Challenging trek around Alpamayo in Peru

Alpamayo is an amazing mountain located in The Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range) of The Peruvian Andes and reaches an altitude of 5.947 meters. Its shape will remind you to a rocky pyramid with a mixture colors between white and shinny blue. That’s why Alpamayo is considered as “the most beautiful mountain of the world” since 1966. It will be a 11-day hiking adventure around this awesome mountain, that you cannot miss. Once in its best viewpoint we can admire a sunset in Cañon del Pato, the exact place where Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra meet up.

These 11 days will be very different one from the other, but in each of them we will be able to admire Peruvian flora and fauna (such as sheep and alpacas) and share magical moments with their traditional tribes. Now, check out the following itinerary of this Alpamayo trip and make up your mind!

DAY 1: STARTING POINT IN HUARAZ
Huaraz is the arrival point from where we will start our adventure. During this first day we will visit the thermal springs of Chancos and the community of Copa, a famous massif of the area. Then, we will return to Huaraz to sleep and get ready for the following day

DAY 2: THE HIKE REALLY STARTS
We will leave Huaraz and be taken to Hualcayan by bus. It will be our starting point of the hike. During the first section, we will hike 4000 meters up through calamine ground. It will be great!

DAY 3: LAGUNE CULLICOCHA
Early in the morning we will continue our hike until we get to Laguna Cullicocha at 4.600 meters. You won’t believe how its waters reflect the massif peaks of Santa Cruz in an unforgettable viewpoint. We will hike up to Cullicocha Pass at 4.800 meters and then, descend through The Osoruri Pass at 4.500 meters, where we will find a perfect place to rest.

DAY 4: LAGUNA JANCARURISH
We keep hiking up in order to get to our next destination: Jancarurish. It is an amazing lagoon at 4.200 meters of high from where we can admire one of the best sight of the trip: The snowed Alpamayo itself.

DAY 5: RESTING DAY
We will enjoy a free day to relax, admire such a viewpoint and connect with nature in a wonderful camp spot.

DAY 6: TREKING UP TO 4.500 M
After leaving Jancarurish and walk through the Caracara Pass, we will go to the Mesapata Gazer at 4.500 meters. By the end of the day we will descend across the Tayapampa Creek until we get to our camp site in Huillca at 4.000 meters.

DAY 7: ANDEAN VILLAGE JANCAPAMPA
We continue with intensive hiking days. Today we will walk down from Huillca to Jancapampa, crossing the Yanacon Pass. Jancapampa is an Andean Village at 3.500 meters, in where we can share a good cultural exchange with its people.

DAY 8: HUECRUCOCHA LAGOON AT 4000 M
In our eighth day, we will leave Jancapampa early in the morning in order to get to the Lagune Huecrucocha via Tupa Tupa Pass. It is an amazing place to camp.

DAY 9: GETTING TO THE LAST LAGOON: TUCTUBAMBA
We continue our trek among the fantastic Cordillera Blanca. Today we will hike through The Pucaraju Pass and then, walk up to Tuctubamba Lagoon, a marvelous lake in the middle of snowed peaks, at 4.200m.

DAY 10: START THE RETURN
Early in the morning we will leave Tuctubamba towards Punta Union Pass at 4.750 meters. Then, we start to hike down until we get to a beautiful lake called Ichiccocha at 3.800 meters. We will set up our camp there and rest to get ready to the last day of expedition.

DAY 11: ENDING POINT
During the last day we will walk from Ichiccoha to the village of Cashapampa at 2.900 meters. There, a bus will be waiting for us to return to our ending point: Huaraz.

You cannot tell us it is not a a tempting proposal. We are waiting for your contact to talk about your next trip around Alpamayo, the most beautiful mountain of the world.

Extra details

BEST PERIOD OF THE YEAR

From April to October

LEVEL

Moderate

Spots of interest

DAY 1: STARTING POINT IN HUARAZ

Huaraz is the arrival point from where we will start our adventure

DAY 2: THE HIKE REALLY STARTS

Hualcayan will be our starting point of the hike

DAY 3: LAGUNE CULLICOCHA

Early in the morning we will continue our hike until we get to Laguna Cullicocha at 4.600 meters.

DAY 4: LAGUNA JANCARURISH

Jancarurish is an amazing lagoon at 4.200 meters of high from where we can admire one of the best sight of the trip.

DAY 5: RESTING DAY

We will enjoy a free day to relax, admire such a viewpoint and connect with nature in a wonderful camp spot.

DAY 6: TREKING UP TO 4.500 M

We will descend across the Tayapampa Creek until we get to our camp site in Huillca at 4.000 meters.

DAY 7: ANDEAN VILLAGE JANCAPAMPA

Jancapampa is an Andean Village at 3.500 meters, in where we can share a good cultural exchange with its people.

DAY 8: HUECRUCOCHA LAGOON AT 4000 M

Lagune Huecrucocha is an amazing place to camp.

DAY 9: GETTING TO THE LAST LAGOON: TUCTU

Tuctubamba Lagoon, a marvelous lake in the middle of snowed peaks, at 4.200m

DAY 10: START THE RETURN

We start to hike down until we get to a beautiful lake called Ichiccocha at 3.800 meters

DAY 11: ENDING POINT

A bus will be waiting for us in Cashapampa at 2.900 meters to return to our ending point: Huaraz.