Trek the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru

Arrive into Lima and meet your driver for your transfer to your hotel in Miraflores, one of the city's most vibrant coastal neighbourhoods (three timed arrival transfers are included to meet incoming flights throughout the day). If you arrive in the morning, your guide will take you on a walking tour of the city's historic centre, taking in the Main Plaza, the Cathedral and the eerie catacombs beneath the San Francisco Church. Arrive later in the day and you'll have the afternoon free to explore at your own pace, or simply rest up before the adventure begins. Either way, the evening brings everyone together: your guide runs a trip briefing before you sit down for a welcome dinner, getting to know each other ahead of your trekking adventure.

After breakfast, you'll be driven to the airport for your domestic flight to Huaraz, gateway to the Andes and the base for your acclimatisation. At 3052m, the city sits beneath the snow-capped summits of the Cordillera Blanca, and you may start to feel the altitude on arrival. This afternoon, you're collected from your hotel and driven 15 minutes to San Pedro village, before continuing on foot uphill for around 45 minutes to reach the shore of Wilcacocha Lake (3714m). The lake is calm and reflective, ringed by high-altitude scrub, with the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca stretching across the horizon. From the lake, the trail climbs gradually to Huanca Punta (3874m), a viewpoint built on a pre-Inca ruin, with views of Huascaran (6768m), Peru's highest mountain. You'll spend time exploring the ruins and taking in the panorama before descending to the lake by a different route, where lunch is waiting by the water. It's a relatively short hike, but the elevation makes it a meaningful first step in adjusting to the altitude. Afterwards, your private transport drops you back at your hotel in Huaraz for the evening.

Today, you’ll visit Chavin de Huantar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating to around 3000 BCE, on a day that also supports your ongoing acclimatisation. An early start takes you south through the Callejon de Huaylas, past the northern Andes and the still waters of Querococha Lake, before passing through the Kawish Tunnel at 4550m and descending into the Callejon de Conchucos, giving you further exposure to higher altitude. In the village of Chavin, you’ll explore the Temple of Chavin, where a network of underground tunnels and chambers cuts through the pyramidal complex. On the surface, carved stone heads, decorated columns and traces of a civilisation that predates the Incas by two millennia reveal themselves. You’ll also visit the village museum, where ceramics, musical instruments and stonework add context to the site, before stopping for lunch and returning to Huaraz.

Today the expedition proper begins. Leave Huaraz early and head southeast, driving through small Andean villages as the landscape grows increasingly remote. En route, you stop at Huanuco Pampa, one of the great Inca administrative centres along the highland highway between Cusco and Quito. Built to serve as a hub for at least five ethnic groups, the site offers a tangible sense of the Inca road network that once connected an entire continent. After exploring, you continue to Queropalca, where camp is set up at 3830m for your first night under canvas. The mountains are closing in – tomorrow, the circuit begins.

The Huayhuash Circuit begins with a steady introduction before the higher passes ahead. You’ll set out from the Andean village of Queropalca (3800m), crossing open high grasslands where local communities herd cattle and sheep. The trail follows a broad glacial valley, weaving through wetlands and streams, with your first clear views of the circuit’s peaks as Jirishanca and Ninashanca rise sharply on the horizon. Over around five hours, you’ll gain height gradually to approximately 4150m, giving your body time to adjust while the landscape opens up around you. You may spot Andean birdlife along the way before reaching camp at Janca, set directly below Jirishanca. At sunrise, the peak glows gold and red above your tent – set your alarm.

Today, you’ll cross Carhuac Pass (4625m), a sustained climb that builds gradually without steep sections. As you gain height, the views sharpen, with Yerupaja dominating the skyline at 6634m, its steep ice walls and ridgelines rising above the surrounding peaks. From the top, you’ll descend into a hanging valley, where your first view of Lake Carhuacocha appears below, its deep blue-green water edged by glaciers. The trail continues down to camp at 4152m beside the lake, set beneath a ring of ice faces and hanging glaciers, where you’ll spend the night.

Set your alarm for an early start – sunrise over Carhuacocha and the surrounding peaks is worth the cold. After this jaw-dropping wake up, the day begins with a long, steady climb through a lush valley, with a striking line-up of mountains along the way, including Yerupaja, Yerupaja Chico, Siula Grande, Jirishanca, Santa Rosa and Carnicero. You’ll pass three glacial lakes – Gangrajanca, Siula and Quesillacocha – their clear waters reflecting the peaks above. The final push to Siula Pass (4810m) is steep and rocky, so you'll need to dig deep to reach the top. From there, descend to Huayhuash Camp (4340m), where you’ll pitch your tent beneath Mount Trapecio and the peaks of Jurua. It’s one of the most demanding days of the trek, but it comes with some of the best mountain views.

After yesterday’s effort, today eases you back into a steady rhythm. A gradual three-hour climb leads to Portachuelo de Huayhuash Pass (4778m), the watershed between the Amazon basin and the Pacific, and one of the key crossings on the circuit. On a clear day, you’ll see far into both valleys. From the pass, you’ll descend through a wide green valley past Viconga Lake, where alpacas graze on the puna grasslands, before reaching the thermal baths at 4367m, set deep in this remote part of the Andes. You’ll camp nearby, with the welcome chance to soak weary legs in the hot water after several demanding days on the trail.

Today the circuit crosses into serious high-altitude terrain. The ascent to the Cuyoc Pass (5047m) is steep and unrelenting, a proper mountain effort. But the views from the top are worth every step: a panorama of the surrounding high peaks, with glaciers and snowfields in every direction. On clear days you can see far across the Cordillera. The descent is rocky, demanding careful footwork, before the terrain eases into the valley leading to Pampa Cuyoc camp (4547m). You’ll feel the altitude today, so take it at your own pace and keep moving steadily.

A second consecutive day reaching above 5000m. The climb to Santa Rosa Pass (5057m) starts steeply and doesn't relent – it's the highest point on the entire circuit. From the top, the view is extraordinary: Yerupaja, Siula Grande, Sarapo, Rasac, Jurau spread out across the horizon in a line of ice and rock. This is the Huayhuash at full scale. The descent winds down through scree to Cutatambo Camp at 4250m, in the Calinca Valley – a stone's throw from the base camp Joe Simpson used before his legendary ascent of Siula Grande in 1985, made famous in Touching the Void. If you've read it, you'll feel the weight of that history in the air.

After two consecutive days above 5000m, today is a rest day. Stay in camp and give your legs a break: read, write, sleep, stare at the peaks. Or, if you're willing, hike up to Cerro Gran Vista, a panoramic lookout where Siula Grande, Yerupaja, Sarapo and other peaks of the Cordillera Huayhuash line the horizon. Either way, Cutatambo is a beautiful place to slow down, surrounded by glaciers and steep ice-covered faces rising above the valley.

Make no mistake: today is the toughest day on the Huayhuash. You’ll retrace your steps down the Sarapococha Valley to the remote village of Huayllapa (3577m), where cultivated fields and alpine waterfalls mark a brief return to lower ground. Then the real work begins: a long, steep afternoon climb, often in warm conditions, back up to the high grazing meadow at Huatiac (4320m), in the shadow of Diablo Mudo, the ‘Dumb Devil’. The combination of distance, elevation gain and heat makes this the day many remember most clearly. Dig in and keep moving.

After yesterday, today is a welcome change of pace. A relatively short and steady crossing of Punta Tapush Pass (4770m) is followed by an easy descent to camp at Gashpapampa (4520m). From camp, you can watch the sun drop behind Diablo Mudo, with clear views across the surrounding peaks, for one of the finest sunsets on the circuit. With legs recovered and the end of the circuit approaching, it’s a good moment to take stock before the final pass tomorrow.

The last major day on the circuit. You’ll descend through a forest of quenual (paper bark) trees into the Angoshcancha Valley before the last climb of the trek: the scree-covered Yaucha Pass (4850m). From the top, you get one of the best views of the Huayhuash, with the full chain of peaks stretching across the horizon and long-distance views towards the Cordillera Blanca. Keep an eye out for Andean condors here. From the pass, a long descent leads to Laguna Jahuacocha, widely considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the Andes, its turquoise water set beneath the peaks of Yerupaja and Jirishanca. You’ll camp here for your final night on the circuit.

Awake to your final morning on the circuit and leave the shores of Jahuacocha, looking back at the peaks of Yerupaja and Jirishanca before following the trail down through a wide Andean valley of grasslands and scattered rural homes. As you descend, the mountains begin to fall behind you. After around five kilometres, you’ll reach Pukatzaka, where a van will be waiting to transfer you to Chiquian, a small Andean town that serves as the main gateway to the Huayhuash. This evening, you’ll mark the end of the trek with a pachamanca, a traditional Andean meal cooked underground with hot stones, combining marinated meats, potatoes and native herbs. Tonight, you’ll stay in a small hotel in the village, a welcome return to a bed after several nights camping.

Tuck into breakfast at the hotel, then settle into your private vehicle transfer directly to Lima Jorge Chavez Airport, arriving in the afternoon in time for evening flights home. The Huayhuash is behind you: 150km of Andean trail, eight passes and two weeks above 4000m. If you'd like to extend your stay in Lima before flying home, additional nights in the city can be arranged by your host (see Optional Extras for pricing).