Peru Cordillera Huayhuash Trek

Ancash and Huanuco, Peru · Peru

Extreme12 daysSouth America~£1,200 est.

Save ✓ I did this

Overview

The Huayhuash circuit orbits a single compact knot of ice: seven summits over 6,000 m packed into a range just 30 km long, with Yerupajá — at 6,635 m Peru's second-highest mountain — and Siula Grande of Touching the Void fame at its heart. For twelve days you cross pass after pass above 4,500 m, each one revealing a new arrangement of fluted faces, hanging glaciers and turquoise lakes; the camp at Laguna Jahuacocha, with Yerupajá and Jirishanca reflected in the water, is one of the finest in the Andes. Do not mistake it for a teahouse trek. There is no lodge infrastructure, resupply is limited to villages days apart, and the altitude never relents — Punta Cuyoc tops 5,000 m. Acclimatise in Huaraz (3,052 m) for at least four days first, and carry cash in soles for the community fees each district charges (budget around £60 total). May to September is the dry season; a guided circuit with donkey support runs to roughly £1,200, while self-sufficient teams can do it for less.