Day by Day: Hiking Cordillera Huayhuash Without a Guide – 9 Day Trek
In my previous blog, I wrote about how Brett and I completed the Cordillera Huayhuash circuit without a guide. I touched on what Huayhuash is, why it is so remarkable, and the basic information that you should know! In this post, I will describe each day of the hike to give you a better idea about what to expect and show you some views that will convince you to take on the astonishing Huayhuash!
When I started writing this post, I tried to come up with an order for the difficulty of each day. But thinking back, none of the days were easy. Every day of the trek (except day 1) consisted of summiting a mountain and going back down to camp in the next pass. Hiking several kilometers a day with a heavy pack, along with the high altitude, made every day a difficult day. I can confidently say that day 6 and day 7 were the hardest days for me!! With that being said, every day gave us new and spectacular views that I will never forget!
Day 1: (From Huaraz) Pocpa to Quartelhuain
Distance: 13km
Hiking time: 4 hours & 29 minutes
Pass: no pass on Day 1
Budget: S/100 each
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S/35 each for busses
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S/65 each for fees
Highlight: a dog named Perro!
We woke up at 3:20am and checked out of our hostel in Huaraz at 3:50am. There are plenty of great hostels in Huaraz but we stayed at Campo Base Hostel throughout our time there. They were nice enough to let us store a bag of things we would not need on the hike. This is important when choosing a hostel! You don’t want to be stuck with any extra, unnecessary weight.
The first part of the day was spent getting to the trailhead by bus. We knew we needed to get from Huaraz to Chiquian to Pocpa. There are quite a few “fees” that have to be paid along the way (mostly just a fee for tourists). We were advised to just pay the fees or tolls and not argue to avoid any unnecessary confrontation. Also, make sure to keep all of the slips you are given! Almost every time we paid anything, we would be given a slip of paper. There were times when we would be asked to show them at the next toll.
We bought our first bus ticket from Huaraz to Chiquian at Transporte El Rapido in Huaraz for S/10 each. I would recommend buying this ticket the day before so you for sure have a spot and don’t have to worry about where you are going in the morning. We reached this small bus station around 4:10 and left at 4:30am. We arrived to Chiquian at 6:45am and bought our new bus tickets to Pocpa at Turismo Nazario for S/25 each. Somewhere along the way, our bus stopped pretty much in the middle of the road. Everyone who was doing the Cordillera Huayhuash trek had to pay S/20 each. This was the first toll/fee of the trip (with many more to come!). On the way to Pocpa we stopped at Llamac. This is the finishing point for our trek but not where we were starting. We were stopped again and charged another random S/30 each. We reached Pocpa around 10:30am. As we unloaded the bus, we were charged another S/15 each.
As we organized all of our things, a tour group drove by and offered to drive us to the first camp (Quartelhuain) for S/15 each. We passed, deciding we wanted to complete the entire loop and not “cheat” on the first day.
We started hiking at 10:48am. The hike today wasn’t too difficult (definitely the easiest day of the trek) but it was HOT! Most of the hike was along a gravel mining road. The road was relatively flat with some sections of ups and downs or switchbacks. We didn’t have any trouble with navigating today since we just followed the road. There is one spot about an hour into the hike where you turn off the main road onto a small path. We were told that this was a “short cut” and would save us about an hour of hiking (see photo below)! During the last 3km it felt like we might never get there! I am glad we decided to hike this part of the circuit instead of taking the bus to get used to our heavy packs and hiking several kilometers.
We arrived to Quartlehuain campsite at 3:17pm. It took us pretty much exactly 4 and a half hours to complete day 1. There were already a handful of tents set up from a group who drove the 13 kilometers (cheaters!). We set up our tent and relaxed for a bit. There is a small river going through this campsite for filling water bottles and cooking. Brett made us supper around 4:30pm. It was quite windy, so we hung out in the tent for a bit before going to sleep!
My favourite part of day one was that a dog followed us the entire way! All 13 km! Of course we called him Perro and we loved him! He was so nice and I wish we could have taken him back to Canada with us. Perro even slept right outside of our tent that night! Since completing Huayhuash, I have seen him in a few photos with other people, so I’m happy he has been a good hiking buddy for others! My least favourite part of the day was that my sunglasses broke!
Day 2: Quartelhuain to Mitococha
Distance: 14km
Hiking time: 5 hours & 15 minutes
Pass: Cacanapunta pass at 4690m
Budget: S/40 each
Highlight: Lake Mitococha!
We woke up at 6am to Perro asleep right outside of our tent! It was a chilly morning! I started packing up and getting ready while Brett boiled water for oatmeal. We took our time eating and taking down the tent. We began hiking at 7:30am still in our toques and down jackets!
The day started by heading straight up the mountain we slept at the base of. The first few kilometers (maybe around 4.5km) were VERY steep! There were some switchback sections, but it was mostly straight up to the pass! The path was clear, so we had no problem knowing where to go. Since we were still getting used to the altitude, the air seemed very thin to us and we took quite a few short breaks to catch our breath.
We reached the top of Cacanapunta Pass at 10:30am. The 3 hours of tough climbing was very worth it since we were blessed with an incredible view! We could see for miles and miles each way we looked. We enjoyed a quick and small lunch at the top before heading down. From the top, you will notice a hill in the valley to your right. The campsite and Lake Mitococha are on the other side of that hill.
The hike down to the next pass was pretty easy. After multiple switchbacks down the mountain and passing a drove of donkeys, the rest of the trail was fairly flat leading to the campsite. The flat section leads you around the hill. Since we knew the campsite was on the opposite side of the hill, we decided to go over top of it.
We thought this would save us some time, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t! So, I would recommend just following the main path around the hill. Once we reached the bottom of the hill, we were stopped by a few rangers who made us sign our names in a book and pay S/40 each.
We reached Janca Campsite at 12:45pm. Our original plan was to camp at Lake Mitococha but since the lake was still 1.6km away and the trailhead for tomorrow was right by Janca, we decided to set up camp. After setting up our tent and storing our bags, we walked to the lake. It took us about an hour and a half to go there and back. There isn’t really a trail to the lake, so we just followed the river having to jump over many small creeks! Lake Mitococha was beautiful with a picturesque mountain view behind it. We spent about 15 minutes there enjoying the view and taking pictures before heading back to our campsite.
When we got back to the campsite, there were a few other people setting up tents. We made pasta for supper and enjoyed the rest of the evening.
Day 3: Mitococha to Carhuacocha
Distance: 11km
Hiking time: 4 hours & 38 minutes
Pass: Carhuac pass at 4630m
Budget: no fees!
Highlight: the most magical campsite!
Today was much easier when compared to Day 2! Once again, we woke up around 6am, had breakfast, got ready, and packed up. We started hiking shortly after 7:30am. The sunrise was breathtaking this morning!
Reaching the pass was much easier than yesterday since it was not as steep. It took us about an hour to reach the highest point you can see from the campsite, but this isn’t the highest point of the day!
The next part of the hike consisted of trekking through a valley for quite a ways. It was a steady but slight incline. The path is tricky to see at times so just stay to the right of the valley. Don’t go through the middle! This is what we called “the valley of death” and if you walk through the middle you are risking being waist deep in water!
We reached Cahuac pass at 4630m at 9:55am. The view was pretty but not quite as amazing as yesterday! There was a skull head of a cow up there as well! We relaxed for a bit and had a snack before continuing.
The hike down was quite straightforward. We took our time, stopping to take a lot of pictures and visit with some cows! At one point, a lady with a baby on her back stopped us and asked us to show her our tickets from yesterday. She also asked if we wanted to buy any cheese which we passed on.
It took us around 4 hours to reach the point at the bottom where we got our first glimpse of the Carhuacocha Lake! Brett and I dropped our bags and climbed up to a higher point to get a better view. The lake was gorgeous! From there, we turned left and headed around the lake. We walked through a gate and along the water until we reached the campsite.
There are a few different campsites, but the one we chose to stay at was Quishuarcancha campsite. We crossed a small swinging bridge and set up our tent around 12:15pm. This is easily my favourite campsite of the trek! The lake view we had was breathtaking and if we had time, I would have stayed there for an extra day! We set up our tent so we could enjoy the view through the door even when sitting inside it. After we had everything set up and stored our bags in the tent, we went for a walk to enjoy the view and check out the lake! We took tons of photos and enjoyed the afternoon since we arrived at the campsite so early in the day! It rained off and on but overall, we had the perfect afternoon.
Brett made us supper around 2:30pm (getting earlier each day!). We sat on some rocks and enjoyed our pasta together while taking in the view. We were joined by a larger group from Israel who we made friends with. We fell asleep to the sound of hail hitting the tent and avalanches in the distance.
Day 4: Carhuacocha to Huayhuash
Distance: 13km
Hiking time: 7 hours & 25 minutes
Pass: Siula pass at 4800m
Budget: S/30 each
Highlight: so many lakes!
Today was definitely harder than yesterday, but we were blessed with some of my favourite views of the trek! We woke up around 6am as usual and started getting ready. We ate our oatmeal while enjoying the view of Carhuacocha Lake. Before we left, we were charged S/30 each – our missed fee from last night.
We started hiking at 7:40am. The first bit of the hike was pretty easy. For about 20 minutes we hiked around the lake on a fairly flat path. During this section was the first time we saw a viscacha! It is a small rodent that has a squirrel tail and rabbit ears!
Eventually we turned left and started heading up towards the first lake. During the journey up we were stopped by a man and asked to show him our previous fee slip. He had a lot of sheep on his land! We reached the first lake (not one of the main three) after about an hour and a half of hiking. It was pretty nice, but nothing compared to what we were about the see!
It didn’t take long before we reached the next lake – the first of the Three Lakes! A few minutes later we were at the second one! From here we couldn’t see the third. This is where we started a TOUGH ascent. We started this climb at 10am and it was steep! The path was quite narrow and mostly rocks. It didn’t help that there were a few other groups (not carrying anything!!!) that were trying the climb up at the same time.
We finally reached Miraflores (the lookout point) around 11:15am and it was astonishing! We had such a magical view of all three lakes making the tough climb very worth it! The Three Lakes are Qanrajancacocha, Siulacocha, and Quesillococha. There were quite a few people here having lunch and taking pictures. I was quite proud of us for making this climb with our packs when seeing other people struggling and carrying nothing! We were quite tired from the climb, so we waited around for quite a while taking in the view. We were also entertained by our Israeli friends from yesterday trying to take heel click photos! Eventually, we got to enjoy Miraflores to ourselves.
This is still not the top of the pass! We still had a tough climb to the top. It was very steep and my bag seemed to weigh much more than usual! We made it to the pass at 12:40pm. 4800m up!!! And the view … WOW! The view from Siula pass was absolutely breathtaking and one of my top 3 views of the trek.
After sitting for a while, we started our hike down to the next valley. It was not too bad but after a tough climb up, it seemed to take quite a while. One section consisted of some type of moss hummock (see my photo below)! We had to jump from one to the next to avoid getting wet! We could tell there was a storm coming behind us, so we were trying to beat it to the campsite!
The last few kilometers seemed to drag on, but we made it to Huayhuash campsite at 3:05pm. Luckily, we were only hailed on for about 20 minutes of hiking before we reached the camp. We had to pay S/30 each to camp. Brett made us some supper and we fell asleep pretty early! A beautiful but tough day! Apparently, we set our tent up on the corner of the soccer field some of the guides made which we found out later when the ball was hitting our tent! Whoops!
Day 5: Huayhuash to Viconga
Distance: 11km
Hiking time: 4 hours & 52 minutes
Pass: Portachuelo pass at 4750m
Budget: S/20 each (plus S/4 for chocolate)
Highlight: HOT SPRINGS!!
Today we woke up to a thick layer of frost on our tent and the ground with no sun in sight! We woke up around 6am as usual and put on as many layers as we could. I thought my fingers were going to freeze as we tried to shake the ice off the tent!
We started hiking at 7:45am. I was wearing my down jacket, toque, and Brett’s gloves since mine got wet (thanks Brett)! With this cold morning, it was the perfect day to end up at the Viconga hot springs!!
The hike today was not too bad. It was a pretty gradual uphill and nothing compared to yesterday. We reached the top of Portachuelo pass around 10:25am. The view was nice but not as magical as the other views we have been spoiled with!
We hiked down for quite a while until we reached Viconga Lake! The dark blue water gave off such a cool vibe! It was much different from the other lakes we had seen during the trek. We took a few photos before continuing on.
There were quite a few paths so we were happy to stay within eyesight of our two friends, Maximo and Javier. We followed the path on the right edge of the lake. At one point we could touch the water. Eventually the trail led up again. After a short climb, we reached the top of this section at 12:10pm. On the other side of the mountain, we could see where we were headed, the hot springs!!! We walked through a neat looking “doorway” and started heading down again.
We arrived at the Atascancha Hot Springs at 12:37pm and OH MY did it ever look magical! We dropped our bags and immediately went to see how hot the water was. It was soooo nice and hot! We quickly set up our tent, threw our bags in, and changed into our bathing suits. Thankfully the other tour groups we saw yesterday headed a different way (one bonus of hiking independently!) so the four of us got to enjoy these hot springs in the middle of the Andes mountains to ourselves!
There are three different pools. Two larger pools are for relaxing in (one of them was empty when we were there) and the third and smaller pool is for washing. I can confidently say that I felt like I was in Heaven! WOW! I was so happy to get into that hot water. My aching muscles needed it so badly! And I was very excited to wash my hair after 5 days of trekking. This was the perfect middle point to our hike! We also washed a few pairs of socks and underwear in the smaller pool.
Believe it or not, the day got better! After staying in the water for a while (and burning my shoulders, whoops!), Brett made us some rice – a great change from pasta! Eventually, a man came by and charged us S/20 each (I would have paid much more for the hot springs!). I journaled for a bit and we enjoyed the afternoon. Then, another man came by and opened the small building at the hot springs. He was selling beer, pop, crackers, toilet paper, razors, soap, etc. I was very excited to buy two little pieces of CHOCOLATE (a hiking luxury)!! Hot springs and chocolate… can we stay here forever?! What a great day! We knew tomorrow was supposed to be quite hard and long, so we made sure to get a lot of sleep.
Day 6: Viconga to Huayllapa
Distance: 21km
Hiking time: 10 hours & 54 minutes
Pass: Cuyoc pass at 5000m!
Budget: S/40 each (plus S/20 for snacks!)
Highlight: my favourite view of Huayhuash and the highest pass!
Today was HARD and very long. This was the second hardest day of the trek for me with the hardest still to come. As a day hike, today might have seemed easy but after 5 days of hiking, today’s 21 kilometers felt like it would never end.
Knowing that this was our longest day of Huayhuash, we woke up at 5am and started hiking before the sun was up. We left the hot springs at 5:55am. It was still very dark and was snowing! We were glad we had Javier and Maximo to follow so we didn’t have to worry too much about where to go. We back tracked a bit heading back up to the hill we spotted the hot springs from yesterday. From there we made a left and started heading UP!
The climb up to the pass was not too bad and not terribly steep. Though it did take us a while. There were many times I thought we were almost at the top but then there would be a higher peak to reach! After hiking up 7km, we reached Cuyoc pass at 9:25am. We were at 5000m and the highest point of our entire trek – just one floor below Heaven! What a view!! The mountain ranges and valleys surrounding us were absolutely remarkable and my favourite view of the Huayhuash!
We sat around and ate some food while enjoying the view. Now we had to go down… another 14km to go. The hike down was fairly simple but it seemed like we would never reach the bottom. Down and down a never-ending valley! The first section of downhill was quite steep as we switchbacked down a section of loose rock but after that it was a gradual downhill. We would walk on flat ground for a while before dropping down via switchbacks to a new valley floor. This repeated several times. There were two sections of VERY steep switchbacks where we basically had to climb down the rocks on all fours. We took a short break and had some food at a nice waterfall! We knew our destination was at the bottom of the valley, but it seemed like we might never reach it!
We finally reached a doorway to Huayllapa at 4:35pm. 15 minutes later we reached the town! I was sooo happy to take my hiking boots off. This is the only town we went through during the circuit. We stopped at a small store and picked up a few extra snacks including a bottle of Coca-Cola, 5 packs of crackers, 3 small chocolates (yay), queso Pringles, and some toilet paper. It felt like Christmas! Many hikers and groups chose to stay in one of the small hotels in Huayllapa, but we felt as though we would be cheating and decided to camp instead! We camped on the soccer field next to the school. The field is through a metal gate on the right side of the main road. If you ask one of the locals, they will point you in the right direction. The best part of sleeping on the soccer field was the bathroom! While we were eating, a woman came by and charged us S/40 each. This seemed very overpriced but oh well! She also left us a key to the bathroom. It was the first bathroom of the hike that had a toilet with a seat!
It was a very interesting evening! It was pretty entertaining setting up our tent since there was still tons of kids running around and playing volleyball or soccer! They were quite rowdy! They were also very intrigued by us and I felt bad that our Spanish wasn’t good enough to keep a conversation with them. We played volleyball with them and tried to mimic some of their dance moves!
We made supper with the kids still running around us and got ready for bed! For a few hours, the kids kept banging on our tent but eventually they stopped. During the night we were met with a 7.4 earthquake (foreshadowing Day 7!!).
Day 7: Huayllapa to Gashapampa
Distance: 11km
Hiking time: 7 hours & 10 minutes
Pass: Tapush pass at 4800m
Budget: no fees!
Highlight: surviving…
When I asked Brett to describe day 7, he said “brutal, torturous, and dreadful.” We are very grateful for this incredible adventure, but I thought I might not survive day 7!!
Around 6am, we woke up thinking that today would be easier than yesterday since it was only 11km compared to 21km. We got a pretty good sleep (minus the earthquake) and it was definitely the warmest night we’ve had. After packing up, we left the soccer field at 7:05am. We exited town the same way we came in. When we were coming into town yesterday, we passed a sign the pointed straight for Huayllapa and up for another village that I cannot recall the name of. This is where the trail started for today. AND UP IT WENT! There is not too much more to tell about the day. It was quite uneventful. We took many breaks and struggled with the steepness. Today was the first day I felt jealous of the people not having to carry anything!
After 9km we finally reached the top of Tupush pass at 1:30pm. We only stayed here for a few minutes before heading back down. There was only 2km to go and we were eager to be done for the day! It took us about 40 minutes to reach Gaspapampa campsite. We got there at 2:15pm. It hailed on us for the last few minutes and we rushed to set up our tent so we could get out of it! There were quite a few group tents set up already. This campsite had a squatty-potty (hole in the ground) with no door so that was interesting! We had supper and sat around for a while. I enjoyed watching the condors circling above the mountains!
We survived, what I thought was, the hardest day of Huayhuash!
Day 8: Gashapampa to Jahuacocha
Distance: 9km
Hiking time: 4 hours & 43 minutes
Pass: Yaucha pass at 4800m
Budget: no fees!
Highlight: view of Jahuacocha Lake from above!
Today was a much easier hike than the last few days. The trail was easy to follow, and we had no problems knowing which way to go. We woke up at 5:45am and started to prepare for the day. It was one of the colder nights we had, and the morning was equally chilly. We ate breakfast, packed up, and started hiking at 7:24am.
The first 500m or so was quite easy. We headed around the hill to the right of the campsite. It was rather flat and a bit downhill. From there, we crossed a small creek and started heading up. Some portions were a bit steep and there were many switchbacks! A few parts of the trail were even a bit icy and I was a bit afraid that we would fall off the side!
We reached the top of Yaucha pass at 9:40am after hiking about 4km. While we enjoyed the incredible view, a group of hikers (not carrying anything) climbed to the highest point to try to get cellphone reception. Brett and I climbed up on some rocks to take some pictures and get a true 360-degree view.
After a quick snack, we started heading down. Both of us were feeling good today and ready for the 5km down! There is another path that takes you a bit higher, but Brett and I opted out since we heard it can be pretty tricky when carrying big packs. Almost the entire day was switchbacks on loose dirt. It was a bit slippery and dusty but not too bad! We said hi to quite a few cows on the way down. We also stopped for a bit and chatted with a couple from Norway. They were nice enough to give us some nuts and an energy bar that we were quite excited about!
Around 11:20am we got our first view of Jahuacocha Lake! It looked like a photograph!! Naturally, we found a rock to sit on and relaxed for a while. Huayhuash blessed us with another magical view! We could see tents below us being set up by various groups. The last bit of the trail consisted of quite loose dirt, so we took our time making sure not to fall.
After walking through another Huayhuash door, we arrived at the campsite at 12:07pm. This was definitely the busiest site we had seen since it is one of the stops for the mini 4-day trek. Our two friends, Adrien and Victor, were setting their tents up on a higher section away from the large groups so we decided to join them there. It was a beautiful day, so we took our shoes off and sat peacefully in each other’s company. This was the first time I started to feel sad that this hike was coming to an end. We had completed 8 days of hiking and only had one day left. Even though this trek was one of the hardest things I have ever done, I didn’t want it to end.
Since we arrived at the campsite quite early, we walked around exploring the lake and the campsite. There were quite a few dogs that we made friends with! Brett and I ate supper around 3:30pm. We knew we would have to start hiking around 4:30am tomorrow so we headed to bed quite early!
Day 9: Jahuacocha to Llamac (to Huaraz)
Distance: 9km
Hiking time: 4 hours & 40 minutes
Pass: Pampa Llamac pass at 4300m
Budget: S/25 each for the bus to Huaraz
Highlight: morning hike lit by starlight
Day 9 already?! We woke up at 4:00am and packed up quickly. We wanted to make sure that we had a lot of time to catch the bus in Llamac back to Huaraz. We started hiking at 4:35am with our headlamps on! It was surprisingly warm and I really enjoyed hiking in the dark. The sky was clear so we could see so many stars! Two dogs followed us all the way from Jahuacocha to Llamac!
When leaving the lake and walking towards the valley, the path that you need to take is on the right-hand side of the valley. The first 45 minutes was pretty easy and the trail was quite flat. Every once in a while, we would see a pair of eyes looking at us which belonged to the early rising cows!
After 45 minutes, we came to a sign pointing up for Llamac. This is where the trail for day 9 started to go up. The incline wasn’t horrible compared to what we had seen on other days. There were a lot of up and down sections. We continued to go around corners that we thought were the top but were faced with another uphill section to go.
After 6km of hiking, we made it to Pampa Llamac pass at 7:10am. We were standing at 4300 – the last pass of our Huayhuash circuit. Brett and I sat at the top knowing we had quite a bit of time to go down and reflected on the last nine days. After a few snacks, we picked up our bags and started the last 3km of the hike.
The trail down was mostly switchbacks. It was a bit steep with the same loose dirt/rock as yesterday. It got VERY hot when the sun came up and we loaded up on sunscreen. At one point we were getting attacked by horsefly/wasp looking things! Eventually, we could see Llamac below us. After many more switchbacks, I wondered if we were getting any closer. We said hi to a donkey that seemed frozen on the mountain!
At 9:15am we made it to Llamac – back into civilization. It was quite bittersweet. Our bodies ached and we definitely needed some rest, but I knew I was going to miss this crazy, adventurous life we had been living for the last 9 days! It is not very often that you get to put everything aside and become completely absorbed in nature. I am so proud of us for taking on this challenge and completing the Cordillera Huayhuash circuit!
We knew there would be a bus leaving from Llamac around 10:30 or 11am, but we weren’t sure exactly where we would find tickets. As soon as we got to town, we were approached by a local man who started trying to sell us a bus ticket back to Huaraz. We followed him to a small shop with the dogs from the lake still close behind us! We paid S/25 each – less than we paid for the way there. After we bought tickets, our friends Maximo and Javier showed up. We hadn’t seen them in a few days and were surprised to see them! Our tickets were for 11am so we had some time to spare. Brett and I walked around Llamac and found some bread, jam, and fruit to eat. We sat on a bench happy to not be eating pasta or oatmeal!
At 11:00am, the bus pulled up and we headed to Chiquian. When we arrived around 12:15pm, Brett and I had lunch with a few of our Huayhuash friends. At 2:00pm we were on our way again. We arrived in Huaraz at 4:00pm. After grabbing our bags and swapping information with a few fellow hikers, we were off to our hostel for a hot shower, some clean clothes, and a good sleep!
We completed the Cordillera Huayhuash circuit – an adventure we will remember and look back on forever! Thank you Huayhuash for this challenging and rewarding experience of a lifetime!
Wondering what to pack for a 9 day trek? Check out our full list here. For more information on navigation, cost, and preparation, check out my previous blog!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us or comment below!