Valley Hopping in the Cordillera Huayhuash

WOW!

Great adventure and beautiful photos.

Excellent trip report and unbelievable pictures!!!!!

WOW, beautiful photos, thanks for sharing

Amazing pics. Thanks for sharing. Suila Grande sure looks awesome.

Stunning photos and beautiful report, indeed – thanks for sharing!

"Unfortunately, that meant cooking next to either a cow pie or a cactus. I chose the cactus."

Note to self: "bring bushbuddy," if I ever make it there ;)

Uh. I want to go to there.

"Therefore, I prefer to search for a campsite in the dark because then I am blissfilly unaware of how much p**p I am stepping in and sleeping on."

Loved the honesty, thanks!

That was an excellent trip report. Impressive altitude for the passes…

Those have to be some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. Thanks

The photos are fantastic as well. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you everybody for the kind words and compliments!

We have a climbing friend who lives in Huaraz, Peru. He told us the the Huayhuash Loop is supposed to be one of the Top 10 treks in the world. I don't know how someone can come up with a list like that. However, for us personally, it was the single most amazing trek we've done.

Of course, that doesn't mean it was the most fun :)

"Uh. I want to go to there."

Ditto! And I've only looked at the pictures so far.

Amazing photos and really well written trip report. Thanks for making us all envious!

absolutely amazing.

i'm in nepal right now, and we keep meeting "world trekkers," the folks who love international trekking. without hesitation, they all seem to recommend the huayhuash loop. however, your variation on it is even more phenomenal than i imagined.

thanks for the inspiration! what time of year did you trek?

– d

Hey Dan – we have not trekked in the Himalayas yet, so we cannot make a comparison. However, I'd be interested to hear about your stories and see your photos. Do you have a travel blog? (edit – just checked your BPL profile, which has the link to your photos. Awesome stuff!)

We hiked the Huayhuash in May. This was the start of their winter, which is also their dry season. So, the days were supposed to be clearer and the night colder, as compared with their summer. May-July is supposed to be the best time to trek in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia.

Trekking in the Himalayas is best done in April-May (pre-monsoon) or else in September-October (post-monsoon). April-May is best for flowering plants and trees. You probably don't want to be there after November 1 unless you are a polar bear, but that depends in part on how high you go.

Obviously the seasons are different in the Andes.

–B.G.–

A very good report about a nice journey. Topped off with some very nice pictures.
Really Great!
jdm

Incredible images and story- thank you!

<— Completely Awe-struck…

Wow.. beautiful. Probably the nicest photos I've seen in a trip report, great write up too. I normally don't take photos of flora, but those were awesome. Thanks for sharing.

I'm going to see if my Spanish speaking friend will want to go. These photos should help immensely.

Which map would you suggest and did you get it locally?

Thanks

Scott – Thanks for the kind words.
The map selection was pretty limited in Peru. We were based in Huaraz, which is the closest city the Huayhuash. There are many trekking stores and guide agencies there that can provide somewhat reliable information. You can easily find fuel, camping gear, and maps.

There are typically 2-3 choices for maps. You’ll find a dated, but still usable, map made by a German hiking club/organization. A fairly new company, Aonek’er GIS Solutions, out of Argentina is printing very high quality maps tailored to specific hikes. They make a good map for the Huayhuash. There were other choices, but nothing worth buying.

Thanks for your great report and FANTASTIC pictures of striking scenery. I published a report on our Cordillera Blanca trek last year. We were considering the Huayhuash trek, too, but for various reasons settled on the Alpamayo circuit. I guess we will have to do Huayhuash the next time we're down there.

It should be noted that flights to Lima are not terribly expensive from many U.S. cities, and once in Lima it is a cinch to get to Huaraz. This is an easier trek to organize than Nepal.

Hi Richard – thanks for the note. Glad you enjoyed our report.

Yes, we read your trip report of the Alpamayo Circuit. It looked fantastic as well. Thanks for posting that!

There is so much to see in that part of the Andes that we could have easily hiked for 3-6 months. And you’re right – Peru is very close and flights are reasonably priced. Also, Peru doesn’t impose any visa fees like the $140 visas for Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

We did the Santa Cruz Loop as well and loved it. We found that as soon as we ventured into any of the side valleys, we had the trail to ourselves. Such a stark difference – no more massive groups with donkeys and circus tents and such.

We also had a good laugh when we talked with one of the mulateers. He had just finished working a 14 day guided trip on the Alpamayo Circuit, something that you did in about half the time, and these hikers didn’t even have to carry their gear!