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High Andes

Andes Shadow Traverse

Cordillera Blanca & Cordillera Huayhuash (Ancash)

High passes catch first light while glacial valleys still hold cold air. Condors work the ridgelines as you thread camps between ice and stone.

Days
12
Effort
Challenging
Window
May–Sep
From
$8,900

The ground

Two ranges, one province. The Cordillera Blanca carries more glaciated peaks above 5,500 m than anywhere else in the tropics, and the Huayhuash sits just south of it — shorter, sharper, emptier. This route works both from Huaraz, in Ancash. It does not touch Cusco or the Sacred Valley; those are roughly 800 km away and belong to a different trip.

Days start cold. Ice melt runs loud in the quebradas by mid-morning, then the valley wind picks up and the light goes flat. Camps sit on grass benches above 4,000 m where the temperature drops the moment the sun leaves the ridge. Condors work the thermals off Huascarán's south face most clear afternoons.

Acclimatisation is the design constraint, not a courtesy. We build the first three days around graded day walks out of Huaraz and the Callejón de Huaylas before any pass, and we carry oxygen and a pulse oximeter on every departure.

Shape of the days

A shape, not a script. Order and pacing move with weather, permits, and how the first days actually go.

  1. Days 1–3

    Lima to Huaraz, acclimatisation

    Overland or short flight to the Callejón de Huaylas. Two graded acclimatisation days — Laguna Wilcacocha, then Laguna 69 or the Quilcayhuanca valley — with resting heart rate and saturation checked each evening.

  2. Days 4–7

    Cordillera Blanca

    Santa Cruz valley or the Quilcayhuanca–Huapi circuit, depending on snow line and river levels. Private camp, cook team, and pack animals. Punta Unión at 4,750 m on the classic line.

  3. Days 8–11

    Huayhuash or extended Blanca

    Either a Huayhuash section out of Llámac — Mitucocha, Carhuacocha, the Siula viewpoint — or a deeper Blanca loop if Huayhuash access or weather does not hold. The call is made in the field, not in advance.

  4. Day 12

    Exit Huaraz

    Descent, hot springs at Monterrey or Chancos, and transfer to Lima. Late-evening international connections only.

Conditions

Dry-season days run 12–18 °C in the valleys and drop below freezing at camp most nights. Afternoon graupel is common even in July. Sun exposure at altitude is severe; the UV index regularly exceeds 11 at midday.

Fitness bar

Challenging. Six to eight hours of walking on consecutive days at 4,000 m and above, with one or two passes near 4,750 m. You should be comfortable on a full day of hill walking with 800 m of ascent at sea level before you start. No technical climbing.

Best months

May through September is the dry season and the only window we run this. June to August is the most settled. October onward brings wet snow onto the passes.

Private or small group

Private by default — your own guide, cook, and pack team, and your own departure date. We also run two or three small-group departures a season, capped at eight guests.

Access and permits

The constraints that actually decide whether a date is possible.

  • Huascarán National Park charges a multi-day trekking fee per person; the Huayhuash sections additionally require payments to each comunidad campesina whose land the route crosses.
  • Huayhuash access is negotiated village by village and can change between seasons. We confirm the exact line four to six weeks out.

Included

  • IFMGA- or AGMP-certified lead mountain guide and assistant guide
  • Huascarán National Park fees and community access payments
  • Muleteers and pack animals; private camp, mess tent, and cook team
  • All ground transport from Lima, hotel nights in Huaraz
  • Supplementary oxygen, pulse oximeter, satellite communicator, and evacuation coordination

Not included

  • International flights
  • High-altitude trekking and rescue insurance, which we require in writing before departure
  • Personal technical clothing and boots (rental list supplied)
  • Any Cusco or Machu Picchu extension — that is a separate itinerary

What the price reflects

The band covers a private 12-day programme with a certified lead guide, private camps, and a full pack team. The low end assumes two to four guests and a Blanca-only route; the top of the band reflects a two-guest departure carrying the Huayhuash section and its community fees.

Bands are per person sharing and move with party size, season, and lodge choice. Nothing is confirmed until it is confirmed in writing. How we price.

Where this is

Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, both in Ancash, staged from Huaraz. This itinerary does not include the Sacred Valley.

Elevation: Huaraz 3,050 m · camps 4,100–4,300 m · passes to ~4,750 m. Season as published: May–Sep. Difficulty as assessed: Challenging.

trekkinghigh-altitudeglaciersAndean culture

What we checked

Seasons, altitudes, permits, and caps on this page were checked against park authorities, monitoring agencies, and operators on the ground. Where a fact changes with the year, we say so rather than round it off.

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