PERUVIAN ANDES ADVENTURES
www.peruvianandes.com
SANTA CRUZ TREK7 Days Huaraz to Huaraz / 4 days trekkingGrade - Easy / Medium A popular shorter trek in the Cordillera Blanca. Its popularity is due to the spectacular mountain views, crystal blue lakes and the challenging pass Punta Union at altitude 4750m. An amazing variety of scenery in only 4 days.
Day 1 - Arrive Huaraz
Day 2 & 3 – Huaraz / Acclimatisation walks
Day 4 - Drive from Huaraz to Cashapampa- 3 hours. Walk up the Santa Cruz Valley, following the river to camp at Llamacorral (3750m) 4 - 5 hours.
Day 5 - A steady walk up the valley to our camp at Taullipampa (4250m). During the walk up the valley you see Santa Cruz (6259m) and also Alpamayo (5947m) comes into view. We walk past two lakes, first the small Ichiccocha then the larger Jatuncocha. From our camp we have views of more high peaks –Taulliraju, Paria, Artseonraju, Rinrijirca.5 – 6 hours Day 6 - Climb to the pass of Punta Union (4750m) from where there are very close views of the surrounding mountains. We also look back down the Santa Cruz Valley from where we have walked. From the pass descend past two small lakes to camp in the Quebrada Huaripampa.7 hours
Day 7 - Walk down the valley Quebrada Huaripampa, then climb up to the settlement of Vaqueria 4 - 5 hours walk. We then take a car over a high pass Portachuelo and down a steep zig zag road to the beautiful lake Llanganuco where we can stop for photos. We then return to Huaraz in the afternoon.
We recommend that you spend one or two full days in Huaraz prior to the trek to acclimatise to the altitude. We can organise day hikes to beautiful places at higher altitude to help with acclimatisation.
