Cordillera Huayhuash Trek: Spectacular views in bad weather - classic and alpine routes itinerary

Cordillera Huayhuash Trek: six day backpacking trip from Quartelhuain to Huayllapa through a combination of the classic and the alpine routes.

Cordillera Huayhuash Reserved Zone - Ancash, Lima and Huánuco regions, Peru

June 2025


Itinerary:
For my second take on the Huayhuash Trek I planned an itinerary from Quartelhuain to Huayllapa which included most of the Alpine Route with a two nights stop at Cutatambo to be able to hike to Laguna Sarapococha and the Siula Grande Base Camp.

Day 1: Drive from Huaraz to Quartelhain. Quartelhuain Trailhead, Cacanapunta pass, Laguna Mitucocha. Camp at Janca.

Day 2: Janca camp to Laguna Carhuacocha via Alpine Route, Laguna Alcaycocha, Mirador Jirishanca. Camp at Laguna Carhuacocha.

Day 3: Laguna Carhuacocha camp to Huayhuash camp via Alpine Route: Tres Lagunas, Siula Pass, Laguna Carnicero. Camp at Huayhuash camp.

Day 4: Huayhuash camp to Cutatambo Camp via Alpine Route: Trapecio Pass, Jurau Pass / Santa Rosa Pass. Camp at Cutatambo

Day 5: Hike to Laguna Sarapococha and Laguna Juraucocha. Camp at Cutatambo.

Day 6: Cutatambo Camp to Huayllapa

Day 7: Drive from Huayllapa to Huaraz.

51.72 mi 12,454 ft elevation gain.

AllTrails Map:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-backpack-trip-at-huayhuash-alpine-route-complete-trekking-1d02e76

Notes about the map: the map is indicative of the trip itinerary although mileage and moving time cannot be considered as reference as I often deviated from the route for filming and photography; also the moving time on the map includes all stops and breaks during the day as I stopped recording only once camp was setup for each day.



Trek notes:

This backpacking trip was my "take two" of the Huayhuash trek to go see the beautiful places I could not see on my first Huayhuash trip. This included a few sections of the Huayhuash Alpine route. So I planned my independent backpacking trip (no Agency support) from Quartelhuain with exit in Huayllapa. In my previous trip I hiked the section from Huayllapa to Llamac, so I decided to end the trip in Huayllapa this time. I was particularly interested in hiking the Santa Rosa pass down to Cutatambo and from there to do a day hike up to Laguna Sarapococha and the Siula Grande Base Camp. I also wanted to hike up to Cerro Gran Vista to enjoy the view of the valley and surrounding nevados from there. The weather had different plans for me. I hiked in cloudy or rainy weather (and wet snow at higher elevation) for the majority of the days and ended up skipping the hike up to Cerro Gran Vista as for that day there was no "grand vista" to be had up there. The cloudy and rainy weather blocked the views of the mountains for most of the time during the trip but that was not always negative: it also provided some very beautiful ambience and awe-inspiring views of the nevados and lagunas in many cases. Overall, the rainy and cloudy weather made this trip significantly different than the previous year trip which had plenty of blue skies and sunshine. The sections that I hiked during both trips such as the Tres Lagunas, Siula Pass and Trapecio Pass, looked like a remarkably different landscape at times - but equally beautiful.
Overall, during my "take two" of the Huayhuash circuit I was able to hike through all the areas I did not hike the previous year. I saw what I wanted to see, with the exception of Cerro Gran Vista. No doubt, the combination of both trips was a memorable backpacking experience. I think the videos speak for themselves.
As a final note, the drive out of Huayllapa to return to Huaraz, although long and tiring, went through a very interesting road section from Cajatambo to Pativilca, driving through an impressive deep canyon with a beautiful and rugged mountain landscape.



Music:
Holophrased by Ave Air
Licensed by Epidemic Sound.

#huayhuash #hiking #backpacking #cordillerahuayhuash #huayhuashcircuit #huaraz

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
01:53 - Trip Highlights
08:16 - Day 1: Quartelhuain Trailhead to Laguna Mitucocha
11:10 - Day 2: Janca Camp to Laguna Carhuacocha
17:04 - Day 3: Laguna Carhuacocha, Tres Lagunas, Siula Pass, Huayhuash Camp
21:59 - Day 4: Huayhuash Camp, Trapecio Pass, Santa Rosa Pass, Cutatambo Camp
27:54 - Day 5: Hike to Laguna Sarapococha and Laguna Juraucocha
32:54 - Day 6: Cutatambo Camp to Huayllapa