Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [340]
PISCO (TWO TO THREE DAYS)
Pisco (5750m) is one of the most sought-after summits in the Cordillera Blanca, with hundreds of climbers bagging it every summer. Fortunately the approximately 5km trek to the Refugio Perú (4765m, Click here) at the base of the mountain is just as popular and brings you into stone-throwing distance of this thrilling peak (or at least it looks that way). The trek is a short but very challenging hike that starts in Cebollapampa and gains altitude quickly; navigation is a no-brainer on this well-marked trail.
QUILCAYHUANCA VALLEY (THREE TO FOUR DAYS)
This hike, also from Pitec, is only moderately difficult, although you’ll need to be well acclimatized to tackle it. It winds up the Quilcayhuanca valley through qeñua trees and grassy meadows until reaching the Laguna Cuchillacocha and Tullpacocha. Along the way, you pass breathtaking views of Nevado Cayesh (5721m), Maparaju (5326m), Tumarinaraju (5668m) and a half-dozen other peaks over 5700m. Because this trek is not well marked, it’s best to go with a guide (or have top navigations skills and a topo map). You can descend back down the Quilcayhuanca valley or connect by a high-altitude trail to the Cojup–Ishinca trek (opposite).
INCA TRAIL (THREE TO SIX DAYS)
This three- to six-day hike along an Inca trail, between Huari and the city of Huánuco, is just starting to be developed. Hikers cross well-preserved parts of the old Inca trail and end up in Huánuco Viejo, which was one of the most important military sites of the Incas in northern Peru. This route is being organized in conjunction with the Inka Naani project. It aims to encourage tourism that respects the cultural heritage of the region and ties together several independent grassroots tourism initiatives. All guides are local (and English-speaking if requested) and porters and adobe shelters called tambos (the Quechua word for resting place) are available if you want to sleep out of the elements. Contact the Mountain Institute or Respons Sustainable Tourism Center (Click here) in Huaraz.
CALLEJÓN DE CONCHUCOS TREKS (THREE TO EIGHT DAYS)
If you’re short on time but still want to cross the Cordillera and soak in some icy peak time, the relatively easy two- to three-day Olleros to Chavín de Huántar trek comes to the rescue. You can start the 40km trek in either town, though most people start in Olleros (population 1390) in the Callejón de Huáylas on the western side of the Cordillera Blanca, where you can arrange llamas as pack animals. Pretty villages and pre-Inca roads with great views of the Uruashraju (5722m), Rurec (5700m) and Cashan (5716m) mountains dot the landscape heading up to the 4700m Punta Yanashallash high pass. Where you end on the Callejón de Conchucos side is absolutely gorgeous. Best of all, in Chavín you can soak your weary bones in hot springs and get up early the next day to visit the ruins without the usual throng of tourists. Dedicated riders have mountain-biked this route. To get to Olleros, catch a south-heading combi from Huaraz, get off at the Bedoya bridge and hike the 30 minutes up to Olleros. A taxi there costs between S35 and S40.
If this trek whets your appetite for ambling, you can continue on to Huari by bus (Click here) or by walking along the road, and commence the equally impressive Huari to Chacas trek, making your way along the eastern flanks of the Cordillera Blanca. Be sure to make time to camp near the Laguna Purhuay – this picturesque spot deserves an overnight visit. The easy two- to three-day route passes several other lakes, reaches its zenith at a 4550m pass and finishes