Peru Trekking

Why hire a guide at all?  If you’re comfortable carrying all of your own stuff and you have a good map and compass, you could do a bunch of stuff by yourself.  The Santa Cruz trek would be the easiest one to do–there are so many groups along the way it’s easy to not get lost.

I’ll add that it will be somewhat expensive to hire a private guide who’s worth hiring for 5-6 days.  Be wary of any “dudes on the street” who try to sell you on their guide services–I’ve heard some bad stories about some of the cheaper outfits.  I hiked the Santa Cruz trek with a group and loved it, but it was the tent/cook/porters circus that you mentioned wanting to avoid.  Still, hiking with only a daypack and being woken up by a cup of hot coca tea in the morning was pretty nice..

I also did one of the shorter trips up to a lake by myself and had a great time.  There’s a lot to explore down there! I didn’t have time to hike the Cordillera Huayhuash but that’s where I would head if I went back.

We’ve done two treks in Peru–Machu Picchu and Cordillera Blanca/Santa Cruz.  In both cases we reserved in advanced, and had really great guides and small groups (4 and 3 people respectively.)

In Machu Picchu you are required to hire both guides and porters.  That provides employment for locals, and those locals are also charged with protecting the ruins and environment along the entire route.

I agree that the trails themselves are easy to follow on the Santa Cruz trek.  But you may be underestimating the days’ hikes.  It’s about a 3-4 hour drive from Huaraz to the trailhead, so the first day is only about six miles, and climbs from 9000 to 12000 feet through a hot and humid valley.

The second day is longer, up the same valley, and gets you up to about 13,500. We added on a mile or two to take in a side trail for views of the peaks–something we would have missed without a guide.

The first two campsites, and you are required to camp in the preexisting sites, were quite crowded and our guide and arriero did great work to get us a spot with a little privacy.  We also had our own potty tent–a big deal because the established out toilets were in ruins…And there’s no option of hiking off into the woods.

The third day is ten miles, and gets over 15400 .  That’s a tough day, and the last six miles were through deep mud.  This was in April.

The last day was only 4 miles, but the we had a spectacular drive back to Huaraz for about Five hours.

So if you do this on your own, you need to arrange transport to and from the two trailheads, plus figure out a toilet solution for the first two days, and carry all your food and gear.

I would agree about finding a guide in advance, rather than picking someone in Huaraz after you arrive.  We met groups of people who were quite unhappy with their guides, foods, and schedule.  Buyer beware.  Most of them had picked a low cost option after they arrived in Huaraz.

I seem to remember paying $100 a day for the whole show–transport, meals, guide, Arriero and donkeys, permits.  Only extra was tips, and we were generous.

If we go to Peru again, we’d do it the same way.  We are both fluent in Spanish, and we loved the conversation s we had with our guides.  They were a real window into Peru.    Our guide in Huaraz also worked as a journalist.  Fasc

Sorry.  Fascinating guy.

Our next trip might be Chachapoyas…

@balzaccom and @harryhood04:

Thank you very much for your advice:  I heard, and I listened!  After a bit more research, I decided to choose a 10-day trek in the Cordillera Huayhuash, using a VERY well-reviewed Peruvian guide service run by a local family.  The price is reasonable, the trip sounds spectacular, and — although it will be a bit of a circus (mules, emergency horse, all the trimmings) — at least we’ll be contributing to the local economy!

Just got the ol’ Bibler tent out of storage, and we’re getting psyched!

BTW, I was planning to bring 0F sleeping bags, and to add cheap foam mats under our regular 3-season inflatable pads.  We would sleep in long johns.  I assume that will be adequate – I’d hate to be up shivering in the middle of the night!  I wish I had more than broken Spanish, but I can always “guess” at vocabulary because I grew up speaking French…

Sounds like a wonderful trip. I think you’ll be OK for temperature, Remember that you’re close to the Equator, so there are orchids at 13,000 feet. And my guess is that your team will speak enough English for you to get along just fine.

We want photos and TR, by the way!