Having struggled to sleep with excited nervousness we were awake at 4am to pack our final bags before being collected for our 5 hour journey to the starting point of the Santa Cruz trek.
We were greeted by our guide Javier from Eco Ice, and met our group of five; one from Brazil, one from Peru and three from the Netherlands. We stopped two hours into the journey for a breakfast, and our first of many coca teas. Following breakfast, we stopped two more times, first to view the lagoon we had first seen en-route to Laguna 69, and again at the highest point of our trek at 4767m for views over the valley and the snow capped peaks. From here it was another two hours of bumpy, twisty roads until we arrived in the village of Vaqueria, to load our donkeys with gear and start the first of our four day hike. Upon arrival we quickly received the first of our daily snack packs intended to keep us energised for the miles ahead.
The first day started off on a small trail from the town and back into the Huascaran National park. Albeit being advised it would be mostly flat, it was definitely up and down with 600m’s of accent. We quickly learnt the Peruvian definition of flat meant the ground was easy going, not the nature of the elevation. Within two hours we had stopped for lunch which was delicious, giving us confidence we would be eating well for the next few days. Our hike continued up a steep section, up into a valley and across sweeping fields into a green landscape as we arrived into the national park.
The last mile of our walk gave us views of our campsite for the night. In total for the first day we had walked 6.7 miles. Thankfully upon arriving at the campsite we were greeted with hot water to wash ourselves, and almost instantly it was tea time followed by dinner, before bedtime was called at 8pm. The weather at night was chilly but thankfully we had sleeping bags designed for -15 degrees, yet this didn’t stop us both wearing our thermals for bed as the weather dropped below zero degrees.
Our second day was the hardest day of the trek with the Punta Union pass ahead of us. The walk started with a steep uphill section, followed by a flatter portion which was apparently our recovery section! It then zig-zagged up higher and higher with beautiful views over some lakes and the surrounding mountains emerging from the mist. After a short rest it was time to tackle the final, steep section. We definitely had to take this slowly, with the altitude making it trickier to catch our breath, and it was a welcome sight when we rounded the final corner and saw the sign for the Punta Union pass.
The view was incredible and we took our time celebrating having made it and taking lots of photos. We had planned to have lunch at the top but had actually made it quicker than expected so started the descent before stopping.
The way down was quite tricky, with lots of rocks to navigate, so we were glad when it was time for a break about 30 minutes later. Following lunch it was another two hours downhill before we made it to the campsite, tired but happy to have made it through day two. This was probably our prettiest campsite, nestled in the mountains, but it was also our coldest with the tents covered in a thin film of ice, making us again grateful for our thick sleeping bags keeping us warm!
Our third day was to be our longest walking day, taking an excursion from the normal route to our next campsite to ascend 400m to view the Paramount mountain from a better perspective, and visit Lake Arhuaycocha at 4,450m. The previous night we were told if the weather was not good we wouldn’t be able to visit the lake, so would get a lie in until 7.30, so we were grateful to be woken at 6am with our usual Coca tea to beautiful clear sky’s and the sun cresting the mountain peaks.
The clear morning resulted in a cold start to the day, so once we had packed our tent we were grateful for the morning tea. Our walk to the lake took 3 hours, first ascending steeply from the campsite along the side of a mountain, through long grasses and small bushes. After 40 minutes of climbing we arrived at a relatively flat grassy landscape where we were greeted with a viscacha chilling on the rocks (a rabbit like creature crossed with a squirrel’s tail). From here we were rewarded with views of the Paramount mountain and surrounding glacial peaks.
After a short but steep rocky ascent to the mirador, we were greeted with breathtaking views of the lake below and glaciers above. The lake was a beautiful turquoise, glistening in the sun, with blocks of ice floating on the surface. The mountains above were even more spectacular with grand white glacier’s, and a waterfall flowing into the lake below. We had the lake to ourselves thanks to it’s excluded location.
Our return to the trek returned the same route, before turning off and descending into the valley below via a multitude of zig zag’s. The landscape in this valley differed to those we had already trekked, very barren and dusty, with the sun high in the sky giving the effect of a desert.
Following a much needed stop for lunch the walk was relatively flat, following a dry and dusty path, passing another smaller Laguna, finally reaching the campsite after 14 miles of walking. After dinner we were once again in our sleeping bags, after enjoying the stars, by 8pm - ready for another early start on our final day.
Our final day was our shortest day with only 4 hours of trekking to reach the village of Cashapampa. It was another cold morning so we were glad to get walking just after 7am, initially following the valley before descending steeply down a loose and rocky path.
This section of the walk had a completely different landscape, with the river bringing more greenery and, as we walked further along, more signs of civilisation appearing with a dam across the water. Keen to enjoy the final views we took our time descending, stopping for multiple photo opportunities, before entering the small village of Cashapampa. Tired but happy to have made it we enjoyed a well earned beer and sit down as a group, before jumping back in the mini van for our return to Huaraz.
A final celebration dinner was included as part of our tour so, after enjoying a warm shower back at the hostel, we were back out to Paulino’s (a local Indian) to enjoy a final meal together, followed by a pisco sour at a local bar. This was the perfect end to the trip, and both Ali and I agree that the trek is a massive highlight of our trip so far.