Huayhuash Circuit - Days 7 & 8

Day Seven - Elephant Camp to Huayllapa

I was very excited for Day 7, as this was the day we would make an overnight stop in civilisation! Given Tim had been sick and we were behind schedule (for us, this was technically day 9 due to the two rest days we had), we were low on food stock, I was having internet withdrawals (a real condition) and I was craving a proper bed.

We were packed up and on the trail by about 9:30am, and enjoyed an easier morning on mostly flat terrain, walking through the valley before the heat kicked in. After several overcast days, it was so nice to be walking in the sunshine again!

There is the option to camp just outside the town of Huayllapa, in a small campground about 20 minutes from town. The last 20minutes seemed to drag, it wasn’t until I saw civilisation that my feet began to ache!

Upon entering the town, we took the first accommodation we came across – a small B&B above the Siula Store. It was PEN50/AUD$20.20/USD$13.35 for the two of us in a large room with 4 beds (they did say it was a shared room, but the only other couple that came had another room) and a shared bathroom with a hot shower. They also provided dinner for an additional PEN20/AUD$8.05/USD$5.35 which was a soup as the starter, and homemade fried chicken and rice which was so tasty and flavoursome.

We wandered around the town, and it was tiny. There were only a couple of corner stores where you could stock up on essentials, which we did as we were low on food given the extra days we had to stay on the trail.

Despite it being such a small town, we decided to spend two nights here instead of one, and have a full proper rest day and catch up on life back home with the wifi that the B&B provided – it wasn’t the best wifi, but it was enough to keep us entertained whilst our aching muscles rested!

DAY SEVEN FAST FACTS:

Hike from Elephant Camp to Huayllapa

Time it took us: 8 hours
Trail conditions: Rocky, dusty
Distance: 12.5km

Village entry cost – Huayllapa: PEN50/AUD$20.20/USD$13.40

Day Eight - Huayllapa to Gashapampa

After our rest day, it was time to hit the trail again – and this was the toughest day of all the trek. I went in rather ignorantly not realising how hard it would be. Given the town of Huayllapa was only at 3500m, we had to climb back up into the mountains reaching 4700m. Those 1200m weren’t that steep but it was long, and felt like my legs were going to give out.

DAY EIGHT FAST FACTS:

Hike from Huayllapa to Gashapampa

Time it took us: 8.5 hours
Trail conditions: Rocky, dusty, STEEP
Distance: 12.5km

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

When it came time for us to start the downhill portion about 8km in, I was surprised how hard that section was. The pathway was narrow with a lot of overgrown bush, plus it was rocky and a scramble in some parts. Despite the technical difficulties, it was a really striking part of the trail – the valley was narrow and lush, and the sun was providing a golden beam hitting the trees.

After quite a few stops to catch our breath, and a few stops to let the horse drivers past (and wishing we could palm off our restocked backpacks to them!), we reached the top of the pass by mid-afternoon. There were a couple of side-hikes we could have done from the pass, which I am sure would have been amazing, but I was exhausted. We continued slightly downhill back to 4500m, and set up camp just as the sun was setting. The campsite was pretty busy, after not really seeing that many other people for a few days it was a bit strange getting used to! They had toilet facilities here but they were horrendous, definitely the worst on the hike. So I had to walk quite far to relieve myself in nature, far away from any other campers.

It felt like such a long day, but the end was in sight, and for that I was very grateful!