Day One - Arrive Lima
Arrive late evening in Lima. You will be met by our representative at the airport for your transfer to your hotel in Miraflores, in time for you to have an evening meal overlooking the elegant Parque Kennedy, a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean.
Day Two - Up into the Andes!
It's an early start this morning but you can take it easy since all you'll be doing is sitting on the bus! We'll take you to the bus station and then meet you at the other end in Huaraz to take you to your hotel. You'll probably want to take it fairly easy to begin with as the altitude will take a bit of getting used to but Huaraz is a nice place to stroll around and relax as you beign your holiday in Peru.
Day Three - Huascaran National Park and Llanganuco Lagoon
A full-day excursion today as we take you out into the Huascaran National Park. Officially protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, it is a stunningly beautiful region of snow-white peaks and crystal-clear lagoons such as Lake Llanganuco. As well as the great scenery, you can see wildlife such as Andean Condors, vicuñas and many other creatures in the area.
Day Four - Chavin de Huantar
Another trip out of Huaraz today as you continue your acclimatisation. Today we'll take you the archaeological complex of Chavin de Huantar in the Mosna Valley. We'll pass through some more stunning scenery on the way there but the site itself is the real treat, with the ruins of the temples and the famous gargoyles or cabezas clavas being particularly noteworthy.
Day Five - Day Trek to Lake Churup
The hiking starts in earnest today as you enjoy a day trek into the Cordillera Blanca as you head up to Laguna Churup - a beautiful glacial lake at 4,465m above sea level. The walking isn't too arduous and you'll have one of our expert guides to make sure there aren't any problems.
Day Six - Entering the Huayhuash
Today we will have a briefing for you to make sure everything is ready and that you're happy with your equipment before we head off to Llamac, the gateway to the Cordillera Huayhuash. You will spend the night here as it's an early start tomorrow.
Day Seven - The trekking begins!
Early this morning we'll take a local bus along the valley to Quartelhuain from where we begin our trek. From here we will climb up to the first pass, Catananpunta at 4690m. From here the rest of the first day is pretty straightforward as we descend to our campsite at the stunning Laguna Mitacocha, where we will spend the night.
Day Eight - Mitacocha to Carhuacocha
A fairly relaxing day today as we havea gentle climb up to the Carhuac pass (4640m) before heading back down to Carhuacocha where we will spend the night. From our campsite we will have great views of some of the famous peaks in the Huayhuash such as Jirishanca (6094m), Yerupaja (6617m) and Yerupaja Chico (6089m).
Day Eleven - Up to Huayhuash
A tougher day today as you head along unmarked trails to see one of the wonders of Peru in the three lagoons of the Gangrajanca valley. Each is a glacial lake and each has a unique colour ranging from ice-blue to a milky turquoise, caused by the different minerals brought down from the slopes below. You'll stop for lunch overlooking the lagoons before you begin one of the tougher segments of the trek as you climb up to the Siula Punta at 4864m and then down and up again to Punta Carnicero at 4600m. You'll then have a well-earned night's rest near the hamlet of Huayhuash
Day Twelve - Mirador de San Antonio
Today is definitely a toughie as it has two high passes in one and then an optional detour up to the Mirador de San Antonio - a spectacular viewpoint which is one of the high spots of hiking in Peru. With some good hiking, the two passes (4785m and 4950m) should be over before lunch so you then have an easy afternoon heading down the Huanacpatay valley before you decide whether to add on the steep 2-hr climb up to the mirador...
Day Thirteen - Along the valley and up to Incahuain
There is a long but easy morning walking along the valley to Huayllapa where you and your cook can purchase new supplies (including beer!) before you begin a steady climb up to your campsite at Incahuain. You should arrive in the early afternoon so you'll be able to relax before a fairly tough day tomorrow.
Day Fourteen - 2 more passes
Some serious hiking today with two high passes (4750m and 4847m) before we come back down to about 4100m by Lake Jahuacocha where we'll have a last night's view of the high peaks of the Huayhuash.
Day Fifteen - The end of the trek!
A very early start this morning as we need to be in the town of Pocpa in time to get the bus out of the Huayhuash. It will mean an hour's hiking in the dark and then there's a steep climb up to Punta Mancan (4575m) before you begin the descent to Pocpa where you can relax knowing all your exertions are over! From here we will take you by bus back to Huaraz for you to enjoy a well-earned meal out in one of the town's great restaurants - we'll recommend a couple if you like!
Day Sixteen - Relaxing in Monterrey
Rather than rushing off we've given you a free day today for you to have a lie-in and generally relax! One suggestion we might make is that you might like to consider a good long soak in the hot springs at Monterrey - they're only a taxi-ride from your hotel and are a great place to relax, lie back and drink in the scenery!
Day Seventeen - Leaving Los Andes!
This morning we'll pick you up and take you to the bus station to catch a coach back down to Lima. You'll arrive in the late afternoon and we'll take you back to your Miraflores hotel where you can relax or take a stroll down to the Pacific or maybe take advantage of the city's great nightlife!
Day Eighteen - Last Day in Peru
You will have a pretty much full day to explore the capital and enjoy its museums (or its shops!) before being picked up from your hotel and taken to the airport for your international flight back to the UK.
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