The Cordillera Huayhuash Circuit
I stumbled across the Cordillera Huayhuash circuit while looking for obscure hikes on the internet, someone out there in the ether compared it to hiking in the Himalayas and after a quick google-image-search of the trek I was sold. We hired a guide and donkeys, booked our tickets to Peru and we were off (ok, it was more work than that but to move the story along). Here’s overview/breakdown of the hike. If you are looking for facts to plan a trip there is a post here.
Basics:
Length: 97 miles (156 km)
Timeframe: 10 days
Acclimate: This hike is VERY high up and you need to acclimatize: we spent 3 days in the Cusco region and 1 day in Hauraz
Day 1: On August 23rd we got up at 4:30 am to start our bitterly cold, early morning journey into the mountains. It takes several hours of bus rides to arrive in Pocpa. The bus company was kind enough to provide us all blankets but it was frigid. If you get car sick from windy roads (like me) try to get a window seat. The hiking on the first day is pretty easy, gradual uphills mostly following a road. This is the only day with no high pass, so appreciate it. You get glimpses of the snow capped peaks and walk though some beautiful grazing land. This is the beginning of hiking through animal poop, you get used to it. The camp the first night is nice but they only get better. This was the only day I had issues with the altitude. I drank a lot of fluids, took an ibuprofen and went to bed early, that seemed to do the trick.
Hike time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Day 2: This is the first real day of the hike and the first high pass you will cross. Be prepared for lots of switchbacks, it’s a slow and steady slog. My husband and I were alternating between not being able to imagine making it to day 10 and feeling like maybe we could do this. We had a great lunch on this day of Russian salad (below) and, after nearly 6 hours, we arrived at a beautiful campsite (view from tent below).
Hike time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Day 3: Many more switchbacks today, the sky was cloudy so we did not go on what would have been our first side trip as the views were obscured. This made day three pretty short and easy for us. There are some great views as you near the campsite and the campsite itself was a stunner. The other 4-5 groups on the trail camped off to the side of Carhuacocha lake but we had our very own campsite right on the lake directly opposite snow capped peaks. This campsite alone was worth the cost of hiring guides.
Hike time: 4 hours 15 minutes
(view from tent)
Day 4: Today was one of the most difficult days of the hike. We said goodbye to our beautiful campsite at 7:15 am and trekked down a valley leading us to our big pass for the day. On the way we dropped our packs and scaled a hill for a view of Sulla and Yerupaja peaks. It’s worth the climb for the beautiful views and we saw 4-5 avalanches which are cool to see but sad from an environmental standpoint. From there we hiked up a very difficult steep path to the most iconic view of the hike (the three lakes (below) ) shockingly to us, we weren’t yet at the pass which was another hour of grueling switchbacks. After the pass it was another 3 hours to camp. This day provided the scenery we were craving but it was an extremely strenuous day.
Hike time: 8 hours 45 minutes
Day 5: Day 5 is pretty chill. We trekked through these strange round moss formations as we made our way to yet another pass. Enroute we saw a huayhuash animal (something between a rabbit and a squirrel)! The pass today is not bad and when you finally arrive at camp you are treated to hot-springs! Also, there is a little shop that sells beer, snacks and toilet paper. The hot springs are AMAZING! Day five is heavenly.
Hike time: 5 hours 10 minutes
Day 6: Today we climbed what we thought was our highest pass at 16,568 feet (5050m) it was a very long steady climb up. We saw a condor and a Vicuña on the way! After we made it over the pass we stopped for a lunch of a Peruvian dish called causa which is basically meat and veggies sandwiched between two layers of mashed potatoes - great, hardy hiking food! After lunch the weather turned, it started to sleet we only had about an hour to camp I ran to catch up with Eric because he had my rain coat. I eventually caught him (mostly cause he turned around to come back for me) and we put our heads down and hightailed it to camp.
Hike time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Day 7: If you are the kind of person who hates hiking downhill, like my husband, this will likely be your least favorite day of the hike. It is a very long, difficult day but the views are world class. The day starts with very strenuous switchbacks in the snow up to the actual highest pass of the hike, the San Antonio Pass clocking in at a whopping 16,732 feet (5100m). You keep thinking you’re at the top of the pass, but you’re not, it’s a mental challenge. At this point in the trek I was regretting going on the trek, I felt miserable. Climbing this pass was so goddam hard! At the top though! Wow, what a view, it made it all worth it! On the flip side, all of this hard work is rewarded with 3 hours of climbing down steep, rocky terrain that brutalized my husband.
Hike time: 8 hours 45 minutes
(view from the top)
(view from the top)
Day 8: As long as I have pretty views I can deal with challenging hiking but ‘Dia Ocho’ is the worst! A long day, gradually uphill the whole way and short on pretty views. On day eight you start to leave the big peaks which is a bummer. To make it worse Eric woke up and his ankle was pretty injured from the previous day but our guide Samual soaked it, applied some magical balm our hiking mate Etta provided, and wrapped it up. He was a great guide and Eric was good to go.
Hike time: my husband didn’t note the time here but it was a long day. My guess is 8 hours
Day 9: Days 8, 9 and 10 are far less beautiful than the rest of the hike. It would be nice to hike it the other way around. Today starts with a hike up a pass right away. For dinner the night before I ate a rich, creamy pasta that did not sit right in my stomach. I woke up not feeling well and had to ride the horse over the pass which was a bummer but great at the same time. The view was not mind blowing but you still hike through some pretty peaks along the way to camp.
Hike time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Day 10: We were destroyed by day 10. Today there is an optional pass you can cross or you can take a flatter, longer route to the end. We chose the flat route. We were off at 6:30am and it was a nice easy walk. There was a lot of downhill as we made our way to Llamac. We could see the town far before we reached it which made the hike seem long. Eventually we reached the edge of the town and our Arriero and donkey’s. We sat on the curb waiting for our ride and cheering on hikers who were finishing. It felt good, we did it!
Hike Time: I have no idea, but not long, maybe 5 hours.
This hike is VERY strenuous. Part of the challenge is the altitude and part of it is sleeping in a tent for 10 days. The distances aren’t terribly far but it wipes you out. On the other hand, the views are spectacular! It’s such a gift in this world to let yourself get cut off from everything and everyone and simply experience a place and a landscape with no distractions. Also, the stars are ridiculous out there. Would I recommend it? If you’re in good shape, sure. I don’t think it’s the most beautiful hike I’ve ever done (Nepal wins there) but I do think it’s the most difficult hike I’ve done so that makes it a hard sell. Would I do it again? No, no way, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I got to experience the Peruvian Andes in a way most people will never get to and sometimes the hard challenges in life end up being the experiences we treasure the most.
If you’re planning to do this hike and want more details, I have another post here.
