Santa Cruz Trek and Nevado Pisco, Perú

After breakfast, we started walking across some plains and crossed a lagoon that had been covered years ago by a landslide. We will continue along a plain until we reach the beautiful Jatuncocha Lagoon (big lagoon), from which we can see the  south face of Quitaraju (6036 m) and other mountains. We will then proceed
towards the Santa Cruz valley and ascend to 4500 m until we reach the Alpamayo base camp. We will visit the impressive Arhueycocha Lagoon. Next, we will resume the route along a trail until we reach the Taullipampa camp (4350m), considered the best on the circuit, where an unforgettable sunset awaits us. The journey will take between 5 and 6 hours.

We will begin our ascent toward the first high altitude pass. We will reach 4750 m at the Punta Unión pass, with views of the entire Santa Cruz valley and one of the best panoramas of the Peruvian Andes. From here, we can behold iconic mountains such as Artesonraju, Alpamayo, Rinrijirca, and, almost within reach, Taulliraju, which will dominate much of the route.

We will start the day by descending until the village of Huaripampa, at 3400 m. We will continue descending until we cross a river at 3350m, then ascend approximately 250m to the village of Vaquería. After a rest, we will resume the ascent along a drivable road and mountain trails until the Pacchapampa camp, with views of the eastern face of the Chopicalqui snow-capped peak (6354m). The total duration of the journey is 6–7 hours.

Day of the second pass! Portachuelo de Llanganuco. We will set out early to make the most of the views. After ascending gentle slopes and crossing some
stretches of the road, we will reach the pass at 4750 m. As we cross the characteristic V-shaped gap, one of the most spectacular trekking panoramas will
unfold before us. We will be able to admire Huascarán Sur, the highest mountain in Peru; Huandoy, with its 4 impressive summits that exceed 6000 m. The Nevado Pisco; the majestic Chacrarajuy; the Llanganuco valley, with its two famous lakes, Orconcocha and Chinancocha. After a break, we will descend along a beautiful trail to our camp at Orconcocha Lake. The journey will take 5 to 6 hours.

Rest at the Yuraq Corral camp with the option to visit Laguna 69.

Transfer from Huaraz to Cebollapampa (3850 m), where we will begin our walk to the Pisco base camp (4650 m). In this area, you’ll find the Peru refuge (an optional extra). Up to this point, the donkeys will carry our supplies, and we will continue with the porters until we reach the moraine camp. Here, the mountain views are spectacular, and the sunset is simply magical. The entire journey will take about 6 to 7 hours.

We will begin the ascent around 2:00 a.m. toward “El Collado.” We will continue climbing and, after several hours of overcoming various slopes, we will reach the spectacular summit of this mountain. From the top, we can marvel at the 360° view of the Cordillera Blanca. After enjoying this achievement, we will descend back to the camp.