Central Andes: Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador

Friendly Bump. Would also appreciate any insight into hiking Chile as well.

Although I have a lot of experience doing long hikes on my own in Europe and USA, I don't have any experience with unguided treks in the Andes .

But I did hike the (circular) trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash with guides and I know it's a trek that can be done alone too. It's a beautiful trek and not crowded at all. I think it can be done in 9 days (there are several options for the route).

The Lonely Planet must mention this one too and otherwise I'm sure you can find it on the internet.

Some important info and some warnings you can find here:
http://www.besthike.com/southamerica/peru/huayhuash.html

And look at these incredible photos from Tom Dempsey of the Cordillera Huayhuash:
http://photoseek.photoshelter.com/gallery/PERU-Cordillera-Huayhuash-Trek/G0000tUzyi5aJJxI/C0000ONbbqof0WYE

Marla

Thanks Melissa, this is definitely on my list. How's the route-finding on this trek? Is the trail easy to follow?

Brad,

Have you looked at Danny Milk/Kristen T's "Global Test" trip reports. You can find them under "Articles" and then "Places". Each article has a link to a main page as well (that main page link is below).

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/global_test_main_page

Brad, if you are going to Chile the Paine Circuit, or other treks in the Torres del Paine, are a must. Even the Torres won't be very crowded in any season other than summer.

Richard

Thanks for that link Steven, invaluable stuff!

Brad-
I will be in Ecuador this Dec/Jan and two potential hikes that stick out to me are "The Quilotoa Loop" Its not exactly a wilderness experience as it is mainly walking a dirt road between remote villages but from my understanding there are plenty of trails in the area, I just haven't looked into it in much detail. Another area worth checking out would be Cajas National Park not far from Cuenca, Ecuador. I'll be traveling solo so if you'll be in the area around the same time feel free to shoot me a pm.

Alan

Hi Alan, I just may be there during this time as well. I will keep you posted.

There are three hikes listed in "Trekking in the Central Andes" book that are in Ecuador, and all three say Dec-Jan are the best times to hike them. Cajas is one of them. Let me know if you'd like info on the other two.

I recommend the book, Backpacking and Trekking in Peru and Bolivia.

Cajas is wonderful. So is the Cordillera Blanca. The latter involves tricky route-finding even with a good topo map.

If I were to head anywhere it would be the Huayhuash.

– Elizabeth

Elizabeth, thank you for the tip. Is this the book you are referring to?

http://tinyurl.com/cm8ndhq