Destinations: Cordillera Huayhuash

Destinations: Cordillera Huayhuash

Peru
-10.267, -76.9 (highest point, Yerupajá)

If you've seen any bits of this blog, then you know I love the outdoors, and I love to hike.  It's probably not surprising that most of my dream destinations involve the wide open spaces, the infinite variety of geography on this planet.  So many incredible areas, I wish I had the funds and time to visit them all.  But for now, this blog will serve as a list of my highlights and desires.

Today we're back in South America, for a different mountainous landscape than we saw earlier with Mt. Roraima: the incredible Cordillera Huayhuash.  This small, 30km range rises through several areas, including the Ancash, Lima, and Huanuco regions.The Huayhuash also encompasses several lakes and peaks over 6,000 m (see the map from SummitPost below).





This is not the most popular route through Peru (that would be the busy Inca Trail, which winds up to the ruins of Machu Picchu), this one is certainly more demanding.  Most of the trail is above the treeline (4,000 m), so grasslands and landscapes typical of the paramo dominate, punctuated by lofty peaks. It is dry during the middle of the year, and that is generally considered the best time to go and explore the area. 
 
The area is also noted for its glaciers, which dot the spaces between the mountains and passes, as well as the glacial lakes that are fed from the runoff of the ice. 




From what I've read, the trek takes about 10-14 days, and during that time you are likely not to see another foreign tourist, only local Peruvians that inhabit the few towns you trek through.  The area is generally considered safe these days; the area was once a base for the rebel group Shining Path, and though there have been attacks in the past (1990s and before), the locals have taken security into their own hands.  There is a "security fee" charged in order to help provide them with means, but it seems a small price to pay to be able to trek safely through this region.
Thank you to Jack Brauer and his blog Mountain Photographer, which supplied this destination file with most of the images.  Check out his fantastic collection of images while trekking here.