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Trip Duration   10 days
Trip Type   Trekking Adventure
Grading   Moderate to Challenging
Starting Point of Trek   Huancarhuas
Finishing Point of Trek   Cashapampa
Highest Point   Vientunan Pass 4850m
Distance   Approx. 120km
 
 
This demanding trek takes you through some of the most spectacular sections of the Cordillera Blanca, past perennially ice-capped peaks and stunning turquoise glacial lakes, and through pristine Andean valleys.
The route involves very long ascents to many high passes, linking the different valleys of Los Cedros, Alpamayo and Santa Cruz.
It is the longest and most challenging trek in the Cordillera Blanca, but it is also the most beautiful. Your efforts will be amply rewarded with exceptional mountain scenery. The highly prized view of Mount Alpamayo’s north side is incontestably the highlight of the trek: many consider this 5947m high mountain the most beautiful in the world, thanks to its near-perfect pyramid of ice.
Along the way you will also come across isolated Quechua communities where the locals still follow a traditional way of life.
 
     
   
     
   

     
 
 
DAY 1 Drive to Huancarhuas (2900m), via Caraz. Trek to Calamina (3980m).
Approx. 3 hours driving, 6 hours trekking

DAY 2 Trek to Osoruri (4560m), via Cullicocha Lake (4640m) and Osoruri Pass (4860m).
Approx. 6 hours trekking

DAY 3 Trek to Jancarurish (4210m), via Vientunan Pass (4770m).
Approx. 7 hours trekking

DAY 4 “Rest Day” at Jancarurish (4210m). Trek to Lake Jancarurish, Alpamayo Base Camp – North side (4520m) and Lake 42.
Approx. 8 hours trekking

DAY 5 Trek to Huillcapampa (4000m), via Cara Cara Pass (4830m) and Mesapata Pass (4450m).
Approx. 7 hours trekking

DAY 6 Trek to Jancapampa (3540m), via Yanacon Pass (4600m).
Approx. 8 hours trekking

DAY 7 Trek to Lake Huecrucocha (3950m), via Tupa Tupa Pass (4360m).
Approx. 7 hours trekking

DAY 8 Trek to Lake Morococha (4400m), via Pucaraju Pass (4620m).
Approx. 7 hours trekking

DAY 9 Trek to Alpamayo Base Camp - South Side (4330m), via Punta Union Pass (4750m). Hike to Lake Arhuaycocha (4400m).
Approx. 6 hours trekking

DAY 10 Trek to Cashapampa (2940m). Drive to Huaraz.
Approx. 8 hours trekking, 3 hours driving
 
 
 

Please note that there are many possible itineraries for the Cedros-Alpamayo trek, lasting anything from 7 to 14 days. The shortest itinerary lasts 7 days and ends in the town of Pomabamba in the Conchucos Valley, on the other side of the Cordillera Blanca, and requires you to overnight in town before taking the bus back to Huaraz the following day (a 10-hour journey). Some itineraries link the Cedros-Alpamayo trek with the Santa Cruz Valley or the Ulta Valley. There is also the possibility to do a variety of side-trips, mostly to beautiful, but seldom visited glacial lakes, which are definitely worthwhile.
Have a look at the map below to see the different possibilities: the 10-day itinerary, as described above, is marked in red and includes an extension into the Santa Cruz Valley; the 9-day itinerary is marked in pink; the 11-day itinerary, is marked in yellow and includes an extension into the Ulta Valley; and the side-trips are marked in blue.
These itineraries include a “rest day” on day 4, which can be used to indeed rest, but for those willing to explore more of the range, some hiking is planned to one of the most beautiful parts of the range. If you wish to somehow shorten the itinerary, then you can simply take off the rest day.
If you are interested in an itinerary that is different to the 10-day itinerary described above, please contact us, so that we can send you the required itinerary. We can also custom make an itinerary according to your preferences.