Hiking Guide: Laguna 513, Huaraz

We travelled to Huaraz mainly to hike the Huayhuash trek, a 9-12 day trek that’s often rated as one of the best hikes in the world. Given the high altitude of the trek, it’s crucial to spend a few days acclimatising in Huaraz first, and recommended to go on a couple of day hikes to the acclimatisation process.

After speaking with our incredible host Alan at Mariandes Hostel, we decided to do Laguna 513 as our first hike in Huaraz. It was a relatively challenging hike to start on, climbing 900m over 13km, and reaching 4450m above sea level. We hiked this trail on our third day in Huaraz, and I still felt the effects of altitude sickness so I hiked slow and chewed a lot of cocoa leaves which seemed to help.

The best thing about this hike (apart from the beauty of the trail and the scenery) was how quiet it was compared to some of the other hikes in the region. Our group was the only group we saw on the way up, and only as we were about to leave Laguna 513 we ran into another group.

I highly recommend this hike as a day hike in Huaraz - it was absolutely worth it!

How to get there:

We chose to do Laguna 513 as a tour, departing Huaraz at 7am giving us the whole day out there. We booked this tour through our hostel, Mariandes Hostel. Most hostels in Huaraz offer services to book tours, otherwise there are dozens of tour agencies in the town to book at. Most tours are around the same price: PEN60 (AUD$24.50/USD$16.00) and includes transport (2-hrs drive each way), and a tour guide.

The trail is very easy to follow, so if you prefer you can also catch a private taxi, or a colectivo (a local bus) to Carhuaz (a town nearby) and then catch a taxi from there. For ease however, I would highly recommend booking a tour through your hostel, as they are not expensive at all.

The Hike:

The first stretch of the hike is walking across a large swampy cow paddock, but the views of the mountains whilst trying not to step in a muddy puddle was worth it! We stuck to the left-hand side of the field which seemed to be the dryest area to walk. After the field crossing, as I mentioned, the trail is very easy to follow, however what makes this hike hard is the altitude.

There were 12 of us in our group, and at least half of us felt some effects of altitude sickness and had to take it a lot slower than normal, with a lot of breaks. We stopped at the first lake, Laguna Rajupaquinan to have a longer break to rest before tackling the last 2km before Laguna 513.

It was pretty steep in parts, but overall manageable and with magnificent views along the way – and lots of cows!

All up, there and back, the hike took our group about 6.5 hours. It could have been done in 5.5 hours if we were all acclimatised, but we had plenty of stops along the way.

The Top:

Laguna 513 did not disappoint! After a strenuous 3 hours, the top was worth the effort. Laguna 513 lies beneath Mount Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru, and is fed by the melting glaciers from its peaks.

We stopped here for an hour to eat lunch, take photos and explore. If you walk down to the edge of the lake, you will find an underground tunnel you can walk through – this is a protection measure if there is an avalanche, to stop flooding.

Despite the slight cool chill in the air, it’s important to remember to apply sunblock at the top – the sun is strong at such a high altitude, and it’s very easy to get burnt!

Top Tips:

• We didn’t stop for any food or breakfast, although some people on the tour were told that we would stop when they booked. Make sure you stock up on snacks and a packed lunch the night before you go, just in case the same happens to you. You will need the energy!

• Cocoa leaves seem to help some people with altitude others – myself included. Chewing on leaves for a few minutes settles my stomach and gets rid of any dizziness I feel, so it’s a good idea to bring some in case it works for you. You can pick these up all over Huaraz, especially in the markets or at the supermarket.

• As mentioned, it can get a bit chilly at the top once you have cooled down from the sweat you will build up on the hike up. Bring a jumper, as well as sunscreen.

• Drinking water is even more important at altitude. I’d recommend bringing a LifeStraw or water purification tablets so you can refill your bottle along the way.