take photos, we will return via the same route to Huaraz, arriving at about 5:00 p.m.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 5: Huaraz – Llamac

At the appointed time you will be picked up at your hotel and driven to the town of Llamac (3300m). Along the way we will make a stop at Lake Conococha, where the largest concentration of bird species in Huascaran National Park region can be found, and then a stop at the Mojón viewpoint from where we can see the peaks of the Eastern side of the Huayhuash Range. We will arrive in Llamac at about three in the afternoon.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 6: Llamac – Pampa Llamac Pass– Jahuacocha

At the appointed time, after breakfast, we will begin our trek by ascending to Llamac Pampa Pass (4300m). This is a walk of about three hours. From this spot we can see the east faces of several peaks of the Cordillera Huayhuash including Ninashanca, Hirishanca, Yerupaja, and Rasac. From here we continue our journey arriving finally at lake Jahuacocha in about two and a half hours from the pass. We’ll make camp on the shore of Lake Jahuacocha where we can enjoy wonderful views of the peak, Hirishanca.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 7: Jahuacocha – Zambunya Pass– Cuartelwain

At the appointed time after breakfast we’ll begin the day’s walk by climbing up a trail that heads to Zambunya Pass (4750m). This will take about two and a half hours. The pass sits very close to the peaks Rondoy, Ninashanca, Hirishanca and the impressive Yerupaja (6634m), Peru’s second highest peak. The views here are spectacular. After a break to rest and take photos, we will descend a path down the Rondoy Valley with Cuartelwain (4150m) as our destination. The hike from the pass to the camp takes about three hours.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 8: Cuartelwain – Qaqanan Pass– Mitucocha

At the appointed time after breakfast we’ll start our trek headed to Qaqanan Pass (4700m), a walk that should take about two and a half hours. At this point we cross from the western to the eastern part of the range. Two further hours of hiking will bring us to our camp on the shores of the Janca River (4250m) near Lake Mitucocha and below the peaks, Hirishanca and Rondoy.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 9: Mitucocha – Carhuac Pass– Carhuacocha

After breakfast we take the path that heads toward Carhuac pass (4650m), which we will reach in about two and a half hours. From the pass we will be treated to a panoramic view of the glaciated peaks Yerupaja Chico, Yerupaja and Siula. Afterwards, we will continue by descending to Lake Carhuacocha (4150m) where we will camp on the shore with views of Yerupajá y Hirishanca towering above.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 10: Carhuacocha – Siula Pass– Huayhuash

Today we will make a very early start for the trek to Siula Pass. We begin by contouring along the shore of Lake Carhuacocha and then we will visit three more lakes along the way (Qanrajancacocha, Siulacocha y Quesillocha), with the peaks Hirishanca Chico, Yerupaja, and Siula always visible above. After four hours hiking, we arrive at the pass, which has a panoramic view of the majority of the summits on the east side of the Cordillera Huayhuash, especially Siula. From here we trek three more hours to the Huayhuash campsite.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 11: Huayhuash – Portachuelo de Huayhuash – Viconga

At the appointed time, after breakfast, we head in the direction of Portachuelo Pass (4750m), where we will arrive after walking for two hours. This is the point where we cross from the Huayhuash into the Cordillera Raura and obtain a view of a vast mountain in that range, the León Dormido (Sleeping Lion). We now descend through wetlands toward Lake Viconga to arrive at Camp Viconga (4400m). This is a two-hour hike from the pass. Fifteen minutes from camp there is a small hot spring pool where you can bathe.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 12: Viconga – Portachuelo de Viconga – Surasaca

Today our route diverges from the route that groups normally take. We head towards Portachuelo de Viconga Pass (4850m), which takes about three hours. From this vantage point we have close up views of several peaks of the Raura Range including: Cuajadajanka, Quesillojanka, and Pucacalle. After a rest break, we continue our journey, this time descending toward Lake Surasaca (4400m) located at the foot of the peak Santa Rosa (5650m). This descent from the pass should take us two and a half hours.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 13: Surasaca – Churin – Lima

After breakfast, we will be met by our vehicle for the trip back to Lima. The drive passes through the towns of Oyón and Churín. We will arrive in Lima after a journey of about ten hours. Once in Lima, you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 14: Lima – Point of departure

At the appointed time, you will be picked up at your hotel and dropped off at the airport.
Meals included: breakfast