Huayhuash Circuit - Days 1 & 2

Day One - Huaraz to Quartelhuain, hike to Janca

Day One started with a four-hour drive that we had organised through Andean Kingdom, a tour agency in Huaraz. They told us that we would be going in a shared bus with a tour group, so we were pleasantly surprised when we found out there was only one other passenger with us! A taxi for up to 4 people would have cost us a PEN400, so we got a great deal for only PEN110 each.

After our pick-up from our hostel Mariandes Hostel at 6:30am, we drove for 4 hours to the starting point via a collection point to buy our National Park ticket (PEN50) and our first village ticket for Quartelhuain (PEN20) which was where we started our hike.

The start of the hike was pretty brutal. We were already above 4160metres and despite 5 days of acclimatisation, each step up was harder than usual. Couple that with the heat, it made for a sweaty start.

After an 505metre climb over 2km that started within 200m of the drop off point, we were rewarded with views over the mountains and dusty red lakes. Going down we had these views in front of us the whole time, and the path was rocky but easy to follow so it was a lot more pleasant than the way up!

At the bottom of the hill, there were some confusing signs on which way to go. We picked the left direction, as the sign made it seem the path on the right was closed. However, we didn’t end up going in the direction we thought we would end up Mitucocha, instead we ended up at Janca. After walking for about another hour on the trail we checked AllTrails and realised, and then we saw another sign which made it seem the trail we were already on was closed. It was so confusing, but I was too tired to turn back so we kept moving forward.

When we arrived to the start of the “village” (really just a couple of sheds with some men sitting outside chatting), no one said anything about the trail we were on being closed so all seemed to be fine!

We paid for our village ticket (PEN40), and carried on 500m to the campsite. There were already a few tour groups there, which I was quite surprised about – I didn’t think we would see that many people along the trail.

We set up camp amongst the grazing horses and donkeys, with views of the mountains, and enjoyed getting to know our fellow Huayhuash self-guided trekker – an incredible gal from Alaska, completing the trail on her own!

DAY ONE FAST FACTS:

Drive from Huaraz to Quartelhuain, hike to Janca

Time it took us: 4-hour drive, 4-hour hike
Trail conditions: Dry, dusty
Distance: 8km

Transfer cost: PEN110 / AUD$44.40 / USD$29.40

National Park entry: PEN50 / AUD$20.20 / USD$13.40

Village entry cost – Quartelhuain : PEN20 / AUD$8.05 / USD$5.35

Village entry cost – Janca: PEN40 / AUD$16.10 / USD$10.70

Day Two - Janca to Carhuacocha

We had a slow morning (we always do) taking our time to soak in the outdoors, cook our breakfast and pack our tent. We set off mid-morning, hiking the first half of the day with our Alaskan friend Katelyn. Katelyn is a extremely experienced hiker, and for a relative newbie like me it was great to pick her brains about how she prepares and plans for her multi-day treks and hear her stories and advice.

I still struggled a bit the second morning, despite it being an easier day – the combination of altitude and carrying 8 days worth of food on my back, I’m sure!

The scenery was nice, but the most beautiful part was the last couple of km before the next campsite. There was an area about 1km up from the campsite where we dropped our backpacks and explored the different vantage points, taking in the dramatic scenery of the mountains crowded around the lake. We stayed up here for almost an hour, not wanting to leave the views!

DAY TWO FAST FACTS:

Hike Janca to Carhuacocha

Time it took us: 5 hours
Trail conditions: Dry, grassy, rocky
Distance: 11.5km

Village entry cost – Carhuococha: PEN30/AUD$12.10/USD$8