4-day Santa Cruz Trek to the Llanganuco Lakes in Peru (Cordillera Blanca)

Contemplate a wide variety of landscapes in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes on this 4-day Santa Cruz trek to the Llanganuco Lakes led by experienced mountain guide Hisao.

Andes

4 Days

May - Sep

High

Intermediate

Highlights

Discover a wide range of landscapes in Cordillera Blanca.
Reach Punta Union Pass and explore the Llanganuco Lakes.
Acclimatize for climbs in the range or prepare for Machu Picchu.
Contemplate dazzling mountain views and crystalline-water lakes.

Description

Are you looking for an exciting and short trek in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes? Do not miss your place on this 4-day Santa Cruz Trek to the Llanganuco Lakes.

In this program, we will enjoy hiking surrounded by stunning mountain views, crystalline waters lakes and a wide variety of landscapes. We will take a challenging ascent to Punta Union Pass and discover the gorgeous Llanganuco Lakes, among many other spots. Take a look below to check out the itinerary.

If you love outdoor adventures and have a good level of fitness, you can’t miss this opportunity to explore the Llanganuco Lakes in the Cordillera Blanca. Book your place now!

You can also take a look at this 9-day Huayhuash circuit trek that I lead.

Price includes

Guiding fee

Itinerary

Day 1: Huaraz - Llamacorral

We will drive for 3 hours from Huaraz to Cashapampa (2,800 meters) and meet our donkey drivers, load all the equipment onto donkeys and start the trek. We will follow the Santa Cruz river, first in a narrow canyon and then, after lunch, through a wider valley. Here, we will start to see beautiful snow-covered peaks. Camping near the river at Llamacorral (3,750 meters – 5 hours).

Day 2: Taullipampa

This will be an easier day (4 hours). We hike along two small lakes and then get to see the famous Alpamayo mountain. Our camp will be at Taullipampa (4,250 meters), where we will be surrounded by stunning peaks, near Punta Union Pass.

Day 3: Punta Union Pass

On day 3, we will climb for 2 to 3 hours to the Punta Union Pass, at 4,750 meters of altitude, and descend through a small alpine lake where we can stop for lunch. Our descent will continue to the Huaripampa Valley and to our camp in a valley away from the main trail at Paria (3,850 meters – 7 hours).

Day 4: Portuchuelo Pass - Huaraz

We will go down the Quebrada Huaripampa and pass through farming villages, to reach Vaqueria, after 4 to 5 hours of walk. Our private van will drive us to Portuchuelo Pass (4,767 meters), through the famous Llangunuco Lakes. Finally, we will return to Huaraz and end the program.

Details

More info

We can also organize a 5-day program with an extra day in Taullipampa campsite.

Meeting point

Huaraz

About the guide

Hisao

Mountain Guide

Hisao is the third of the Morales brothers, and like his eldest brother Eli, Hisao began working with trekking and climbing groups from a young age while still at school. He soon developed a passion for climbing and climbed extensively with porters & guides while receiving ongoing instruction from Peruvian and international guide instructors with the House of Guides in Huaraz.

Hisao took a break from guiding to attend university in Lima and graduated with double degrees in psychology & philosophy, and in education. He then spent 3 months in New Zealand in 2003 on a working holiday and improving his English, before returning to Huaraz to found Peruvian Andes Adventures with Eli.

Hisao speaks fluent English and good German which he is continuing to study. Hisao has considerable experience in the education sector, business and in organising trekking & climbing groups and is our business general manager

Languages

German | English

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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.

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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.

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