World > South America > Central Andes > Peru > Huayhuash

One of the best hikes in the world is the

Huayhuash Circuit

Current status of still evolving proposed new regulations for hikers: "if people choose to hire a guide, it must be a professional guide - not a pirate guide, and the environment must be respected, and all mountain workers (and agencies) WILL pay tax" .

WHY WE LOVE THIS HIKE

  • PERU, all things considered, offers the best alpine hiking in the world
  • the remote, forbidding Huayhuash range was made famous when Joe Simpson & Simon Yates climbed Siula Grande in 1985. The book & film Touching the Void were both hits.
  • getting high at Punta Coyoc pass 5490m (18,012ft) !!
  • Peru’s second highest summit, Yerupaja (6634m)
  • non-stop vistas — entire Circuit is above treeline
  • intensely glaciated, intensely beautiful
  • condors and other wild birds
  • fantastic natural hotsprings half way round the Circuit
  • limited road access, few people
  • travel in Peru for as little as US$20 / day
  • a trip with pack animals is good value
  • lifetime experience you will never forget
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CONSIDERATIONS

Huayhuash is dangerous. Hikers have died there. This is arguably the best hike in the world but is appropriate only for robust, experienced high altitude trekkers.

The greatest danger is altitude sickness. We hired horses instead of mules so we could evacuate by horse, if necessary.

  • Huayhuash is not a National Park.
  • it is almost completely unpoliced
  • a few hikers are robbed every season
  • in 2004 (while we were there) hikers who resisted were shot by bandits, one dying of blood loss
  • many passes over 4600m (15,092ft) will challenge you
  • weather is not nearly as good as in the nearby Cordillera Blanca
  • actually, the weather is terrible
  • prepare for cold & wind. Hypothermia is a risk.
  • no toilets — you should hire a proper toilet tent and shovel
  • dogs will steal food right out of your tent
  • campsites are badly littered. Carry out your trash.
  • toilet tents should be at least 50m from the nearest stream or lake
  • best months are May to September
  • many hikers get lost. Map, compass & guidebooks are essential.
  • May - Sept is spawning season for trout. Do not fish nor buy fish from local herders. The once terrific trout fishing has been decimated.
  • if you like Huayhuash, you will also like Alpamayo and Ausangate in Peru, both easier treks to organize
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LOGISTICS

We recommend the Circuit as described in Lonely Planet Trekking in the Central Andes .

  • minimum 140km (87mi) plus numerous sidetrips
  • 10-11 days on the Circuit
  • Llamac village is the best trailhead. Start & finish.

If you do not have enough time for the entire Circuit, shorter alternatives are:

  • Llamac village to Laguna Yahuachocha, return. (2-3 days)
  • Llamac village to Cajatambo (4-7 days) though transportation out may be a hassle.

For the full Circuit we recommend you sign on with a reputable trekking company. They will handle logistics. No worries.

  • start in Huaraz, one of our favourite hiking towns
  • many hikers arrive by bus Lima - Huaraz (8-10 hours)
  • new alternatively you can now fly to Huaraz on LC Busre
  • two local buses (or bus & van) get you to Llamac from Huaraz (about US$8 one way)
  • Huaraz has an excellent public market, groceries & gear shops for outfitting your trip.

Costs you may not anticipate:

  • unlike nearby Cordillera Blanca, no trekking permit is yet required for Huayhuash
  • the mountain village of Huayllapa village charges a transit fee (US$5 / person in 2005).
  • some of the most popular campsites charge a small fee (US$1-2 / person). Some call it a grazing fee for your pack animals.
  • offer food & small gifts to the seasonal herders you meet
  • purchase cheese, drinks and other items offered by locals
  • do not purchase fish as the trout population has been decimated
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Ask politely for a receipt when a local runs up to you requesting money. Expect prices to rise steadily as more hikers find their way to the Huayhuash.

INDEPENDENT OR GUIDED?

You can hike the Huayhuash Circuit independently — but we do not recommend it. You can get in serious trouble on your own. Local knowledge is essential. The seasonal herders there speak Spanish only as a second language.

The minimum support you should hire is an arriero (mule driver) & pack animals. Organize this in Huaraz. Or, if your Spanish is excellent, you could try organizing it at trailhead Llamac village.

In 2004 hikers paid US$300 / person for 12 days to and from Huaraz. They hired a horse & arriero for two hikers & carried some of their own gear. Budget a minimum of US$300-400 for this adventure if you hire your own arriero locally.

Do not pay the local agency in advance. It is customary in Huaraz to pay the arriero personally. Do not carry much cash into the mountains. Experienced Huayhuash hikers carry only about US$50 in cash, but pay their arriero an extra day for the return to Huaraz. There they withdraw cash from a bank machine — and hand it to your man.

We paid our arriero half in advance. Half when we finished the trip.

Rates for English speaking guides (US$50-60 / day), mule driver (US$10 / day), and burros (US$5 / each / day) are fixed each season. Check at Cafe Andino in Huaraz for up-to-date rates. Tip 25% or so including left-over food & gear if you are happy with the service.

The fixed prices are very reasonable. Do not join a tour which charges less than the union rates. This results in resentment against hikers in the mountains.

Stay close to your guide or arriero. Even experienced hikers frequently get lost in these huge valleys.

Does organizing your own trip sound like too much trouble?

Check out the top end tours offered by some of our recommended guiding companies:

For the best Huayhuash tours contact Chris Benway or Brad Johnson, publisher of the Huayhuash map. They are the most qualified Huayhuash experts we know.

Be cautious with whom you sign on. We met a French speaking guide from Lima who had never been to Huayhuash.

Check that your company is bringing a proper toilet tent & shovel. The best trips bring extra pack animals and burlap sacks to carry out trash. This is the Huayhuash version of the Everest clean-ups.

LOCAL INFORMATION

Chris Benway, an American, has lived in Huaraz for years. He is the best source of information on all things Huayhuash. He organizes international groups. Chris convinced us to rent a "cook tent" — a floorless shelter for getting out of the wind while cooking. It turned out to be the best thing we brought on the trip! Thanks Chris.

BEST TREKKING GUIDEBOOKS

BEST MAPS

For a change there is a fantastic map of a hike in Peru. And it is essential! Do not hike without this map. You can buy it at Cafe Andino in Huaraz or buy it online.

The map includes procedures for dealing with human waste and garbage.

On-line maps:

BEST WEBSITES

After this site, the best links are

BEST PHOTOS & TRIP REPORTS

OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS

MOVIES, VIDEOS, DVDs



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This page last modified Saturday, November 1, 2008.