Huaraz & The Cordillera Blanca

When we got back from the jungle we were a little ahead of our initial plan so we had to find something to fill the time before our flight from Lima to Rio.

We spent a day in Cusco relaxing and and pondering - given the reports we have had from other people we certainly didn´t want to spend to much time in Lima so we debated Sand Boarding in Ica and getting a scenic flight over the famous Nazca lines or a trip to Huaraz for a four day hike around the Santa Cruz route in the Cordillera Blanca.

I was feeling fairly weary after all the previous trekking so wasn´t so keen but Kim was definitely favouring the trek option. We meet up with Ant and Lisa who we had been travelling with in Bolivia and they had been recommended a tour operator for the Santa Cruz trek by someone else they had meet which pretty much swung it so we booked a flight to Lima the following morning hoping to catch a bus to Huaraz the same day.

The following morning we were delayed 4 hours while the airport at Cusco was closed but managed to get to Lima around midday, we booked a night bus to Huaraz and then spent the afternoon exploring Miraflores, particularly the Lacomar mall which is build into the side of a cliff overlooking the ocean... before catching the bus to Huaraz. From Huaraz we spent the morning looking for a tour company before settling on the same company we were recommended for the following day.

The following day we started the trek with a small group of six tourists, two guides, four donkeys and a donkey driver. Over the four days we covered 63km, starting at 3,200masl, reaching a maximum of 4,750masl and finally finishing at 2,900masl.

Along the way we saw Artesonraju, a mountain supposedly used as the basis for the Paramount pictures logo you see in the movies and Alpamyo which is also supposedly "the most beautiful mountain in the world" due to its perfect triangular shape. Weather or not this is actually the truth is debatable but the fact that the Cordillera Blanca has 50 peaks higher than 5,500m and covers an area 21 by 180 kilometres, means this part of the Andes is the second highest mountain range in the world behind the Himalayas and home to some extremely spectacular scenery.

The trek was physically harder than the Inca Trail because of the altitude, but also far more scenic and in our opinion the new highlight of the trip to date. For anyone who likes hiking this trek is definitely a must do, and for anyone coming to South America even if they hate hiking this should be on the list of places to go...

So that ends our adventures in Peru - after spending today taking in central Lima we catch a flight to Rio tonight for the final week before heading to London.

Make sure you check out the pictures from this one....

Until next time (from London), Take Care

Dave & Kim