Huayhuash Circuit - Days 3 & 4

Day Three - Carhuacocha to Huayhuash via Alpine Route

This is where I am going to change the blog posts up a bit in terms of days. Because, day three for us was really spent lying in our tent all day.

That beer that Tim bought the day before, (we like to blame it on that, but it really could have been the water, or a bug) that caused Tim to fall ill on day three. Whilst he spent the day sleeping, I was lucky I had brought my Kindle because I ended up lying next to him reading most of the day. The weather was cold and drizzly outside, which was disappointing given we were in such a scenic spot next to the lake!

Because this was a day of R&R, I am going to do our actual Day 4 as Day 3 and so forth to help Huayhuash trek planners avoid confusion!

After a day of rest, Tim was feeling up to hiking again the following day. We set off early as we knew we had a big day ahead of us, tackling 13.5km and crossing the Siula Pass, climbing over 500m.

There are two routes to take to the next campsite, called Huayhuash. The route we took was the harder Alpine route, which passes by the infamous Mirador Tres Lagunas – the lookout point for the three lakes that are commonly photographed and used to advertise the beauty of the Huayhuash circuit.

It wasn’t as hard as I expected, maybe because we were going slower than usual with Tim still on the mend. We took a side trail off a few hundred meters to climb to the lookout over Gangrajanca Laguna – a steep scramble up, but absolutely worth it. We ate breakfast up the top looking over the views.

When we climbed over the pass, the weather turned on us and it started to lightly hail. An hour prior to that I’d been in a tank top, so it goes to show how quickly the weather can turn! Luckily hail stopped when we got to the top and we were able to relax and take in the views.

There are a couple of routes to from the top of the pass to the Huayhuash campsite, and it’s a bit of a rocky path down followed by muddy grassland on the route we took (the right-side of the lake).

We actually wild camped about 1km before Huayhuash campsite, given Tim had taken a turn for the worse. The good thing with this trail is you are free to wild camp anywhere – this won’t let you avoid paying to pass through villages, but it gives you more freedom and tranquility!

DAY THREE FAST FACTS:

Hike Carhuacocha to Huayhuash via Alpine Route

Time it took us: 7 hours
Trail conditions: Rocky, muddy in parts
Distance: 13.5km

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

Day Four - Huayhuash to Viconga

Tim was still ill again on day four, so we took this day very slowly and we didn’t get very far. So, to keep things easier to follow if you are planning a Huayhuash hike, I will combine our Day 4 & 5 as Day 4!

We passed through the campsite of Huayhuash and a local came up to us to collect their fees – there is no avoiding paying them, even if you didn’t stay there!

We decided to hike to the hot springs instead of taking the more scenic but more strenuous Alpine Route. It was a relatively easy yet long day, passing through a valley and through an Alpaca farm – which was definitely the highlight of the day.

When we reached the hot springs, we were surprised to only see one other small tour group – I guess most groups hiked the Alpine route instead. It was really cold that evening, so I found it too cold to even think about changing into bathers for the hot springs – Tim braved it though, and then I found myself jealous of his beautiful sunset photos!

DAY FOUR FAST FACTS:

Time it took us: 6 hours
Trail conditions: Rocky, dusty in some points
Distance: 12.5km

Village entry cost – Aguas Termales Viconga (including hot springs access): PEN30/AUD$12.10/USD$8