PERU · CORDILLERA HUAYHUASH · 10.28°S 76.90°W · SUMMER · MAY–SEP
Huayhuash Circuit
The most beautiful hard trek on Earth, by broad consensus: twelve days around a compact wall of 6,000m ice, eight passes over 4,600m, camps by turquoise lakes, and the amphitheatre where Touching the Void happened.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
THE SHAPE OF THE TRIP · 12 DAYS
The itinerary
Huaraz and the walk-in
Two acclimatisation days above Huaraz (Laguna Churup, 4,450m, is the test paper) before driving to Quartelhuain and crossing the first pass, Cacanan Punta at 4,690m, into the range's northern amphitheatre. Camp one is already higher than Mont Blanc's shoulder.
The eastern lakes
The postcard days: Carhuacocha camp beneath Yerupajá's mile-high east face, the three-lake mirador on the Siula pass day, and the long yellow valleys to Huayhuash camp — condors overhead, viscachas in the boulders, cake at altitude.
The high crux
Over Cuyoc pass, 5,050m — breath managed like currency, the Puna rolling away south — with the optional San Antonio mirador, 5,020m, straight above Siula Grande's story. Down to the hot springs camp at Viconga, where the pools are real and earned.
West side and out
The western wall days past Jahuacocha's green lake — the range's grandstand finish, every summit lined up over the water — and the final pass to Llamac, where the bus, the showers and an enormous lunch complete the circuit.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
The Huayhuash is barely thirty kilometres long and carries seven summits over 6,000m — a density of ice and drama nowhere else matches. The circuit rounds the entire range in twelve days, crossing eight passes between 4,600m and 5,050m, camping at lakes the colour of cut gemstones beneath faces that calve through the night: Siula Grande among them, whose west face carries the most famous survival story in mountaineering. Every camp is above 4,100m; days average six to eight hours; donkeys carry the camp and a full cook crew runs the kitchen (the cake at Carhuacocha camp is a documented phenomenon). This is Andean trekking at the ceiling of what trekking means. Honest note: grade 5 for sustained altitude — proper acclimatisation in Huaraz beforehand is included and mandatory, the two hardest passes exceed 5,000m, and we vet every booking; strong grade-4 experience at altitude is the entry ticket.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Eight passes over 4,600m, two over 5,000m
- Siula Grande's west face — Touching the Void ground
- Carhuacocha's three-lake staircase panorama
- Condors most days; the night sky is a second itinerary
- Full cook crew and donkey train
- Huaraz acclimatisation days built in and required
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You are at the hard end of what we run: sustained, committing days with genuine consequence. We vet every booking for this trip by phone.
- You accept that altitude sets the schedule — this route reaches 5,050m and the guide's altitude call is final.
- You are happy in a tent, in weather, with no shower and an early kettle.
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 5 means grade 5. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £2,650 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Marta Serrano) at a max ratio of 1:6
- Tents, group camp kit and all meals on trek
- Daily oximeter checks and an acclimatisation schedule that is not negotiable
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
NOT INCLUDED
- International travel to the start point
- Personal travel insurance covering trekking to 5,050m — required, checked before departure
- Visas and permits payable on entry, where applicable
- Tips for local crew (we publish a guideline per trip)
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
SPF50, lip block and category 3–4 glasses. High-altitude sun does not negotiate.
Sleeping bag and mat rated for the trip's coldest night (hire available, £30).
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Marta Serrano
IML · SOUTHERN EUROPE & AMERICASAragonese, Pyrenees-raised, and the reason our Spanish and Andean logistics run on time. Carries a tin of saffron on every expedition and has used it at 4,600m.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 6 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
IF THIS, THEN ALSO
