Santa Cruz trekking – 4 Days / 3 Nights
Day 1: Huaraz – Cashapampa – Llamacorral (3800m/12464ft)
After breakfast in the hotel we will travel by private bus along the Callejón de Huaylas. This drive takes us through many traditional Andean towns. We will make our first stop in Carhuaz (2650m/8692ft). Here you will find homemade ice-cream from local fruits and authentic ecological handcrafts shown in el abuelo handcrafts shop. Then we will continue to the city of Caraz where we will purchase any needed supplies. From here we travel to the Cashapampa District to meet the donkey drivers at the trailhead. After the donkeys are loaded with our camping equipment we will set out on the five to six hour hike to our first camp, Llamacorral (3800m/12464ft).
Day 02: Llamacorral – Jatuncocha – Taullipampa (4200m/13776ft)
Today will be a full day of hiking and breathtaking vistas. After the breakfast we will begin the two-hour hike that will take us to Ichiccocha Lake and Jatuncocha Lake. From here we continue for another two hours that takes us to the base camp of Alpamayo. From this vista we can see the mountains Alpamayo, Quitaraju, Artesonraju, Paron, and Aguja. Try to resist maxing your camera’s memory card at this location because there is much more to come. Two more hours of hiking will bring us to our second campsite, Taullipampa (4200m/13776ft).
Day 03: Taullipampa – Punta Union Pass (4750m/15580ft) – Cachinapampa
After breakfast we will start hiking at 8:00am. A four-hour hike will bring us to the Punta Union Pass (4750m/15580ft) where we will have lunch while enjoying the splendid scenery. Complete panorama views of glaciated mountains, blue skies, and unique landscapes will be our companion during this high altitude picnic. After lunch we descend for approximately three to four hours to our final camp, Cachinapampa (3800m/12464ft).
Day 04: Cachinapampa – Vaqueria – Huaraz
After the breakfast in the morning we will start going down for about 2 hours half to get Vaqueria, where will be waiting the private bus for us, to transport to Huaraz; we will be passing the Portachuelo pass (4770m/15645ft) here we will have a short stop to enjoy the splendid views of Huascaran, Pisco, Huandoy mountains. After enjoy this we will continue our travel until Yuraccorral, where we will have lunch, then we will continue our trip passing the Orconcocha and Chinancocha lakes of Llanganuco, then we will get the control of Parque National Huascaran, where we will register. Then we will continue down to the valley until Yungay, then to Huaraz arriving at 3 or 4 pm and transfer to Hotel.