Huanuco Marka – Huayhuash trek

Trekking trail that combines in part with an Inka city located near the majestic Huayhuash Mountain Range.

Visit the city of Huaraz, lakes in the Cordillera Blanca, and the archeological site Huanuco Marka with its Inca structures, which were abandoned upon the arrival of the Spanish after having been only partially completed. Traverse a section of the Cordillera Huayhuash with its impressive glaciated peaks and multicolored lakes.

Duration of trip: 13 days / 12 nights.

Places visited:

  • The Cordillera Blanca
  • Huanuco Marka archaeological complex
  • Part of the Cordillera Huayhuash

Trip includes:

  • 6 nights hotel and 6 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: none

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: Wilkacocha Lake

At the appointed time after breakfast, we will meet you at your hotel and then drive about forty minutes to the village of Santa Cruz (3400m). This is where we will begin an approximately one and a half hour walk to a small lake called “Wilkacocha”. From here we are privileged to have a panoramic view of the majority of the big peaks in the Cordillera Blanca. After a break and a stroll to the best viewpoint, we return via the same route to the city of Huaraz, arriving at about 2:30 p.m. The rest of the afternoon is free.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 4: Lake Churup

After breakfast, at the appointed hour (about 8:00 a.m.), we will leave Huaraz (3100m) in a private vehicle and head east toward Pitec, which is situated on the border of Huascaran National Park. Here we will begin to climb to Lake Churup (4450m), which takes about two and a half hours. After a rest and ample time to take photos we will return via the same route to Huaraz, arriving at about 4:00 p.m.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 5: Huaraz – Huanuco Marka – Queropalca

An early 6:00 a.m. start today, you will be picked up at your hotel and we will drive four and a half hours to Huanuco Marka (3900m), passing along the way the towns of Recuay, Catac, Huallanca and La Unión. We make a stop in Huanuco Marka to explore the beautiful Inca ruins and then continue to the town of Queropalca, located at 3900 meters arriving after anther two hours of driving. We’ll stop for lunch along the way.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 6: Queropalca – Carhuacocha

At the appointed time, after having breakfast (around 8:00 a.m.), we will begin our trek taking a path that follows the Carhuacocha River with Lake Carhuacocha (4150m) as our destination. After walking about four hours we arrive at our campsite by the lake below the glaciated peaks of Yerupaja and Yerupaja Chico.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 7: Carhuacocha – Three lakes

After breakfast we begin a three-hour hike to the Three Lakes viewpoint located at 4560 meters. This is one of the most important and spectacular viewpoints in the Cordillera Huayhuash. From this spot you can see three alpine lakes (Quesillococha, Siulácocha y Qanrajankacocha), set at the foot of the mountains, Siulá Grande and Yerupajá. After a break to enjoy the view and take photos, we will pass by the aforementioned lakes on our way back to the campsite on the shores of Carhuacocha Lake.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 8: Carhuacocha – Carhuac Pass– Mitucocha

We begin out trek at the same hour as the previous days, at about 8:00 a.m. This time we head towards Carhuac Pass (4650m), where we will arrive after about two and a half hours hiking. We will have the peaks Siula, Yerupaja Chico and Yerupaja at our backs the whole way and then we’ll have an even better view of them from Carhuac Pass. After a short rest and photo break, we will continue, descending for a pair of hours towards Mitucocha Lake (4230m), which is located below the peaks Hirishanca y Rondoy. Here we will make our camp for the night.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 9: Mitucocha – Qaqanan Pass– Rondoy

At the appointed time, after breakfast, we begin the day’s walk by climbing two and a half hours with Qaqanan Pass (4700m) as our destination. At this point we will be crossing over to the west side of the Cordillera Huayhuash. We then descend for two more hours following a route along the Llamac River to the Rondoy Valley (4200m) where we will camp for the night.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 10: Rondoy – Zambunya Pass– Jahuacocha

The first part of today’s trek is a two and a half hour climb to Zambunya Pass (4750m). This is a fantastic spot with great views of glaciated peaks such as Rondoy, Ninashanca, Hirishanca, Yerupaja Chico and the stunning 1100-meter face of the second highest summit in Peru, Yerupaja (6634m). After the obligatory photo session and a short rest, we will descend in a couple of hours to Lake Jahuacocha. From our campsite on the shore of the lake we will have excellent views of the peaks Ninashanca and Hirishanca.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch | dinner

Day 11: Jahuacocha – Pampa Llamac Pass– Llamac – Huaraz

At the appointed time we begin what will be the last day of our trek. Our destination is Llamac Pampa Pass (4300m), which is a two and a half hour trek from our campsite. This will be the final viewpoint of the trek offering one last close up view of the great peaks of the Huayhuash. From here we begin our descent to the town of Llamac. It will take about two more hours of walking. In Llamac we will have a celebratory lunch and afterwards say goodbye to the Huayhuash as we begin the drive back to Huaraz, where you will be dropped off back at your hotel.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 12: Huaraz – Lima

At the appointed hour you will be picked up at your hotel in Huaraz and brought to the bus terminal where you will board the 11:00 a.m. bus for Lima. Upon arrival in Lima at about 7:00 p.m., you will be met by a vehicle, which will take you to your hotel.

Meals included: breakfast | lunch

Day 13: 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