The Best Short Trek To Do In May - Santa Cruz Alpamayo Valley Trek
You'll find the most important details you need to know about this trek here, ranging from average cost to the nearest airport, aswell as a brief description of what you should expect on this trek.
FYI - This is part of a series of blogs that describe and detail the best short and long treks around the world per month. The trek per month is not random, I chose the best treks with the best climate conditions per month. Type in June in the search bar of my blog section and find out what the best treks to take are in June.
Name of the Trek: Santa Cruz Alpamayo Valley Trek
Location: Peru
Nearest Airport: Lima airport
Average Trekking Duration: 11 days with 1 or 2 days of acclimatization at Huaraz
Distance: 132 km approximately
Difficulty: Challenging with 7 hours of a stressful trek every day
Highest Altitude: 4,860 m
Best Month To Go: May
Average Temperature: -5 to -10 degrees Celsius
Average Cost: The entrance ticket costs USD $20 per head and this is valid for 21 days. For a person, the cost can be around USD $1200 approximately. There is a need for you to stay and acclimatize in Huaraz. Avail a dorm facility there itself, and it costs around USD $8 per night. From Lima to Huaraz, you need to take the overnight buses at an additional cost of around USD $20. Santa Cruz Alpamayo valley trek will be accessible even for the solo travelers. You need to carry thick tents and other camping out gear by yourself to camp on the way.
The strenuous trek will begin from Huaraz, and you can head off to Cashapampa, which is one of the ways to begin the trek. There is also another way, but this is very steep, and you will find plenty of scenic surroundings to photograph before you reach Cashapampa. Here, you begin the steep ascent up to Llamacorral. The next day, you can hike further up to Taullipampa. This will be a simple hike while you also get to see the Jatuncocha Lake and take in the beauty of enormous mountain ranges all around, including Alpamayo.
You will then be trekking further north as you go through several passes of Cordillera Blanca. This will be a long walk of around 7 hours before you reach the next pitstop of Tuctubamba and then a rocky way to Paso Alto de Pucaraju Pass at the height of 4640 m. The next few days, you pass through places like Yanacon Pass, GaraGara Pass, Ruina Pampa, and Cullicocha Pass, and begin the descent back to Huaraz.
What to Expect?
The trek is ideal for those who have a fancy for rocky and rugged passes. The plethora of passes and lakes high up in the mountains makes the journey overwhelming. The positive side is, the beauty of rural Peru unfolds as you trek up in this range. The negative in this trek will be lack of any proper accommodation anywhere along the way. However, it is the USP of this trek of Santa Cruz Alpamayo making it worth the effort.