SANTA CRUZ & LLANGANUCO

Continuing our tour today, we’ll see beautiful lakes such as Lake Ichiccocha and Lake Jatuncocha—which, when translated into Spanish, mean “small lake” and “large lake”—as well as mountains like Alpamayo, considered the most beautiful mountain in the world. The hike takes approximately 6 hours.

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll head to the highest point of our hike, which is the Punta Unión Pass (approx. 4 hours). From here, we’ll enjoy beautiful views of snow-capped peaks such as Taulliraju, Quitaraju, Rinrihirca, and Artresonraju. After taking photos, we’ll descend through the Huaripampa ravine back to our camp (approx. 3 hours).

It’s our last day. We’ll pass through the Andean village of Huaripampa, with its adobe and straw buildings, and then arrive at the village of Vaquería, where the car will be waiting to take us to Huaraz. On the way, we’ll reach the Portachuelo Pass (4,750 m) to take great photos of many snow-capped peaks in the Cordillera Blanca, such as Huascarán, Chopicalqui, Pisco, and Huandoys. We’ll also visit the two beautiful lakes in the Llanganuco Gorge: Chinancocha and Orconcocha, which translate to “Female Lake” and “Male Lake.” The travel time by vehicle today is approximately 5 hours, and the hike will take 3 hours.