The HuayHuash Experience, 5-10/10 2025

5 October — Sunday 

After much asking around, there does not seem to be any collectivos going from Huaraz to Chiquain. There is, however, a bus that departs 5:00 am, 2:00 pm and 5 pm every day. I will have to wait for the 2:00 pm bus and find accommodation in Chiquain for an early start tomorrow. That means this turns into a rest day full of eating to prepare. I took the opportunity to sample the local Lomo Saltado and Ceviche, it is what they eat for breakfast in this lovely country. I also bought 1 kg of blueberries and physalis, mhm. And I went to a bakery and asked for a classic Peruvian dessert. I do notknow what it is called, but it was delicious. 

At 2 p.m the bus departs and I now get to take in the amazing views I missed, due to the darkness, when coming to Huaraz. Due to yet another traffic incident, the bus is late. Asking around in Chiquian I’m told the first collectivo to Quartelehuain departs at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. 

I spent the evening pondering which items  to leave at the hotel to lighten the load. It is probably the nicest hotel I have stayed at so far. I might spend another night here when I’m finished with Huayhuash. Chiquian is also a very nice town. Much cleaner than Huaraz. 

6 October — Monday 

The pack is lightened, I’m acclimatized, one of the nicest trails in the world awaits (supposedly): Time to go!

I depart from Chiquis toward Quartelehuain. I shared the journey with a Polish guy who finished his PhD in chemistry early this year and has been traveling throughout Asia and South America since then. He highly recommended India. I will give it a thought in the future.

After another very scenic ride, we arrived in Quartelehuain at around 10:00 a.m. As always, the trail starts with a climb. I can feel that I’m properly acclimatized now. I feel strong. I can charge the uphills, slide down the downhill, and power through on the flats. I’m back!

Powered by an incredible feeling of being strong, inspired by the spectacular views, and fueled by the happiness of doing what I love, I continue hiking until nightfall. At which I had made it all the way to Campamento Huayhuash. A bit unnecessary, because I have already decided that the second night I will camp at the hot springs at Viconga, which is like a 2–3 hours hike from here.  

Luckily, I have the option to, instead of hiking the Huayhuash trail, I can hike the Alpino Circuit up to Paso del Trapecio. This is a variant many people do as it supposedly offers spectacular views. The downside is that it bypasses the hot springs. But I figure I have time for both tomorrow. I will climb the pass, go down to the Huayhuash trail, but then walk the Huayhuash trail backwards to the hot springs. Why choose when you can have it all?

This was a very good day. It was also very nice to talk to some people — the Polish guy on the bus, an Israeli couple while hiking, and a group of Australians at the campsite. The Australians, who had attended a wedding in Hawaii (?), are now traveling in Peru before going to Colombia. The group of Australians further confirmed my bias that all Australians are nice and pleasant people.

As a comment, those that think hiking the Huayhuash Circuit is cheap are mistaken. Today I paid 100 soles for transport, 50 soles for entry to Llámac, 20 soles for another entry fee. then an additional 40 soles at Janca for passage — 210 soles in total. I’m sure there will be more fees. The Huayhuash runs through different farming zones, and all are private land. I understand that it’s their land, and we are privileged to get access, but I also consider access to nature as a fundamental human right — of course, a Swede with his Allemansrätten ideals thinks so 🙂 — and when nature is monetized, it slightly diminishes the experience for me.

7 October — Tuesday

As I awoke in the morning, I noticed I’m a victim of theft. To reduce condensation, I had left the outer tent slightly open and I had also left my breakfast in the outer tent. Some animal had the audacity to enter and take my eggs and avocado. I later found the remains a few meters from the tent (the perpetrator was never found). I was not hungry anyway, I tell myself.

Sure enough, as I exit my tent at 7:00 a.m., there are more fees to pay — an additional 30 soles. At 7:00 a.m., I’m basically the only one left at the campsite; everyone else has already left.

I pack up my things and make my way toward Paso del Trapecio (5050 meters above sea level). I catch up with the Australians and chat a bit before pushing on. I feel strong all the way up.

When I’m almost at the top, I’m surpassed by some donkeys and a man on a horse—it sure does look effortless. I spoke a bit with the man in Spanish. I tell him I’m heading for Viconga, whereas he says I’m going the wrong way. “No, I’m not,” I say, and show him my intended route on the map, to which he says, “Muy loco.” Well, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

The views after crossing the pass are amazing. My first impression is that it reminds me of Mount Fitz Roy (based on images I’ve seen). As I head down, it turns out that the donkeys may be fast on the uphill, but not on the downhill, and I surpass them!

Instead of going all the way down to Campamento Elefante, I cut across off track towards the Huayhuash trail to maintain elevation. It’s technical and I doubt I saved any time, but it was fun. When I connect with the trail again, I stop for an early and long lunch. I’m in no hurry today  — I reckon that it’s only about 2 hours left from here to Viconga (I was right).

After lunch it is one more climb up to Paso Punta Cuyoc at 5050 meters above sea level, and then a long downhill towards Viconga. During the final 100 meters of upwards elevation, my feeling of being strong vanishes. Now I feel quite exhausted.

I arrive at Viconga, pitch my tent, and start looking for the hot springs indicated on the map. I was under the impression I would be able to bathe in the springs, but I was wrong. The springs are small streams running out of the ground, and it was not exactly possible to take a dip. Even if it would have been, the water was scolding hot.

But of course, the campsite managers have built small pools that are included in the 30 soles fee — yes, another fee, but at least this one offers something of value. Sitting in a warm pool while it’s raining in the mountains is not all wrong. I probably spent an hour in the water, and when I felt done, it stopped raining — on command!

At the campsite, there is also a small shop, and yes, they had avocados. Breakfast tomorrow is saved!

8 October — Wednesday 

Another day, and another long climb back up to Paso Punta Cuyoc. I tried to have the outer tent slightly less open this night to avoid unwanted house guests, but that did not work — a lot of condensation due to the very cold rain and the complete absence of wind.

It is, in general, a much colder day today than the previous days. As I climb up Paso Punta Cuyoc the sun emerges, and what was supposed to be a 5–10 min break turns into a 1-hour nap, whoopsie.

After crossing the pass, there is just one long downhill to Huayllapa. On my way down, I take a tumbling stone to my Achilles tendon, and it becomes more and more stiff as I continue hiking.

Arriving at Huayllapa, I first pay another 50 soles fee, of course. I have the option of pitching my tent or continuing onward toward Camp Huatica. It is slightly early in the day, but considering my Achilles is acting up and I know my tent is wet — and currently the weather is sunny and slightly windy, which will dry up the tent in no time — I decide to stay in Huayllapa. Hopefully my Achilles tendon is better in the morning.

To my surprise, it was only me and one Peruvian guy at the camp. Where did all the people go? I have not met a single person on the trail the entire day.

I’m guessing they must take an alternate route. They are probably crossing Paso San Antonio and are camping somewhere in the middle of the Cordillera Huayhuash.

In retrospect, perhaps I should have done the same. I’m only three days in and could easily finish tomorrow. But I would like to extend my stay to at least five days. If my Achilles tendon feels good in the morning, I will hike some extra trails to extend my stay.

No avocados in the local bodega, unfortunately.

9 October — Thursday

You guessed it — another day, another climb!

My achilles feels my better today so I decided to try some off-track hiking. I follow the Huayhuash Circuit up towards Nev. Diablo Mudo — the clear absence of footprints in the snow indicates none hikes this route. I do not summit Nev. Diablo Mudo. It looks like ropes are required or at least suitable.

Instead I follow the (unnamed) valley leading to Gushpa Campsite. It starts with a mud bath, continues with rock fields, and ends with swamps. It has the whole experience. At Gushpa I rejoin with the trail again and continue north towards Llamac.

A new road, not shown on the map, in the last valley throws me a bit off guard and I miss the trail. The trail is very unclear — it does not seem like many people end their Huayhuash experience using this route.

It’s getting quite late so as soon as I have crossed the river, I look for a nice place to camp. Tomorrow, I have about 9 km to go to Llamac, where I hope to catch a collectivo to Chiquián.

10 October — Friday 

I continue climbing the very unclear path. It, however, quickly reconnects with the path coming from Jahuacocha, and it now becomes clear how everyone decides to end their HuayHuash experience. The path is now very clear and easy to hike. It is also a very cool trail, it cuts across the slope of the mountain, remaining almost completely flat for over 5 kilometers. 

After less than 2 hours of hiking — I should have slept longer — I arrived in Chiquian and feast on bananas and grapes for breakfast. The bus heading for Chiquian departs at 13:00 and costs 50 soles. But while I wait for the bus, a local man asks me whether I want to ride with his family down to Chiquian at 12:00 for 20 soles. Sure I say, why not. Well, 12:00 turns into 14:00 as his son is late back with the car, but while we wait I’m served a delicious home cooked Peruvian lunch. No small portions here, just as I like it. In total I paid 30 soles for the ride and food. 

After I finished this feast, they brought me another avocado and a bowl of soap. I felt pretty full after that meal.

In Chiquian I booked two nights at the same hotel (Hotel Los Nogales de Chiquian) I spent the night before embarking on the HuayHuash trail. I will take the time to clean/treat my equipment, prepare for the onward journey, and I have one last thing I must try tomorrow before leaving the high altitudes.

Despite the massive lunch, I’m quite hungry in the evening. I have to make up for all the hard exercise over the last few days. The restaurants are all closed, I guess they open later, so I purchased some Queso, Palta and Miel. That honey (Miel) was something completely different from what I have ever tasted, it was like I could taste all the different flowers the bees had eaten. How will I ever be able to go back to Swedish honey … 

This more or less concludes my experiences in the Andean mountain. So is the Huayhuash and Cordillera Blanca worth it? Depends on your preferences. I’m very happy with my experience, I have zero regrets coming here. It is a different kind of nature/environment than I have experienced before, and experiencing high altitude hiking was something completely new to me — I’m hoping I will feel like a superhero returning to sea level — and, of course, the views are extraordinary. That said, it is not particularly wild. There are small settlements and roads everywhere, and you do not get the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere as you will in, for example, northern Sweden.

If I were to do the Huayhuash knowing what I know now, I would have planned for six days and made sure to make every little detour possible.

According to the GPS, during my four days, I covered about 102 km, 6800 meters of elevation gain, and almost all hiked above 4000 meters of sea level. My route can be found HERE. In total (excluding food) the Huayhuash experience cost me 350 soles, and I gathered a fair amount of tickets.

After this experience, one thing is for sure, I’m super excited about Patagonia. Although I’m considering a change of tents. Hilleberg Enan is to small to spend several weeks in. I’m thinking of switching to Anjan and take the extra 700-800 gram penalty for sake of comfort. Oh well, I have plenty of time to consider this.