Cordillera Huayhuash 10 Days Full Circuit

Nearly every 10-day itinerary walks the same counter-clockwise loop, and it starts on wheels: day 1 drives from Huaraz to the Cuartelwain trailhead (4,170 m) via Conococha and Chiquián, with no walking. Days 2 to 4 work up the east side over Cacanan Punta and Carhuac to the camps at Mitucocha and Carhuacocha, then across the Three Lakes viewpoint and Siula Pass. Day 5 crosses Portachuelo into the Raura range and camps at Laguna Viconga, where the hot springs are five minutes from the tents. Day 6 climbs Cuyoc Pass (5,000 m), day 7 is the big one — the San Antonio viewpoint and the long drop to Huayllapa village — and days 8 and 9 close the loop over Tapush and Yaucha to the farewell camp at Laguna Jahuacocha, before exiting via Llámac on day 10. Nine passes, roughly 128 km (80 mi), and 4–6 hours of walking on most days; the full day-by-day version, with distances and elevation for each stage, is on this page. Wondering about Huayhuash 8 vs 10 days? The 8-day alpine route crosses Trapecio Pass instead of visiting Viconga — same loop, higher line, no hot springs, longer days.

Ten days of full service — licensed guide, cook, mules, tents, meals and community fees — typically costs US$800–1,200 per person with a quality Huaraz-based operator, or about US$80–120 a day. Budget departures advertised in town, where you'll see them in Spanish as trekking Huayhuash 10 días, drop to US$500–700, and international brands resell the same ground services for US$2,000–4,000. Before comparing any two quotes, ask for four lines in writing: group size, whether the S/280 (~US$75) of community fees are inside the price, whether an emergency horse walks with the group, and whether the cook, the tents and the private transport at both ends are included. A cheap Huayhuash circuit 10 days quote is almost always a quote with one of those four missing. And there is no organized mountain rescue out here — an evacuation is your guide, an arriero and a horse, walking you out — which is why the guide is the last place to save money. What is included in these departures is listed on this page, and the price is on the booking card at the top.

May to September, the Andean dry season — outside it the passes can be snowed in, the trails turn to mud and most guided departures pause. Ten days of stable weather are much easier to string together in June, July and August: sunny days of 15–20 °C (59–68 °F), cold starry nights down to −10 °C (14 °F) at the high camps, and the most reliable passes — along with the most trekkers at the popular camps and departures that fill early. April, May, September and October are the honest shoulder months: greener valleys, far fewer people, a higher chance of an afternoon shower. The 10-day line has one seasonal advantage over the shorter itineraries: Cuyoc (5,000 m) on day 6 and San Antonio on day 7 mean you reach the two highest points already acclimatized, which matters most in the shoulder months, when fresh snow can sit on the descents. And if the Viconga hot springs are on your list, they are at their absolute best on a frosty June evening.

The overnight bus is how most trekkers do it: the reclining bus-cama services from Cruz del Sur, Oltursa and Móvil Tours cover the ~400 km from Lima to Huaraz in 8–10 hours for roughly US$15–35, depending on the class of seat and the season. Board around 10 p.m., sleep, and the mountains are there when you open your eyes. Daytime buses run too, and the climb out of the coastal desert into the Callejón de Huaylas is worth staying awake for. Flying is possible but not plannable: the small Anta airport sits 30 minutes north of Huaraz and service there is infrequent and often seasonal, so don't build your dates around it. Book June to August well ahead — those seats sell out. Whichever way you arrive, come at least two full days before the trek starts: Huaraz sits at 3,050 m and those days are the acclimatization that makes the first passes bearable, and optional day hikes from town can be added to the trek for exactly that. Getting to the trailhead is the easy part: transport from Huaraz to Cuartelwain on day 1, and back from Llámac on day 10, is included.

Train for repeatability, not speed. Trekking Huayhuash 10 days at the classic pace asks for 4–6 hours of walking on most days above 4,000 m, nine passes, and one big climb — 1,150 m out of Huayllapa on day 8 — so what you need is the ability to get up and do it again nine mornings in a row. Start 2–4 months out with 4–5 sessions a week, and make one of them a long hike of 3–5 hours on hills with a loaded pack, ideally two days back-to-back, because that is exactly what the circuit asks. Train heavier than you'll carry: on the trail the mules take your duffel and you walk with a daypack. Round it out with cardio (running, cycling, stairs), leg strength and core work. If your fitness base is modest, the two extra days of this itinerary are worth more than any amount of last-minute training — it was designed as the kinder way around the range. You don't need to be an athlete; you do need to have walked back-to-back days before.

The best prevention is built into this route: 8 of the 9 nights are above 4,000 m, but the sleeping altitude rises gradually, the highest camps sit at 4,400 m and the 5,000 m passes come on days 6 and 7, when your body has had a week to adapt. That is the real argument for 10 days over 8. The rest is habit: spend at least two full days in Huaraz (3,050 m) before departure — ideally with a practice hike above 4,000 m — drink 3–4 litres of water a day, walk slower than feels necessary on the passes, eat even when altitude dulls your appetite, and skip alcohol for the first days. Coca tea is served at camp each morning and helps many trekkers; acetazolamide (Diamox) works, but that is a conversation with your doctor before you fly, not with a pharmacy in Huaraz. Mild headaches are normal, worsening symptoms are not — tell your guide early, because everything that works (rest, descent, the emergency horse that walks with groups of five or more) works better sooner. Travel insurance covering trekking to 5,100 m is required, not optional.

Waterproof mid-cut boots with real ankle support, broken in for at least a month before you fly — and on this route take the waterproof part seriously, because the classic line crosses grasslands, bofedales (Andean peat bogs) and small streams where a leaky boot ruins the following nine days. The models trekkers name most on this circuit are the Merrell Moab 3 Mid Waterproof and Oboz Sawtooth X Mid for a lighter feel, and the Salomon Quest 4 GTX when you want more boot under you on the descents. Two fitting rules that matter more here than at home: try them on in the afternoon with your trekking socks, when your feet have swollen, and leave a thumb's width at the toe — day 7 descends 1,390 m (4,560 ft) into Huayllapa, and that is where a short toe box turns into lost toenails. Trail runners work only for very experienced hikers with strong ankles. Pack two pairs of socks per three days and a blister kit you know how to use, and never debut new boots on this trek: blisters at 4,500 m end more Huayhuash treks than altitude does.

Think in layers, not in items: a thermal base layer, a fleece or down mid-layer and a waterproof shell cover everything the classic route throws at you — sun at 15–20 °C (59–68 °F) by noon, −10 °C (14 °F) inside the tent at night. The non-negotiables are a sleeping bag rated −10 °C / 14 °F comfort or warmer, broken-in waterproof boots, trekking poles for the long descents, a headlamp, SPF 50+ sunscreen and category 3+ sunglasses, because at 4,500 m the sun burns through cloud. Then three things this route needs that a shorter one doesn't: a power bank big enough for ten days with no electricity, a swimsuit and a light towel for the Viconga hot springs on day 5, and cash in small soles and coins for the springs, the shop and shower in Huayllapa on day 7, and tips. The mules carry a 40–70 L duffel and you walk with a 20–30 L daypack, and the big gear — tents, kitchen, food — is included, so what you pack stays personal. Sleeping bags, pads and poles rent in Huaraz from about US$4/day; boots and base layers are the things to buy at home, because they have to fit you.