The ultimate guide to independent & solo hiking the Huayhuash Circuit in Peru

November 28, 2019

Widely regarded as one of the best alpine treks in the entire world, the Huayhuash Circuit is a remote and impossibly scenic high-altitude route in Peru’s Cordillera Huayhuash (pronounced why-wash). The trail, totalling 135km and crossing 12 mountain passes all above 4,500m, circles some of the highest and most impressive mountains in the Andes, offering surreal vistas of jagged snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes, and even steamy hot springs. It’s definitely a challenging trek, taking most hikers 8-12 days to complete the full loop— but it’s worth every single blister and aching muscle to see rugged natural beauty that most visitors to Peru have never even dreamt of.

This is a comprehensive guide to planning your own independent Huayhuash Circuit trek, including information about acclimatisation, getting to Huaraz and the trailhead, a super detailed Huayhuash Circuit itinerary, campsites & fees, what to expect on the trail, and a full packing list. Happy trails!

What's in this travel guide

About the Huayhuash Circuit

Peru’s compact Cordillera Huayhuash mountain range, only about 400km north of Lima and yet a world away from the bustling capital, also lacks much of the tourist traffic of the nearby Cordillera Blanca (home to the popular Laguna 69 and Santa Cruz treks, among others). This feeling of being off-the-beaten-path is one of the best things about trekking in the Cordillera Huayhuash, a region perhaps best known as the setting of Joe Simpson’s epic survival following a mountaineering accident on Siula Grande (6,344m). But if one of the best things is the relative remoteness of the trails and the ability to enjoy insane views entirely to yourself, then the best thing about the Huayhuash Circuit is the scenery itself. “Magical” doesn’t even begin to describe the dramatic peaks or towering glaciers that dominate every angle of this trek.

Depending on the exact route and the addition of side-trips, the Huayhuash Circuit is a 110-150km trek beginning either in the town of Llamac or in Quartelhuain (my recommendation; also called Cuartelwain or Matacancha on some maps). Practically the entire trek is above 4,000m, which means that it’s just as essential to be acclimatised as it is to be a fit, experienced trekker.

There’s a lot of variability in the time taken to walk the circuit (anywhere from about 1-2 weeks), but your own trek will be a careful balance of how far you can comfortably walk in a day vs how much weight you can comfortably carry on your back. For us, 10 days was the magic number, so that’s what I’m going to describe in this post (you can still use all this info to plan a shorter or longer trip, though!). Expect to be pushed to your limits, but in the best, most inspiring kind of way— nothing worth doing is easy, and the views are that much sweeter when you earn them with blood, sweat, and the occasional tear.

The map dad made of our route (the 1st & 3rd yellow sections were me trekking alone, otherwise I followed the orange route)

Hiking independently or joining a guided trek

It’s definitely possible to tackle the Huayhuash Circuit as part of a guided trek. Most of these tours include porters/donkeys to carry your gear and food, leaving you with just a small daypack. You’ll also have meals prepared for you and all of the organisation sorted— just show up and walk. This can be a great option if you don’t have the necessary backpacking gear to camp and cook for yourself, the confidence to navigate or cope with changing conditions, the stamina to carry a heavy pack, or the time/willingness to plan your own trekking route. If you do want to join a trekking group, I became friends along the trail with a wonderful local mountaineering guide, Marco Reyes, who owns High Summit Peru in Huaraz— I highly recommend him!

But if you do want to go it alone? The reward of trekking independently is 100% worth the extra effort. I’ll talk more about what to expect on the trail (including navigational demands and the risk of altitude sickness) further down this post, but here’s just a rough idea of what’s required to trek the Huayhuash Circuit independently.

Huayhuash Circuit without a guide: is it for you?

You can hike 5-10hrs for 10 days in a row, often on very steep or uneven terrain
You are able to carry 15-25kg in your pack
You have/can hire all the necessary gear for your walk (see Packing list for the Huayhuash Circuit below) and know how to use everything correctly
You have some navigational skills and can read both a map and a GPS
You know what to do in the case of a medical emergency (especially altitude sickness) and you have a way to call for help (PLB)
You are able to complete at least 2-3 days of acclimatisation, preferably hiking, immediately before the trek (see Acclimatising for your trek below)

Leaving Jirishanca behind

Before you set out on the Huayhuash Circuit

Essential maps & information

When you first begin planning your Huayhuash Circuit trek, there are a couple of invaluable resources that will make things infinitely easier. The first, of course, is this blog post! Next, I’d definitely recommend purchasing this guidebook and map:

Peru’s Cordilleras Blanca & Huayhuash: The Hiking & Biking Guide by Neil & Harriet Pike

Although it has many shortcomings (how is there no trail mileage anywhere in this book!?), is slightly outdated, and we were left routinely questioning their time estimates… this is the only real guidebook out there that covers the Huayhuash Circuit, and therefore it’s still essential in my mind. Between my blog post and this book, you should have a pretty solid idea of what to expect and how to plan the trek, as well as some directions and maps with major landmarks like campsites. I’d recommend scanning pages 152-174, printing them (they fit well on A5 sheets), and packing them in a little plastic folder for reference along the trail. Buy the book on Amazon here.

Alpenvereinskarte Huayhuash (Peru) 1:50,000 Trekking Map

This is the best map covering the entirety of the Huayhuash Circuit, so I’d recommend purchasing this during the planning stages to help chart an intended route and also carrying it with you on the trail for reference. Be warned that this map will often use different names for things than the aforementioned guidebook, which might be different yet again from your GPS— this is a common theme in Peru, due in large part to Quechua (native Andean language) words that were phonetically translated by Spaniards during the conquest. You’ll get used to it, but just look closely at the map when you first get it so as to familiarise yourself with some of these variations (e.g. Quartelhuain vs Cuartelwain vs Matacancha, or Paso Jurau vs Paso Santa Rosa). Buy the map on Amazon here.

Planning tomorrow’s route with my guidebook pages

When to go

Weather in the Peruvian Andes is typically grouped into two seasons: a cool, dry winter (also referred to as the “Andean Summer” from May to September and a minimally warmer, but much wetter summer from October to April. The same is true for the Cordillera Huayhuash. There really isn’t much fluctuation in terms of temperature throughout the year (nighttime lows -10 to 0C, daytime highs of 18 to 22C), but there is a massive difference in terms of rain and cloud-cover.

I’ve experienced torrential rain in other parts of Peru during the wet season and I would strongly advise against a Huayhuash Circuit trek during this time. Not only are clouds likely to obscure the best views, but the navigation becomes markedly more challenging in poor weather and there’s a much greater risk of getting yourself into a sticky situation on some of the high-altitude passes. During the Andean Summer, you have a better chance of clear, sunny days with little-to-no rain.

Still, you must be prepared for all weather in the mountains, irrespective of the season! I did this trek at the very end of August and most days were sunny with occasional morning cloud cover that burned off within a few hours— but we woke up one morning to snow flurries and a campsite blanketed in white powder. Seriously, anything goes in the mountains, so prepare, prepare, prepare.

Acclimatising for your trek

Because most of us don’t live at high altitudes and aren’t used to breathing oxygen-poor air, it’s absolutely essential to give yourself time to acclimatise to the elevation before you hit the trail. This will greatly reduce the risk of altitude sickness. The best way to acclimatise before the Huayhuash Circuit is to spend at least a few days in Cusco or Huaraz and tick off some easier high-altitude treks.

Prior to this trek, I spent two weeks in Cusco (3,400m), where I did Palccoyo (4,900m), the Salkantay Trek (4,650m) and a short version of the Ausangate Circuit (5,050m), and then spent 2 days in Huaraz (3,050m), where I also hiked around Laguna Parón (4,500m). All of this acclimatisation made me really prepared for the Huayhuash Circuit and ultimately improved the quality of my trip. Even if you don’t have weeks to spend acclimatising, though, plan a minimum of 2-3 days in Huaraz before your trek. Learn more about altitude on the Huayhuash Circuit in the Altitude sickness section under What to expect on the trail below) and read this post about general high-altitude trekking.

Here are a few ideas of what to do in Huaraz before the Huayhuash Circuit:

Walk around town (3,050m)
Take a day tour to Laguna Paron (4,300m)
Hike to Laguna Churup (4,450m)
Hike to Huandoy Viewpoint above Laguna Parón (4,500m)
Hike to Laguna 69 (4,625m)

Condors at Cerro Huacrish

Getting to & from the trailhead

Getting to Huaraz, Peru

Although Huaraz is still 150km from the Cordillera Huayhuash, this bustling mountain town (often referred to as Peru’s trekking capital) is the base for your adventure. I read many times that it’s possible to fly from Lima to Huaraz on LCPeru (Tuesdays or Thursdays), but the route appears to have been suspended, so it definitely wasn’t an option in 2019. Feel free to check before your own trip to see if these flights are operating again, but it’s likely you’ll be bussing it just like we did.

Thankfully, there’s a regular Cruz del Sur bus running between Lima and Huaraz several times throughout the day and night, and it’s really simple to reserve this online in advance. I’d recommend getting first-floor VIP seats (for only a couple soles more) on the night bus, which departs from Lima’s Plaza Norte— there are multiple stations in Lima, so just make sure you go to the right one. This bus, like most buses in Peru, is crazy comfortable and you’ll even be served hot drinks and a sandwich, given a blanket and pillow, and have a personal entertainment system in your seat-back. Who needs to fly?!

Bus company: Cruz del Sur

Route: Lima (Plaza Norte) to Huaraz

Time: several daily options, but I recommend the 10.30pm-6am night bus

Cost: S/86 for VIP seats on the first level ($37AUD)

Read more about where to stay and what to do in Huaraz: COMING SOON

Getting to the Huayhuash Circuit

Starting in Llamac

The most popular starting point for the Huayhuash Circuit is the town of Llamac, just because it’s possible to take a public bus from Huaraz. According to the guidebook, this involves several steps:

Catch a 5am El Rápido or Nazario bus from Huaraz to Chiquián (2hrs, S/10)
Catch an 8am Nazario bus from Chiquián to Llamac or Pocpa (2hrs, S/12)
Walk 12km along the road to the first campsite at Quartelhuain (4hrs)

Starting in Quartelhuain

To avoid an entire day of public buses and walking on the road, start instead at the first campsite in Quartelhuain (also called Cuartelwain or Matacancha on some maps). It’s not possible to get here with public buses, so it’s definitely not as budget-friendly an option, but it is so worth it to conserve energy for more exciting days to come.

To get to and from Quartelhuain (about 4hrs from Huaraz), we booked a private shuttle through High Summit Peru for $150USD. The owner of the company, Marco Reyes, is an incredibly experienced mountaineering guide— you might even see him out on the trail leading a trekking group like we did!— and his driver Jaime is the sweetest. It was 100% worth the additional expense to have flexibility in what time we departed Huaraz and, of course, to cut out walking on the road from Llamac, so I’d highly recommend booking a shuttle to Quartelhuain.

Arriving at the trailhead in Quartelhuain

Jirishanca

Huayhuash Circuit itinerary

The official Huayhuash Circuit trail offers a wonderful trekking experience, but often there are even better experiences to be had if you get off the standard trail and onto the ruta alpina (the higher, more scenic, and more remote alpine route) to explore lesser-seen gems of the Cordillera Huayhuash.

This is my exact itinerary (which even differed to my parents’), and I’d do the exact same route again in an instant. I’ve provided all the details of my itinerary below, including trail stats, daily highlights, campsites (more info in Campsites under Communities along the Huayhuash Circuit below), AND my favourite and highly recommended non-traditional variations to the Huayhuash Circuit that will pack in even more incredible scenery. Use it to inspire and plan your own itinerary or follow it closely, the choice is yours!

Day 1: Quartelhuain to Laguna Mitucocha

Distance: 9.1km
Elevation gain: 685m
Highest elevation: Cacananpunta 4,690m
Trail hours: 5hrs
Campsite: Wild camping at Laguna Mitucocha