Cordillera Blanca Alpamayo 10 days

Day 1 - Lima - Arrive - Huaraz
Boarding our confortable bus ,we make the long drive across the high pass Conococha 4100 Mts after we descend with stunning afternoon views of Cordillera blnaca until Huaraz 3090 Mts, where we will check our hotel. The rest of the day and evening are at leisure. We plan to have a group briefing before dinner, however this will be subject to all group members arriving during the day – otherwise we will have the briefing tomorrow.
Overnight in Huaraz.

Day 2 - Aclimatizations day In Huaraz, training day hikes
We now have two days in Huaraz to explore this stunning region with some day walks—and at an elevation of 3,052 m (10,013 ft), our time spent in Huaraz is crucial to our safe acclimatisation. Huaraz is a scenic town set at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca with views directly up to the highest peak in Peru, Huascarán (6,768 m / 22,205 ft). There is a range of different walking excursions we can make from our base here for a couple of days, and these hikes will be invaluable acclimatisation for our trekking program ahead. As the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca, Huaraz is a bustling tourism hub and also serves as a pick up point for our crew and all supplies and equipment for the trek. On Day 2, we walk to the pre-Inca ruins of Willcahuaín (3,400 m / 11,155 ft) and back to the hotel in a loop walk that will last 4–5 hours, finishing the day with a relaxing soak in the Monterrey hot springs. On Day 3, we make a day trip to Laguna Churup (4,485 m / 14,715 ft), a beautiful glacial lake set at the base of Nevado Churup (5,493 m / 18,022 ft). This is one of the most popular day treks in the Cordillera Blanca and takes around 4–5 hours to complete. The trek to Churup Lake is an excellent training and acclimatization hike for our upcoming Alpamayo Circuit, and our efforts will be rewarded when we arrive at this stunning turquoise glacial lake. Overnight in Huaraz.

Day 3 - Drive to Hualcayan via Yungay and Caraz
Today we will drive from Huaraz to Hualcayan via Caraz, a trip of around 5 hours including stops. We head north from Huaraz, descending into the vast Callejón de Huaylas valley. We visit the memorial for Yungay, a town that was completely destroyed by the giant avalanche of ice, rock and mud that came down from the flanks of Huascarán during the 1970 earthquake. From here we stop to visit the busy local market in Caraz, before driving along an unpaved road up into the mountains to our first night’s campsite at Hualcayan village (2,900 m / 9,514 ft).Overnight at campsite.

Day 4 - Trek to Wishcash - Cullicocha lake
Cordillera Blanca's Alpamayo Circuit TrekToday we set off on a steady, continuous climb, swiftly gaining altitude as we zigzag up to our next camp at Wishcash (4,300 m / 14,108 ft), perched high up the mountainside. From here we have terrific views west across the Callejón de Huaylas to the Cordillera Negra, and at night we can see the twinkling lights of the villages high up in the Cordillera Negra. Overnight at campsite.

Day 5 - Trek to Ruinapampa via Osoruri Pass
Alpamayo trekking circuit in the Cordillera Blanca PeruToday will be a tough day (8-9 hours’ trekking) and our pre trek training will be put to good use as we climb on a generally good zigzagging path to the crystal blue Laguna Cullicocha (4,650 m / 15,256 ft). From here we enjoy a magnificent panorama with the summits of Santa Cruz (6,259 m / 20,535 ft)—Santa Cruz Norte and Santa Cruz Chico—rising steeply at the opposite end of the lake. As we continue our ascent towards our first mountain pass, Osoruri (4,850 m / 15,912 ft; joint-highest point on our trek), our views of the surrounding lakes and peaks get better and better. We descend and climb again to the Vientunan Pass (4,770 m / 15,650 ft) before embarking on a long switch-back descent to the depths of the Quebrada los Cedros valley. We pass the terraced fields surrounding the thatch-roofed crofter’s hamlet of Alpamayo and soon after reach our camp at Ruinapampa (4,050 m / 13,287 ft). Overnight at campsite.

Day 6 - Trek to Mirador at Alpamayo
In and around Alpamayo This morning we will trek for a few hours on almost flat terrain up the beautiful Cedros valley. On the way we’ll see some ruined structures and ancient standing stones. Eventually, the spectacular pyramid form of Alpamayo (5,947 m / 19,515 ft) comes into view to the southeast. Tonight we will camp at Mirador of Alpamayo (4,150 m / 13,615 ft).
Overnight at campsite .

Day 7 - To Sajuna via Gara Gara Pass and Mesapata Pass
Today we have a trekking day of around 7 hours, first crossing the Los Cedros River and climb steadily to our next pass, the sometimes-windy Cara Cara (4830 m / 15,846 ft). This is the continental divide; all rivers running west head for the Pacific and those running east eventually reach the Atlantic, via the Amazon. From here, there are great views back to the peaks of Alpamayo, Jancarurish, Quitaraju (6,036 m / 19,803 ft) and the Laguna Jancarurish. We descend to a plateau and spend two hours on an easy traverse to a second, lower pass (Mesapata; 4,500m / 14,764 ft), before dropping to our camp at Safuna in the Quebrada Tayapampa (4,200 m / 13,780 ft). Overnight at campsite.

Day 8 - Trek to Jancapampa via Pucajirca Pass
Again, today’s trek will be around 7 hours long, and we start by crossing the Huillca plateau, one of few locations in the Cordillera Blanca where alpacas are found in abundance. We ascend a narrow valley to a rocky pass, Pucajirca (4,600 m / 15,092 ft), from which—weather permitting—we are treated to awesome views of the snowcapped peak of Pucajirca Norte (6,046 m / 19,836 ft). From here we have a short descent on steep scree, but it soon levels out as we continue down a shrub-filled valley flanked by quenual (polylepis) forest. We pass the beautiful tree-fringed Laguna Sactaycocha and continue our descent through rich vegetation to the broad Quebrada Jancapampa valley. We camp near the head of the valley (3,600 m / 11,811 ft); directly behind camp we have views of a huge hanging glacier and waterfalls cascading down a vast horseshoe of cliffs hundreds of metres high. A lot of farming families live across the valley, and it is our first opportunity since Huallapa to meet the friendly local people and the curious, happy children who call the valley home. Overnight at campsite
Day 9 - Trek to Pomabamba via jancapampa
Overnight at campsite or hotel
Day 10 - Pomabamba - huaraz
Overnight at huaraz hotel.

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