Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [335]
If your Spanish is up to it and you’re not in a great hurry, you can hire arrieros (mule drivers) and mules in trailhead villages, particularly Cashapampa, Colcabamba and Vaqueria, among others. Horses, donkeys and mules are used as pack animals, and while llamas are occasionally provided, they cannot carry as much weight. Try to get a reference for a good arriero and establish your trekking goals (ie pace, routes) before you depart. Check the state of the pack animals before you hire them – some arrieros overwork their beasts of burden or use sick or injured animals.
Prices are generally set by the Dirección de Turismo and the guides’ union. Expect to pay around S15 per day for a horse, donkey or mule and S30 per day for an arriero. Official rates for guides are S90 to S150 per day for a trekking guide, S150 to S225 for a climbing guide and S300 to S360 for a technical climbing guide.
Qualified guides and arrieros are issued with photo identification by the tourism authority – ask for credentials. Even experienced mountaineers would do well to add a local guide, who knows exactly what has been happening in the mountains, to their group. Prices do not include food and you may have to provide your arriero with a tent and pay for their return journey. Confirm what’s included before you set off.
EQUIPMENT & RENTALS
If you lack the experience or equipment required to mountain it, fear not, as dozens of ‘savoir faire’ businesses offer guides, gear rental and organize entire adventures for you, right down to the burros (donkeys). If you go on a tour, trekking agencies (Click here) will supply everything from tents to ice axes. Some of them also rent out gear independently. Skyline Adventures (64-9480; www.skyline-adventures.com; Pasaje Industrial 137, Huaraz), based just outside of Huaraz, comes highly recommended and has some of the best-quality rental equipment in the area. It also provides guides for treks and mountain climbs and leads two- and three-day mountaineering courses. Another reliable rental agency is MountClimb (42-6060; www.mountclimb.com; Cáceres 421, Huaraz), which has top-end climbing gear. Monte Rosa/Inca Pub (42-1447; José de la Mar 661, Huaraz) sells and buys good-quality climbing gear and skis and is an official Swiss army knife outlet.
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WHAT TO ASK BEFORE PAYING FOR A GUIDED TREK
Before you lay out your cold, hard cash for a guided trek make sure you know what you’re getting. Ask the company or guide to list the services, products and price they’re offering on your contract. In the event that they don’t live up to their promises you may or may not be able to do anything about it, but a list ensures that the company understands exactly what you expect.
On your end, it is critical that you are crystal clear with your guides about your experience and fitness level. Also important is that you are properly acclimatized before setting out on a trek. All too often, parties set out for big treks and climbs just after arriving in Huaraz, with the predictable result of altitude sickness and having to turn back. Take the time to adjust in Huaraz, do a couple of acclimatization hikes, and then enjoy a trouble-free, multiday trek.
Below are some suggested questions to ask before choosing your guide; keep in mind that the answers will make a difference in the price.
Can I meet our guide ahead of time? This is an opportunity to meet the person you’ll spend a lot of time with for multiple days and nights, and if necessary, to confirm ahead of time that he speaks English.
Will we use public or private transportation?
Will there be a cook and an arriero (mule driver)?
Will there be a separate cooking tent and a separate bathroom tent?
How many meals and snacks will we get every day? Many trekkers complain about inadequate breakfasts and too few energizing noshes.
Do we have to provide equipment and food for the guides, cooks and arrieros? Remember that prepackaged dehydrated meals are not staples in the Cordillera Blanca. You will almost certainly