Lima Airport & Getting to Huaraz

We slept in the Lima airport (along with about a dozen or so other people, many of them hikers,
who were doing similarly--it felt safe and acceptable) and then taxied straight to our bus stop
early the next morning. You may hear or read that it’s important to be very wary of taxi drivers at
the Lima Airport. Apparently there have been some issues in the past with crime in the Lima
Airport taxi business, including targeting foreigners in order to steal their luggage. For our taxi
from the airport, we used Taxidatum which was a great company. For the bus ride to Huaraz,
we used Movil Tours. Cruz del Sur is generally regarded as the nicer option. However, Movil
Tours offers more frequent departures, offering you a much more flexible schedule. Cruz del
Sur often departs only twice a day. The bus ride is an all-day affair, roughly 9-10 hours, but may
also include a lengthy lunch stop. Don’t expect to arrive in Huaraz before dark.

Accommodation and Food in Huaraz

Huaraz, a city of about 100,000 people, is the mountain and outdoors center of northern Peru. It
is the capital of the Ancash region of Peru, and is located in the Callejón de Huaylas Valley,
which sits snugly between the Cordillera Negra to the West and the Cordillera Blanca to the
East. The city itself sits at a remarkably high elevation located at just over 10,000 ft (3050 m).
The city sports a stunningly picturesque backdrop of the rugged, snow-capped peaks of the
Cordillera Blanca behind it, including Huascarán, the tallest peak in Peru.

It is a very charming place and overall constitutes one of the best mountain cities of the world,
easily holding its own with any of its other famous kin (Chamonix, Zermatt, Cortina, Banff,
Namche Bazaar, Queenstown etc.). It is friendly, welcoming and budget-friendly and packed
with picturesque little streets and markets, replete with tons of great culture, delicious food and
an array of excellent hostels. It’s a lot of fun to wander around the various markets and to visit
the main town square, the Plaza de Armas. There are sometimes art installments in the main
Cathedral and there’s an archaeological museum, the Regional Ancash Museum (located on
Av. Mariscal Toribio de Luzuriaga at the Plaza de Armas) on the other side of the square.

For a place to stay, Hostel Akilpo (located at Antonio Raymondi 510) strikes an excellent
balance of affordable (a mere $7 per night in 2017) while still offering modern, clean furnishings,
a kitchen and living space, vibrant company, great wifi and a very central location in the city. It's
run by three brothers, and another man named Victor. They all have extensive trekking and
mountaineering experience in the Cordillera Blanca and are great at helping trekkers plan out
the details of their trip. There’s a common room and full kitchen on the third floor with a fridge
you can store your food in. This is a fun area to hang out in, as there are frequently groups of
other young trekkers from all over the world who it can be a lot of fun to hang out with. There’s
also a wash basin on the roof where you can wash and hang your clothes. The views from the
roof are also beautiful, offering a wonderful view of the crowded markets of Huaraz. If possible,
you should try to book your stay in advance, as this place is extremely popular with hikers.
However, on the other hand, we never booked in advance, and even then, the brothers and
Victor always worked with us to find a bed.
There is an amazing selection of tasty and cheap food in Huaraz. Our favorite spot was Salvia
Restaurant (located at Jirón 28 de Julio 662). If you’re looking for the most delicious veggies in
Huaraz, this place may be it. You can get humongous plates of delicious veggie stir fry for about
15 soles. As far as I know, this is the only dedicated vegetarian restaurant in Huaraz (although
they do serve a few meat options as well, mostly trout and chicken). However, my hiking partner
who eats meat also loved this place. His favorite find was a huge bowl of yogurt with incredible
fresh fruit and prickly pear cactus for about 7 soles. We went there probably four or five times
during the course of the month we were in the area. Other favorites we found included pizzerias
such as El Horno, the curry place, deceptively named Chilli Heaven (both El Horno and Chilli
Heaven are located at the Parque Ginebra, off Jose Antonio De Sucre), Cafe Andino and
California Cafe (located at Jirón 28 de Julio 550). If you’re just looking for a neat wifi cafe to
relax in, California Cafe is probably the best pick in town.

If you're craving something more than the ubiquitous watered-down beer most places offer (i.e.,
Cristal and Cusqueña) keep your eyes peeled for the craft beer Sierra Andino, brewed locally in
Huaraz and absolutely delicious compared to other options. It’s served by the bottle in some of
the restaurants that are popular with trekkers such as Chilli Heaven. However it can also be
bought by bottle in the Novaplaza grocery store (located at Jirón Julián de Morales 793) both on
the shelf and in a small fridge at the back.

Resupplying in Huaraz - Novaplaza

There’s abundant, delicious, fresh fruits, veggies and other street food. However, if you need
lightweight, cheap foods for backpacking, you’re better off visiting a grocery chain. There are
two major grocery chains in Huaraz: Trujillo Mart and Novaplaza. We found that Novaplaza had
a much better selection of food than Trujillo Mart. There are two Novaplazas in the main area of
Huaraz. The larger one with the better selection is the one found at Jirón Julián de Morales 793.
Here we found such coveted backpacking treasures as Top Ramen noodles, various Knorr food
packets, a variety of nuts and trail mixes, dried fruit, hard parmesan cheese, tortillas, peanut
butter, Nutella, plantain chips, potato chips, tortilla chips, ziploc bags, batteries etc.

Buses and Colectivos in Huaraz

Movil Tours: The bus depot for Movil Tours is located on the north side of Huaraz, on Av.
Confraternidad Oeste, between the cross-streets of Yungay and Jiron Carhuaz. This is where
you will get dropped off on your way in and picked up on your way out. It’s a short walk, about
15 minutes, to the center of Huaraz. However, if you’re looking to purchase tickets in advance
from Movil Tours for your return trip, there’s a separate ticket office in a different part of town.
The ticketing office is found on the block of Jirón Simón Bolívar between the cross-streets of
Antonio Raymondi and José de la Mar. The offices for Cruz del Sur, Linea Bus and ZBuss are
also found on this same block.

Colectivos: For the CBT, we took two colectivos, one at the start of Stage 1 and the other at the
start of Stage 3. The colectivos are generally taken from Antonio Raymondi. For example, the
colectivo to Caraz at the start of Stage 1 leaves from Jr. Cajamarca, between the cross-streets
of Antonio Raymondi and Caraz. The colectivo to Llupa (and from there on to Pitec) at the start
of stage 3 leaves from Av. Augustín Gamarra between the cross-streets of Antonio Raymondi
and Caraz. It’s a good idea to confirm the times and locations for these colectivos the day
before with the hostel you’re staying at. The colectivo to Llupa only leaves once per day, around
8:00 AM, so you wouldn’t want to miss it.

STAGE 1

Day 1 - May 18. Highlight: Sunset and Sunrise at Laguna Cullicocha, with Santa Cruz in
background.
We caught an 8:00 AM colectivo to Caraz, for about 6 soles. The drive took us close to two
hours since there were a few stops. Since there were three of us, we opted for taking a taxi up
to the trailhead, rather than another colectivo up to Cashapampa followed by a hike up to the
trailhead at Hualcallan. From Caraz, we asked for directions to the taxi depot and were kindly
shown the way by a friendly older woman. The drive to Hualcallan is a little over an hour and
cost about 90 soles in total. Our taxi dropped us off right at 11:30 AM in front of the school in
Hualcallan.

From the outskirt of town, near the school soccer/football field in Hualcallan, turn left at the first
intersection and head directly towards the steep hillside. After a block or two, this road quickly
leads you out of the small town of Hualcallan and around a small grassy knoll on your right as
gradually begin slanting uphill. After curling around the knoll, you will arrive near a water tank of
sorts and a creek. From here, find the small bridge over the creek. This is where the trail
properly begins, although the signage is sparse. The trail begins aggressively switchbacking up
the steep hillside for several hours. The trail is fairly obvious, but be careful not to get distracted
and veer off onto cow trails or other local use trails which occasionally zigzag across the main
hiking trail.

For most of the first day, you will only be able to see the Cordillera Negra from across the
Callejón de Huaylas Valley, since the Blanca is blocked by the hillside in front of you. The
Blanca will only reveal itself in its full splendor when you reach Laguna Cullicocha.

After switchbacking up the hillside for anywhere between 2.5 and 4 hours, you arrive near a sign
located on your left over in a grassy pasture. This is the sign for Calamina Camp. Continue
switchbacking uphill for another hour or so. As the grade on the hillside begins to ease up
slightly, you will come across another similar sign on your left, this time for Huishcash Camp.
However, if you have the time and energy, it is well worth continuing on for another two hours to
the dam at Laguna Cullicocha in order to sleep at one of the most scenic spots on the entire trip.
After you get past Huishcash, the views will finally start opening up a little bit and you will get
your first peak of glaciers as well as a chance to peer down the precipitous drop to Lagunas
Azulcocha and Yanacocha far below on your left. The views out east across the valley towards
the Cordillera Negra continue to grow more and more magnificent the farther you go.
Reaching Laguna Cullicocha, you will be greeted by one of the most spectacular campsites on
the entire trip. There are beautiful rock slabs and ramps across the lake’s outlet and two old
metal huts that hikers often sleep in. Looking out west, you have wonderful views of the valley
and the Cordillera Negra. However, if you walk over the rock slabs a few feet to the lakeshore,
you will be greeted by one of the most memorable sights of your entire trip: the peak of Nevado
Santa Cruz Norte (5829 m) reflected in the waters of L. Cullicocha. Sunrises and sunsets on this
lake can be jaw-dropping.

Day 2 - Highlight: Views of Santa Cruz on way to Paso Osoruri, and views of Santa Cruz
Massif, Alpamayo and Quitaraju on the way up to Gara Gara Pass.
Paso Osoruri, the trip’s first pass, is relatively simple. From the dam it’s only 1-1.5 hours. At the
metal huts, continue on trails past a couple of energy buildings associate with the dam.
Following the trail (signage is poor), gain the shoulder on the the northern side of the L.
Cullicocha (due north of the dam) before making an elbow, turning to the east, pointing back
towards the Nevados Santa Cruz. After gradually ascending among rocky boulders, the trail will
make another elbow, this time turning left, back to the north, heading into the the narrow notch
in the ridge that makes up Paso Osoruri. However, before making this turn, make sure to take a
5-10 minute diversion to leave the trail, hopping across boulders to the right/east and scramble
up to one of the more prominent ones in order to gain magnificent views of all the Nevados
Santa Cruz: Nev. Santa Cruz Norte (5829 m), Nev. Santa Cruz Chico (5800 m) and Nev. Santa
Cruz (6241 m). These views are stunning and are the best and closest views you will get of
Nevs. Santa Cruz (unless you choose to take the time to do the side trip up to the Santa Cruz
Sanctuary later on in the day).

The views from Paso Osoruri aren’t as stunning as those leading up to it, since it is a relatively
sheltered pass. It offers a window north, with only slight views of glaciers in the distance on Nev.
Milluacocha (5480 m) and Nev. Pilanco (5300 m).

Your next goal is Vientunan, more of a ridge spur than a proper pass. While the going is
smooth, grassy slopes, it loses a fair bit of elevation first, and also snakes and twists around
quite persistently, which makes it take about 1.5 hours to Vientunan.

From Vientunan, you will be dropping very steeply in to Quebrada Alpamayo, losing about 770m
of elevation. After a series of scree switchbacks down from the left of the pass, the path will
stretch out clearly before curving across to the next ridge over to the east. After curving around
this ridge, you have a long series of steep switchbacks that eventually drag you all the way
down to the valley floor.

At the valley floor, you will come to a T-junction. Keep right/east here, heading up Q. Alpamayo.

Once you have made it to the valley floor, you will have a very pleasant stroll up to the head of
Q. Alpamayo at an incredibly easy, almost flat grade. Quickly after the junction you will come
across some ruins. Proceed through a gate here on the right of them. Soon after that you will
see a sign for the Ruinapampa campsite on your left. After another hour or so, you will begin
moving slightly more steeply across moraine. After making it across the moraine, you descend
down towards Jancarurish campsite. Here you come to a Y-junction in the trail.

Note: Decide here whether you want to make the side trip up to Santa Cruz Sanctuary to your
right. The side trip to the “mirador” (viewpoint) at Santa Cruz Sanctuary lies at 5020m, some
810m above Jancarurish and and can take up to 6 hours round trip. However, if you have the
time and energy, it offers you spectacular views of the Santa Cruz massif. Its elevation also
makes it the highest point reached in Stage 1.

From the junction at Jancarurish, turn left/north toward Gara Gara Pass. To do this, you have to
cross over the outlet of L. Jancarurish. Pay attention in the this area. It is very wet and boggy,
which makes the trail hard to follow, and there’s a confusing network of other use trails here
from the popular campsite. Your goal is to aim for a concrete bridge that will cross over the
outlet of L. Jancarurish.

Compared to the previous two passes, Gara Gara Pass is much more interesting, and feels
much more like a real pass, a steep and narrow notch sandwiched between the shoulders of
Nev. Tayapampa and the eastern ridges of Nev. Milluacocha. As you move up the head of the
valley toward Gara Gara Pass, you may lose the trail since it is often quite overgrown by tall
ichu grass. Instead, it’s more useful to keep your eyes peeled for cairns. The cairns hug the
shoulder on the left side, staying west of the outlet of a pair tarns found further up (their outlet
flow may only be an indistinguishable or subterranean trickle in most places, but the small gully
it flows through should be obvious, and can provide a useful orientating handle for some of the
ascent). The going here is steep.

Eventually you ascend past the ichu grass and, emerging onto a small sandy plateau of sorts,
you are greeted by a world of stone, providing striking contrast with the frequently grassy,
verdant passes of these mountains. On your right will be a pair of two small but soulful tarns.
The view behind you from here is spectacular. Looking back behind you to the south, you are
looking straight into one of the most dramatic and scenic cirques of the Cordillera Blanca. If it’s
a clear day, the skyline is dominated by two 6000m+ peaks: Nev. Santa Cruz (6241m) on the
right and Nev. Quitaraju (6036m) in the middle. The glaciers of Nevs. Tayapampa and
Jankarurish linger close at hand on your left. Perhaps most notable, you get a clear line of sight
to the perfect arrowhead summit of Nev. Alpamayo, visible above and slightly to the left of the
milky blue L. Jancarurish nestled between moraines down below. Although it’s not quite 6000m
(it stands at 5947m), Alpamayo is one of the most sought-after peaks in the world by
mountaineers. It was famously voted “the most beautiful mountain in the world” in 1966 by
mountaineering experts in the German magazine ​Alpinismus.​

Looking up towards Gara Gara Pass from here makes the pass seem more daunting than it is.
You will see a very conspicuous notch at the head, the low-lying point. However this black,
rocky low notch sandwiched between two sharp rocky humps is in fact not the pass. Your goal
is the next one over to the right and slightly higher up on the more sandy and light-colored pass.
Although the going gets increasingly steep, and is over scree and a few boulders, footing
shouldn’t be a problem, and the slight scramble to finish off at the top is enjoyable.

Soak up final views of the stunning bowl behind you before looking ahead to your next goal, the
small but wild looking valley below, Q. Mayobamba, a striking mixture of reddish rock on the left
and green tundra on the right. This valley is made all the more pleasant due to the fact that you
don’t have to lose much elevation to get to it. Your next goal, Mesapata pass, is not visible from
here, but lies behind the dark boulders protruding from the ridge stretching out on your right.

Q. Mayobamba offers secluded and altogether pleasant sleeping options, although the views of
Nevs. Pucajirca in the next valley over are more impressive.

Day 3 - Highlight: views of Pucajirca from Mesapata

To reach Mesapata Pass, one of the easiest of the whole trip, a trail pleasantly stretches out
along the hillside. There are a few different trails here. If you don’t find the trail indicated on the
map as on the left/north side of the valley, don’t worry, there’s easy, clear trails on the
right/south side of the valley as well. After short effort, reach the grassy Mesapata Pass. Enjoy
the interesting contrast in views here. Behind you, there is no sign of glaciers, snow or ice, just
green rolling highlands. In front of you looming ominously is the Pucajirca massif, which
contains no less than three 6000m+ peaks in a row: Pucajirca Oeste (6039m), Pucajirca Central
(6014m) and Pucajirca Norte (6046m).

Make a mental note that from here on through the rest of most of Stage 1 trails will become
often increasingly difficult to follow. Don’t expect anything in the way of signs. Moreover, the
trails more often than not are either nonexistent--becoming lost in ichu grass, boggy pampas or
scree slopes--or they are easily confused among networks of other use trails and cow trails.
Map reading skills will often be much more useful than trying to follow the trail, which is often a
hopeless and time-wasting endeavor.

Descend the pleasant grassy slope, with continually splendid views of the Pucajirca massif in
front of you and on your right. The views of the icefall in this cirque are some of the most
spectacular seen yet.

On the slope down, there are a few trails that pop up and fade away, then pop up again,
criss-cross each other and so on. Don’t worry if you can’t seem to stick to a trail. The goal is an
obvious, wide, well-worn 4WD track track below, heading northeast down the valley. Set out on
a northeast diagonal down the grassy slope, aiming for the 4WD track. Join the 4WD track, and
follow it northeast down Q. Tayapampa. The track proves to be very easy walking, although it is
short-lived.

Soon, the track comes onto a wide boggy, pampa area, which is a junction point where the
mouths of Q. Tayapampa and Q. Yanta Quenua meet. The map also indicates a trail junction
here, however, it will likely be impossible to locate any trails beside the 4WD track, which you
are now leaving. Instead, locate the concrete bridge tucked down, low-lying in the grassy pampa
to the right of the track. You may have to wander around a bit to find it, but it will be obvious
once you have. Cross the bridge, turning directions. You are now angling southeast, your goal
being to ascend the small Q. Yanta Quenua and then a long slog up to steep Yanacon Pass.
Aim for the low-lying shepherds’ huts on the far end of the pampa. Ignore the various trails that
zig-zag up the slopes on your left into a different valley/gully. The huts are perched at the edge
of the pampa just at the mouth of Q. Yanta Quenua. Pass by them on the right, being sure to
leave wide enough berth not be impolite to the owners or their herding dogs. Just past the huts,
find a faint use trail on the righthand side of the valley’s outlet stream. Follow this steeply up
through the narrow slot. After some time ascending along the right of the stream, the valley will
suddenly begin to widen and flatten out onto another pampa. The pass is now visible: a steep
and dramatic notch in the dark rock at the head of valley. However, although it may seem to rise
somewhat dizzingly, the going is actually quite good. At the end of the pampa, your goal is to
angle across to the lefthand shoulder of the pass, and here you can follow good grassy slopes
and ichu grass most of the way up to the pass. Don’t worry if you can’t find the trail always in the
grass. The trail should become obvious once you emerge at last onto a final portion of scree just
below the pass. The notch you are aiming for is the obvious low-lying one on the left of the
thumb in the middle of the col. The thin, somewhat precarious sandy red Yanacon Pass offers
nice views of the glaciers spilling down the northeastern face of Pucajirca Norte. Prepare for
another seemingly interminable descent, losing a large chunk of elevation, winding up all the
way down at Jancapampa at 3500m far below.

The trail descending Yanacon pass improves from the pampa and ichu grass just gone through.
However, it is fairly steep and quite loose. But the steepest, loosest part goes by fairly quickly.
Soon the grade eases up somewhat and you are on good rock, arriving at the head of Q.
Yanajanca. Follow the path zigzagging down the rocky bands, keeping to the right of the outlet
stream of L. Sactaycocha. You will quickly end up in a somewhat thick grove of trees, although
the path remains clear through all of this thankfully. After passing some stone ruins, eventually
arrive at a bridge that crosses the outlet from L. Sactaycocha, bringing you to the lefthand/east
side of Q. Yanajanca to finish the final descent to Jancapampa. As you reach the final portion of
the descent, you will catch some glimpses of the massive ice field of the eastern side of
Pucajirca perched at the top of the dramatic, sheer wall at the head of Jancapampa.

Eventually you are dumped out into another very large pampa. If you proceed a little further
down the pampa, you may find a couple of short wooden bridges to help you cross the stream.
However, from here you will still have most of the pampa itself to cross.

Note: Be aware that finding your way through the hamlets of Jancapampa and Pishgopampa to
the trail that leads to Tupatupa Pass, your next goal, can be very confusing. You may get lost
among the network of trails and huts, and the locals don’t always know what the names of the
directions you’re asking for.
Crossing the pampa, find the obvious 4WD track on the other side. Follow this down past some
huts. The tricky part here is to find the correct connector path that leads up to the small village
of Pishgopampa just above. However, there are numerous use trails, and they don’t all lead to
the correct places. Ask around frequently and walk slowly. One conspicuous marker in the
vicinity of a good use trail is a grove of Eucalyptus trees.

When you reach the little hamlet of Pishgopampa, you are faced with another choice. The map
indicates walking across Pishgopampa in order to cross the main river and begin ascending
toward Tupatupa via the eastern shoulder of the valley. However, if you arrived at the western
side of Pishgopampa, it’s easier and more straightforward to ignore the trail indicated on the
Alpenvereinskarte map (since there’s not much of a trail to speak of anyways) and simply stick
to the western shoulder of the valley. As you begin climbing south up the shoulder of the valley,
you may notice some blue tanks on your left. Keep going, sometimes picking up use trails.
Eventually, you will come upon a narrow obvious Y-formation where the river and the valley
you’ve been following forks into to two seperate ravines and where the two paths become one
again. To reach the pass, stick to the valley on your right as the map indicates. From here, the
trail up to Tupatupa Pass becomes much better.

Day 4 - Highlights: Alto de Pucaraju

From the fork in the river, the path up to Tupatupa winds around numerous grassy knolls which
makes the going a bit slow, but it is easy and gentle, and the trail tends to be a very clear dirt
track. Tupatupa should be reached with no problem.

Descending from the pass, on the right a slight ridge juts out with two tarns on its lefthand side.
The path is faint here and potentially lost, but it immediately crosses over this ridge in order to
descend into Q. Tuctubamba. After beginning the descent into Tuctubamba, if you turn around
and look up to the head of the valley away from where you are headed, you will be greeted by
views of a magnificent two-tiered reddish bowl, with a two-tiered waterfall spilling down from the
glacier of Nev. Taulliraju (5830m). From here, the path soon disappears. Deciding how long to
stay up on the shoulder of Q. Tuctubamba versus how soon to descend into the pampa below is
something of a judgment call. The pampa is flatter, but very boggy, while the should is drier, but
much more circuitous and winds through groves of queñua trees. However, be sure to cross the
outlet of this valley’s river, running down from L. Taullicocha, before it gets too wide. Otherwise
if you aren’t careful, it will turn into a somewhat torrential flow that could prove very difficult or
impossible to cross later on. The map indicates a bridge to cross at the narrow point, but it’s
either gone or difficult to spot. After crossing to the western side of Q. Tuctubamba, finish
descending until you come to a fork in the river, where it meets with the river coming down from
L. Huecrucocha. Find a good concrete bridge to cross here. This brings you across to the
southern side of the outlet stream from L. Huecrucocha. From here, make a sharp elbow,
heading west, following clear trails up the steep hillside that eventually brings you to L.
Huecrucocha.
From L. Huecrucocha, follow a clear 4WD track on the righthand/north side of the lake. At the
head of the lake, the track begins veering away from the shore, turning slightly northwest in
order to begin ascending the shoulder of the valley leading up to Alto de Pucaraju. From here,
the trail will be difficult to follow until you get to the switchbacks going up to Alto de Pucaraju.
Stick to use trails on the northern shoulder of the valley, contouring around until you arrive at a
broad pampa of sorts. Here, find a way across the pampa and the outlet stream, and cross over
and begin gaining on the southern shoulder of the valley. From this point, keep your eyes
peeled for signs of a trail up above leading to the dramatic switchbacks that take you to the
pass. As you ascend out of the pampa and gradually leave the ground brush behind, the trail
should become increasingly obvious. Eventually, you will wind up on very steep, somewhat
exposed, but quite good switchbacks. Look behind you to see the jewel green tarn below
nestled at the head of the valley. As the trail becomes more rocky, eventually you reach the top
of the headwall at Alto de Pucaraju. Enjoy the new views across the way to the massif of Nevs.
Chacraraju (6112m) now visible.

The descent is also steep and rocky and full of switchbacks, making it somewhat arduous. Pass
by some trees and a bizarre, white, calcified waterfall before reaching valley floor below. From
here, cross the outlet stream and arrive at a campsite area for Tuctupampa.

Note: Here you join a junction with the trail to Punta Union Pass, and have an option to make a
side trip up to this main pass on the widely celebrated Santa Cruz Trek. From Punta Union
Pass, you will have a view into the beautiful Q. Santa Cruz, otherwise unseen by the CBT.

At first, the trail heading down from Tuctupampa is muddy and rocky and not especially clear,
but it gets better as you go along. Since you have now joined the trail system for the most
popular and famous trek in the Cordillera Blanca--the Santa Cruz Trek--the trails are generally
better than those seen on the preceding days. You will also begin to see far more hikers. As the
trail shapes up, pass through some trees then come to a bridge that takes you across the river
to the eastern side of Q. Huaripampa. From here, continue down valley until you reach a
Y-junction in the rivers, where Q. Huaripampa is joined by the mouth of Q. Paria on your
right/west side. Here you find a sign for Paria campsite. Also take the time to catch a glimpse of
the glaciers from Nevs. Piramide and Nevs. Chacraraju. These will be the last glaciers you will
see until you reach Punta Yanayacu.

Day 5 - Highlight: balcony campsite just below Punta Yanayacu with spectacular views of
Contrahierbas Glacier
Continue following the trail down Q. Huaripampa through trees until you reach a small pampa.
Cross this, then pass by a Parque Nacional Huascarán ticketing checkpoint. By your park ticket
here if you have not already done so. Shortly after this, come upon the first buildings, some
churches built by the Salesians of Don Bosco, whose presence is felt throughout the area, but is
most pronounced in the town of Chacas as will be seen at the end of Stage 1. Following the
churches, you arrive at the village of Huaripampa. Continue down, then shortly after you arrive
at the village of Yanachaca. Pay attention as you enter Yanachaca, since here you make a turn
and head on a different path toward the village of Colcabamba. As you enter the center of the
village, look for a sharp elbow turn on your right that leads down a short slope to a dirt road and
a concrete bridge below. If you are having trouble finding it, ask around for directions. Following
the bridge, you emerge onto a clear dirt path. Keep left and straight on the paths here in order to
make sure you head for Colcabamba, skipping the turn that heads uphill toward Vaqueria.
Soon, drop into Colcabamba. From Colcabamba, your goal is to find the dirt road leading out
town that connects it with Chalhua. The section of dirt road here is quite long and not especially
eventful. If you find yourself in a rush, there’s a chance that some colectivos might be driving
through if you’d like to try to catch a ride up to the trailhead at Q. Ichic Ulta. However, the rolling
valley down below is quite scenic, and the town of Chalhua is also quite pleasant, and offers a
slightly larger grocery store than the one found in Colcabamba should you need it.

After a long walk following a series of slightly uphill curves around ridges on dirt roads, the
pleasant village of Chalhua eventually comes into sight. Walk through Chalhua, asking for
directions should you need them, aiming for the dirt road that continues contouring up the valley
to the mouth of Q. Ichic Ulta. After leaving Chalhua, follow another stretch on dirt road.
Eventually, reach the point where the road makes an elbow and turns back down the other side
of the valley. It’s at this point that you find the trailhead for Q. Ichic Ulta. There will be some
buildings off on your left on the other side of the valley and its outlet stream. Continue up on
path that follows alongside a boulder wall, then enter a grove of trees. From here, you come
upon a bridge that crosses the outlet stream and a waterfall coming down from Q. Shanoj on
your right/west. After this, continue winding uphill through groves of trees. Eventually these thin
out and you come to a small pasture area with some stone corrals. On your left are the two
miniature tarns fed by the glaciers above, although right now they are mostly obscured by
moraines. From here, you begin ascending the switchbacks on the rightmost/western shoulder
of the valley (ignore the second option indicated in red on the map). The switchbacks go up a
grassy hillside far on the right shoulder of the pass. Follow these until you come to a beautiful
miniature pasture/plateau area with a lovely spring and superb views directly across to the
6036m Nev. Contrahierbas on the other side of the valley. If the timing works out, this high
balcony at about 4600m provides a wonderful and unforgettable campsite. The glacier spilling
down from Nev. Contrahierbas calves frequently and there are at least a dozen miniature
waterfalls spilling down from it to feed the emerald green tarns below.

Day 6 - Near-constant views all day from Punta Yanayacu and Punta Olimpica
After soaking up the views from this idyllic grassy balcony, the path switchbacks over a scree
slope on the ridge ahead. After gaining the top of this ridge, most of the ascent is done, but you
have before you a thrilling, vertigo-inducing path that is carved into the sheer rock face,
contouring at a gentle uphill grade to make the final push to the dramatic notch of Punta
Yanayacu, sandwiched in between the shoulders of Nev. Contrahierbas and Nev. Chopicalqui.

From Punta Yanayacu you are greeted by a spectacular panorama into the magnificent Q. Ulta.
In view at long last is Nev. Huascurán Sur itself. Standing at 6768m, it is Peru’s tallest peak, and
the fourth tallest in all of the Andes. The descent on the other side is nicer, switchbacking gently
down scree, passing alongside the scenic L. Yanayacu, with views of Huascarán and
Chopicalqui continuing to be superb. Below the lake, cross it’s outlet, coming out on the
right/west side of a wide pampa below. From here, the view suddenly opens up and you are
now greeted by a truly magnificent mountain valley, looking upon the far wall of Q. Ulta which is
hemmed in by Nev. Contrahierbas, Nev. Ulta and Nev. Chugllaraju. The views of the icefall from
the southern side of Contrahierbas is excellent, while the summits of Nevs. Ulta and Chugllaraju
make particularly scenic cones.

Once you reach the pampa, the path fades away. Stick to the right/west side of the pampa until
you reach the far end of it. Here, you arrive at a junction where the outlet from L. Yanayacu is
joined by a dramatic waterfall coming down from the outlet of L. Artesa. Proceed down the steep
headwall here through thick, muddy queñua forest with tangled branches and roots until you
finally reach a flat, narrow, rocky pampa below. Proceed down this pampa for a short span,
aiming diagonally for the road up to Punta Olimpica on the other side of Q. Ulta. A bridge can be
found leading across the outlet of the river here near where it is joined by the outlet from Q.
Matara, however, if the bridge is missed, hopping across it should not be a problem.

When you arrive at the road to Punta Olimpica, you can easily hitch a ride to Chacas. Buses,
colectivos and private cars use this road with some frequency. However, the path up to Punta
Olimpica offers the best views of the Huascarán massif that you’ll get on the whole CBT, so it’s
well worth walking if you have energy and time. Follow the road to the fourth switchback in the
road. From here, you can find a foot trail that leaves the road behind and switchbacks most of
the way up to the tunnel at Punta Olimpica. Once you reach the top of Punta Olimpica, you have
to follow the road through a narrow, dark tunnel to get across to the other side of the mountain,
followed by a long descent down switchbacking roadside without much shoulder in order to get
down to Pompey and then Chacas beyond that. Whether you hitchhike or walk, reach the tiny
village of Pompey down below. From there, wait for a bus or colectivo to pass through in order
to drive the rest of the way to the larger town of Chacas for better accommodation, food and
transportation options. This marks the end of Stage 1.

Chacas is a very pleasant and picturesque town to spend a night in, with a lovely grassy town
square, Plaza Mayor de Chacas. The buildings around the square are white adobe with red tiled
roofs and beautiful ornate woodwork. A beautiful, large church, the Santuario Mama Ashu,
stands at the head of the town square and is worth a visit. There’s also a small archaeological
museum. Much of the uniqueness of Chacas’s white adobe and ornate carved wood aesthetic is
due to the presence of the Italian NGO Operación Mato Grosso. This NGO is run by the
Salesians of Don Bosco, founded by Italian Catholic priest Giovanni Bosco in the 1870s as a
way to fulfill his missionary aspirations to the indigenous peoples of the Andes. The NGO
arrived in the Ancash region about 40 years ago and set up trade schools as a way to alleviate
poverty. In Chacas, there are now two famed wood carving workshops that make furniture
which has become famous throughout Peru and is shipped worldwide.
Across from the church is found a newly opened hotel, which is simply called “Hotel Plaza,”
located on a corner of the square across from the church at the intersection of Jirón Bolognesi
and Jirón Lima. The Hotel Plaza offers clean, modern rooms, warm showers and good food at a
very affordable price. Private room and shower costs roughly 40 soles.

Grocery store options are quite limited in Chacas. There are two very small grocers located on
Jirón Bolognesi, just down from the Hotel Plaza. The largest grocery stores we found were
located further down on the streets on Jirón Lima and Jirón Raymondi in the direction of the
intersection with Jirón Pachacútec. There is a bank located at the town square at the
intersection of Jr. Ancash and Jr. Lima. Colectivos depart from the intersection of Jr. Bolognesi
with Jr. Buenos Aires/Route 107. This is where you’ll pick up a colectivo or a taxi for the short
ride back to the trailhead for the start of Stage 2.

STAGE 2

Day 7 - Highlight: views from Portachuelo de Honda

Stage 2 forms the highlight of the entire traverse both in terms of the views and the nature of the
high elevations of the route, reaching up to 5215m (17,110 ft) at Ishinca Pass. This stage
includes four wild passes, each of them with wide open, stunning panoramas, and the two in the
middle, Akilpo Pass (also called Paso Urus) and Ishinca Pass with sublime glaciers as close at
hand as will be seen on the entire trip. If one wants, this stage of the trip also offers an optional
route that crosses the glacier of the Ishinca-Ranrapalca Col located at 5350m (17,552 ft),
offering superb views of the sheer face of Nev. Ranrapalca (6162m), one of the most beautiful
faces found in the range. This stage also features arguably the most scenic glacial lakes of the
whole trip with Laguna Akilpo and the numerous glacial lakes surrounding both sides of the
Ishinca Pass area.

From Chacas, colectivos and taxis depart from the intersection of Jr. Bolognesi with Jr. Buenos
Aires/Route 107. It’s a very short ride to the stage 2 trailhead. Ask them to take you to the hiking
trailhead for Q. Juitush. You will likely be dropped off in the tiny hamlet of Collo, and from here,
find a very inconspicuous, unsigned path that begins a short climb up a small hill along the
left/east shoulder Q. Illuaro in order to reach the mouth of Q. Juitush. Here, you come onto a
4WD track, which you will follow all the way through Q. Juitush until you reach the junction that
takes you up to Portachuelo de Honda.

Note: Unfortunately, as of right now, a traverse of the Cordillera Blanca will inevitably have to
pass through two valleys occupied by mining companies: Q. Juitush and Q. Honda, found one
after the other in succession. Any other trekking routes are made impossible by the severe
glaciers found on the Nev. Hualcán and Nev. Copa massifs, and the wild, steep cirque formed
by Nev. Paccharaju and Nev. Atlante. All of these options would require full-blown, technical
mountaineering gear and experience. Walking through these two mining valleys feels slightly
uncomfortable and unideal. There are numerous mining shanties, a variety of tractors and
multiple large trucks driving up and down mucky roads. Although we were never accosted by
any of the miners in the valleys, I wouldn’t say they seemed particularly happy or welcoming to
have tourists there, and when we were along the mining roads, we hurried somewhat to get off
of them. Nevertheless, this is really the only viable route for a trekking traverse. Moreover, the
views from Portachuelo de Honda are simply stunning, some of the best of the trip, making this
pass one of the more memorable ones from the trip.

Follow the 4WD track on the left/east side of Q. Juitush past a variety of mining operations.
Eventually you will come to a bridge and a small knoll that the track winds around, crossing over
the river. This goes around the knoll leading up to an interesting wood bridge, a shepherd's hut,
and some stone corrals. From here, cross the valley. The track now hugs the right/west side of
Q. Juitush. Follow 4WD track for a bit longer until you come to a pampa where Q. Juitush splits
into three smaller valleys: Q. Ismaypampa, Q. Pacarish and the valley leading up to L.
Yanacocha. From here, there are good views of the contorted glacier spilling down from Nevs.
Parilla and Copap in the distance. At this three-way fork of valleys, you want to hug the
rightmost/western shoulder into the valley that is the first on your right, pointing more or less due
south to Portachuelo de Honda. The track fades somewhat here as you begin climbing uphill
through forests, keeping the outlet stream on your left side. Eventually you will reach a pampa.
Cross the pampa and head to the other side of the narrow valley, and begin climbing now on the
left/east side of the valley. This will take you up a short headwall past a series of miniature
scenic waterfalls. Past this headwall, you now reach the final, larger pampa before the final
climb up to the pass, which should now be visible.

The map indicates two routes over Portachuelo de Honda, one on either side of the prominent,
grassy and rocky thumb that is sticking out of the middle of the col between Nev. Atlante and
Nev. Portachuelo. If you scan the scree slopes closely, you can potentially make out the trail
leading up the left/east side of this thumb. However, it is the one on your right, to the west of the
thumb, that is the recommended option, as it provides a more direct route into Q. Honda. As you
reach the head of the valley, begin angling for the shoulder that comes down from the rocky
thumb separating the the two trails. Your goal is basically to follow the shoulder of this ridge up
to the notch in the rocky band between this thumb and the ridge coming down from Nev.
Atlante. There are faint use trails and 4WD tracks in places, but they also frequently disappear.
Don’t worry if you lose them at times. The going is smooth and easy, and there are a variety of
pleasant routes zigzagging on easily graded grassy and rocky ramps. The pass itself remains
out of sight until you are virtually upon it.

Passing through the narrow notch in the rocky band, the other side of the top of Portachuelo de
Honda offers magnificent views across the deep, dramatic Q. Honda to Nev. Akilpo and three
6000m+ peaks: Nev. Tocllaraju (6032m) and Nev. Palcaraju (6274m) looming behind it; as you
begin descending, Nev. Chinchey (6309m) comes into view, topping the head of this dramatic
cirque.
The map indicates three trails down from here; one of these, the easternmost, would be for if
one went up the other side of the thumb (which is not recommended). From the recommended
side of Portachuelo de Honda, there are two more direct options indicated; however, the middle
one, the steepest and most direct, no longer appears to be a trail, and as the descent to the
floor of Q. Honda is quite steep, the westernmost trail indicated may be the best option. At first
the descent is quite pleasant. Views continue to be magnificent as the hiker zigzags on broad
switchbacks with the glaciers on the southern face of Nev. Atlante now also coming into view.
However, eventually one reaches a very small pampa shelf at about 4200m. From here, the trail
becomes almost impossible to follow. To make things more frustrating, the descent now
steepens dramatically and the hillside becomes choked with ichu grass and thick queñua forest.
If the trail is lost, one can end up sliding down precarious, muddy ravines, or end up on an
impassable sheer rocky bluff, difficult to detect from above due to the steep grade. This can
make for a frustratingly long process of trial and error and retracing one’s footsteps before the
valley floor of Q. Honda is finally reached.

The wide, rutted mining road is unmistakable, and following it down to the mouth of the Q.
Honda is a straightforward affair. There’s a chance you might find a lone colectivo here, but
certainly don’t count on it. Near the mouth of Q. Honda, watch for a bridge where the road
crosses over to the north side of the river. From this bridge, look for a trail that shoots off to the
southern shoulder of Q. Honda. If you miss this turn off, the river quickly becomes a torrential
flow and is in a deep gorge which will force you to either backtrack back up Q. Honda, or
proceed further down valley then you need to in order to find some 4WD tracks and bridges that
will get you across to the hamlet of Joncopampa, your next goal.

Day 8 - Highlight: Laguna Akilpo

Whether you came from higher up above or down below the river gorge at the headwall at the
mouth of Q. Honda, contour around the ridge separating Q. Honda and Q. Akilpo until you come
to a 4WD track that leads into the hamlet of Joncopampa. Follow this road until you reach a
junction of sorts (you may see a sign that says “Puente Vehicular”). From here, turn left between
stone corrals on either side, aiming for the mouth of Q. Akilpo. As you reach the end of the
hamlet, you’ll come to a faint, unsigned fork. It’s important to keep right here. Left will take you
to the base of the steep headwall for a view of the waterfall. You should be aiming straight for
the last hut in the village. It will seem almost like your headed straight into the front yard of this
hut. Instead, when you reach the front gate of the hut’s yard, turn left along it’s fence. This will
successfully take you onto the southern shoulder of Q. Akilpo, as indicated on the map, popping
out above the headwall and the waterfall. The trail gets progressively better and clearly as you
move past the rocky southern shoulder of Q. Akilpo over the headwall, passing through a gate
of sorts. After this, you will be passing through a scenic queñua grove on a lovely trail that
zigzags over the river via a series of miniature wood bridges.

Eventually you punch through the last of the queñua trees and are greeted by open views of the
narrow valley ahead of you. Initially, stick to the left/north side of the valley. After climbing past
some rocky slabs, come to a long pampa area. From here, cross the river and move across onto
the right/south side of the valley. At the head of the pampa pass some corrals on your left.
Climb up past these. There are some good trails and cairns that lead the way, zigzagging up
over this headwall. At the top of the headwall, boulder hop down to the shores of the milky blue
glacial Laguna Akilpo, a contender for the most beautiful lake witnessed on the whole of the
CBT. The glacier walls of Nev. Akilpo and Nev. Tocllaraju form a perfect bowl around the lake’s
far eastern shores, while your ultimate goal, Akilpo Pass (also known as Paso Urus), lies to the
south.

Take adequate time to soak in the unparalleled beauty of L. Akilpo, then meander across its
western shores in a southbound direction. When you reach the hillside on its southern shores,
there is no longer any trail, however there is a bountiful network of cairns and pleasant ramps
and ledges that lead smoothly and clearly all the way to the top of Akilpo Pass/Paso Urus, which
lies some 400m above the Laguna.

As you are ascending the pass, you will inevitably be turning around constantly for increasingly
magnificent birds-eye views of Laguna Akilpo, whose situation becomes perhaps even more
stunning from this angle. As you are doing so also make sure to look over the northern ridge
that juts out from Nev. Akilpo; visible now for the first time looming high above this ridge, all the
way back across on the far north side of Q. Honda, is the massive Nev. Copa (6188m). Views of
its southeastern face continue all the way to the top of the pass. From the top of the pass, the
horizon on the south side iis dominated by the beautiful and prominent north face of Nev.
Ranrapalca (6162m) in the middle of the next ridge over, and the huge glaciers of Nev.
Palcaraju (6110m) further east at the head of the valley.

The descent of Akilpo Pass is is the worst scrambling in encountered yet on the CBT in terms of
exposure and steep, loose talus and scree. Additionally, it is the highest pass encountered yet
at 5060m, which means it will also be holding snow when all the other passes encountered so
far have long since thawed. It’s important to pay close attention to the cairns here, which lead
you on a detour left/east in order to find better footing zigzagging down the shoulder of the pass
rather than directly down its gut. This is especially important if the pass is still holding snow as a
direct shot down the pass from the top would certainly be a dangerous affair. However, stick to
the cairns, watch carefully for loose rocks and you should be fine. By the time you reach a pair
of tarns, the worst of it is already over.

Note: As you’re descending, it’s a good idea to take advantage of the birds-eye view you have
here of your next goal, which is achieved by one of two options: crossing one of the two passes
that lead over the ridge between Q. Ishinca and Q. Cojup. One of them leads to the
right/southwest of Nev. Ishinca (the Ishinca-Ranrapalca Col) while the other leads over the
left/northeast side of Nev. Ishinca (the Ishinca-Palcaraju Col). The latter (Ishinca-Palcaraju Col)
is the main route of the CBT. It is slightly shorter in terms of its elevation, but probably longer in
terms of time since it takes a more circuitous path, and is steeper, which can prove a serious
problem if it is still blanketed in snow and you don’t have the right gear. The former
(Ishinca-Ranrapalca Col) is higher up in terms of elevation, but the route up to it is more direct;
the final portion of the ascent of this involves crossing a crevassed glacier, however, the grade
is incredibly smooth and gentle all the way up. When we visited in May 2017, the staff at the
Refugio Ishinca insisted that path across the glacier to the Col was totally safe and somewhat
frequently crossed by hikers since it avoids the crevasses found on either side, and was in fact
safer than the less hiked Ishinca-Palcaraju Col, especially in snowbound conditions. While
you’re here with a good vantage point, stop to assess the conditions on both cols, and begin
thinking about the pros and cons each option presents to you. Both passes are absolutely
world-class in terms of scenery, so there’s really no going wrong on that front.

By the time you’ve reached the two tarns, you’re on a shelf that now looks down onto the valley
floor of Q. Ishinca. You can likely spot the Refugio Ishinca down below, which is your next goal.
The way down from here goes by quickly, and there are a variety of viable ways down to the
Refugio, either by beelining it or zigzagging. But the hillside is steep and covered with ichu
grass, which makes it easy to roll an ankle, so it’s good to be a bit cautious.

If the timing is right, it’s well worth a night in the gorgeous stone and wooden Refugio Ishinca.
The staff is warm and friendly and very knowledgeable about the area. It’s probably a good idea
to ask them for advice on the decision you’re facing tomorrow and the conditions of the route.
Some of them will have likely hiked it recently and can provide you with up to date beta. It costs
about 90 soles for room and board. This includes a large three-course dinner (appetizer, entree,
dessert) and warm showers. From the refugio’s dining room windows, you can still spy the
summit of Nev. Palcaraju.

Day 9 - Highlight: Crossing a glacier and getting to see Nev. Ranrapalca up close

Alternative Route: Ishinca-Ranrapalca Col Variant (5350m)

The components to commend this route are the chance to step onto a glacier and the intimate,
unforgettable views of the majestic northeast face of Nev. Ranrapalca towering overhead,
certainly one of the most sublime mountain faces in the entire range. The col is quite broad, and
thus offers superb views of milky-blue L. Ishinca and the entirety of Q. Ishinca and the cirque at
its head, topped by Nevs. Palcaraju and Tocllaraju, as well as Nev. Copa looming on the skyline
far on the horizon. The descent features a pair soulful tarns perched above the lovely L.
Perolcocha and stunning views of the impressive glacial cirque at the head of Q. Cojup formed
by Nevs. Pucaranra and Palcaraju.

Note: Although on the one hand this route is more direct than the Ishinca-Palcaraju Col, on the
other hand it is just over 100m higher up and the glacier crossing can take over an hour even in
perfect conditions. This glacier route, although it is very commonly used by mountaineers, is
only occasionally used by trekkers since it does feature several serious crevasses on either side
of the Col, even though these are safely bypassed as long as one sticks to the main corridor
leading to the Col. Walking across a glacier solo or without ropes, harnesses, crampons and
other requisite safety gear and experience is inherently risky. That being said, it is very gently
graded, and if you’re willing to take the adventure, it can be successfully crossed with just
microspikes. The descent is clear of glaciers and is smooth sailing.

The route itself is actually quite straightforward and is broken into three stages. For the first
stage from Refugio Ishinca, the next goal is to head to Refugio Vivaque, which is perched just
below L. Ishinca at 4990m. The climb up to Refugio Vivaque is on a clear trail the whole way
and is generally well-signed.

From Refugio Ishinca, follow the obvious trail that cuts straight across the gravelly valley floor to
end up on the shoulder of the south side of Q. Ishinca, ignoring fainter use trails that might lead
to other campsites. From here, long, broadly-spaced switchbacks begin winding gently up the
grassy hillside. As you begin moving up the hillside, these gradually move into the narrow ravine
formed between Nev. Ishinca and Nev. Ranrapalca by the stream flowing from L. Ishinca. As
the way becomes slightly steeper and more rocky, you will come to the tall headwall which is the
final obstacle between you and Refugio Vivaque. Here there are two options (both are indicated
on the map, one in red-dashed lines, the other in black-dashed lines). You may either follow the
cairns and trail that make a beeline straight up this headwall on the righthand side, the more
direct route. Or, you may follow the more trodden route that detours around the headwall,
passing by a pair of small tarns before circling around back to Refugio Vivaque. Both routes are
fine and the choice makes minimal difference. Arrive at Refugio Vivaque, a spartan one-room
self-cater shelter compared to the lavish Refugio Ishinca below. Take some time to meander
over the boulders and down to the lakeshore in order to soak up the unforgettable sight of Nev.
Ranrapalca reflected in the milky blue waters of L. Ishinca.

From the Refugio, you have excellent views of the next stage of the route. This second part of
the ascent is also straightforward. The goal is to walk around the northern tip of L. Ishinca, and
then ascend the broad but very loose scree ridge formed by the large moraine that hems in the
western shore L. Ishinca. The line you are to follow is easily identified: it’s the obvious seam
where the lighter colored rock meets the darker, reddish rock above. Following this moraine
ridge, you will soon be coming out above the steep headwall formed at the southern end of L.
Ishinca and the terminus of the glacier itself. From here, as the rock turns redder and more
solid, the going becomes narrower and slightly exposed, but there are cairns to follow. These
will lead you upwards on a slight detour to gain higher but safer ground since there is a steep,
loose trough between you and the glacier here. Soon the cairs finally funnel you down onto the
glacier itself at good, level ground.

The final stage, crossing the glacier to the Ishinica-Ranrapalca Col, should take about an hour
in good conditions. If conditions are favorable, the crossing can be a pure joy, as the grade is
incredibly gentle. Here you feel truly dwarfed by a world engulfed entirely by white in a way that
you won’t quite get on any of the other passes on the CBT. The safest route to the col thankfully
is the straightest shot, so simply make a beeline to the obvious low-point on the ridge between
Ishinca and Ranrapalca. The sheer immensity of the north face of Nev. Ranrapalca makes
everything else ant-sized. Reaching the col involves walking over and around a series of about
three or four gentle rolling knolls in the glacier before finally reaching the pass. As you get closer
to the col, the way will get steeper and slippery, and this is where you’ll really be glad to have
good microspikes or even crampons. Near the col you also have several opportunities to gaze
at beautiful but deadly crevasses on either side.

After soaking up the huge views from the col, enjoy the smooth and straightforward descent
below and much better than most other descents found on the CBT. There are excellent cairns
the whole way down. The way angles first toward the pair of small tarns on your left, before
turning back slightly to the right toward the northern shores of L. Perolcocha, then zigzagging
again and so on until you reach the valley floor of Q. Cojup. The cairns are generally very solid
on the descent and can be followed with relative ease. Views of the immense glacial cirque at
the head of Q. Cojup are on full display here.

Day 10 - Highlight: Sweeping views on both sides from Choco Pass/Paso Huapi. The mint
green L. Tullpacocha, walled in by a steep red cirque and fed by a waterfall from the
massive Chinchey glacier.
The next goal is the ridge between Q. Cojup and Q. Quilcayhuanca. Crossing this ridge
constitutes the fourth and final pass on Stage 2. The route over this ridge goes by way of
“Choco Pass,” also sometimes known as “Paso Huapi,” the low-point in the col between Nev.
Choco (5258m, which is labeled as “Cerro Huamanripa” on the Alpenvereinskarte map) and
Nev. Huapi (5421m, also labeled as Nev. “Jatunmontepuncu” on the Alpenvereinskarte map).

Cross the river (this river can flow quite strongly at times, so you may need to detour upriver a
bit to find a spot to hop across) and then proceed across the gravelly, talus-strewn valley floor.

You have an excellent vantage point of the hillside from from the valley floor of Q. Cojup. The
trails and cairns are more or less nonexistent for most of this side of the pass, but not to worry:
the going is a bit long but uneventful compared to the previous two passes.

One of the easiest ways up is to make a series of about four zigzags/switchbacks up the
hillside. First, aim for the base of the very conspicuous looking gash in the hillside. This gully is
quite deep, runs diagonally downward from left to right, and has a light, slightly orange hue to it
that contrasts it obviously against the grassy hill. The first stage is to follow the hill up on the
right hand side of this orangish ravine, following it as it angles up the hillside to the left/NE.
Once the mouth of the gully has been reached, the grade levels out somewhat. Here make a
switchback and turn slightly back to the right/S. Contour to the right over excellent grassy ramps
until you reach the band of boulders overhead. From here, you may actually spy out some
cairns around the vicinity of a small, picturesque waterfall. Make your way past the small band
of boulders, then turn back to your left/NE again, contouring once more on ramps of mixed
tundra and increasing boulders. At last, turning to the right one last time, you will have reached
the base of the last push up to the pass itself. The cairns improve dramatically here, and twist
and turn somewhat through a small maze of large talus and scree. The final half or so is over
quite loose scree, which will have you sliding backwards at times (no exposure to worry over
though). However the grade is gentle, and the pass itself is reached with relative ease. From
this broad, open pass, enjoy the stunning views to the south, over Nev. Andavite (Chopiraju on
the Alpenvereinskarte map), Nev. Cayesh, Nev. San Juan and Nev. Quimarumi. Particularly
notable is Nev. Cayesh, whose sheer, dramatic knife-edge summit (not seen from a good angle
here) provides one of the most difficult climbs in the entire range.

There is a long, multi-staged descent on the way down to the valley floor of Q. Quilcayhuanca.
However, the cairns on the first portion of the descent are solid throughout, and after about an
hour and a half or so, a good trail is met up with that will take you the rest of the way to the end
of Stage 2.

The first goal is to make it to a trio of small tarns, not indicated on the Alpenvereinskarte map.
The cairns will lead you directly to them. Perhaps somewhat counterintuitively, to reach these
tarns, the cairns move quite sharply to your left/ESE. (The reason for this is that the overall goal
is to reach the main trail to the E, just below L. Cuchilla, rather than dropping straight into Q.
Quilcayhuanca). The goal is to first make it past the steep ridge that encircles the Ls.
Pacsacocha, more directly below you, by contouring above the ridge. Just on the other side of
the ridge are found the unmarked tarns, the largest of them conspicuously shaped like a letter
“M.”

From around here, there are now superb views of the massive Nev. Pucaranra (6156m), Nev.
Chinchey (6309m) and its smaller sibling Nev. Tullparaju (5787m). The scale of the glacier
formed between these two giants is simply awe-inspiring to say the least.

From the unmarked tarns, some faint trail can be picked up. It bisects the two largest tarns. Past
these tarns, the cairns drop you steeply down boulders (where the trail tends to disappear) until
you reach yet another unmarked tarn in a large flat grassy pampa with corrals on the right,
making it an inviting campsite area. Views here are similarly stunning.

Now the general goal is simply to follow the shoulder of the ridge just beyond and to the right of
this unmarked tarn down into the next gully. As you enter this gently graded gully, follow it
sticking to the right side of the stream until the trail reappears near some stone wall ruins on the
right side of the stream that emerges at the center of thus gully. In this area, there a couple trails
that begin to emerge, and it’s possible to get confused. The best choice is simply to stick to the
right of the stream that has emerged in this pampa/gully. The trails that emerge on its left side
are for a side trip to L. Tullpacocha.

The main trail is now more or less good for the rest of the day’s journey to the end of Stage 2.
The first portion switchbacks constantly down the hillside in order to drop you into the small Q.
Tullparaju. As you begin descending these switchbacks, make sure to enjoy the bizarre view of
the emerald green L. Tullparaju, surrounded by steep, dark red-rock headwalls on its NE shore,
fed by a beautiful, diminutive strand of water from the glacier above.
When the switchbacks reach the valley floor of Q. Tullparaju, just below L. Tullparaju, the trail
can be difficult to follow as it becomes quite grassy and boggy once again. Follow the grassy
trail as it crosses over the outlet flows of L. Cuchilla. This initially puts you on the left hand
shoulder of a moraine on the valley floor separating the outlets of L. Cuchilla from L.
Tullpacocha (this is not how the trail is shown on the Alpenvereinskarte map). After a brief
descent, the trail will cross back to the right hand side of the valley floor.

From here, the valley opens up somewhat into a boggy pampa. The trail may disappear, but
there is usually some faint indication of where it should be, as well as occasional cairns. If in
doubt, you may want to stick to the right hand side of the pampa in order to keep your feet drier.
Make sure to stay on the right side of the river, which provides a handle for your descent the
entire way down. After dropping down a short rolling hillside, you pass a campsite and the
turnoff for Q. Cayesh on your left at Y-junction formed in the valleys. You are now at last on the
valley floor of Q. Quilcayhuanca. The valley is wide and lush and you follow the right side of the
river the whole way down. At the mouth of the valley, reach an entrance gate to the Quebrada.
Hop over the stone wall if it is unattended. Here, follow the obvious 4WD track for about 30-45
minutes until you reach the tiny, sparse hamlet of Pitec near some bathroom stalls that pop up
alongside the 4WD track.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch the afternoon colectivo directly from Pitec. This colectivo leaves from
Huaraz around 8AM to drop off day hikers in Pitec, who are usually going to nearby L. Churup.
The colectivo takes the returning day hikers back to Huaraz around 3 or 4PM. This is the same
colectivo you’ll be taking back up to Pitec to start Stage 3.

If you miss the colectivo and don’t want to wait around Pitec for the night, you can continue to
the larger hamlet of Llupa, a further 1-2 hours down the road, for more transportation and
accomodation options. There’s a hostel in Llupa, The Hof, that sometimes will organize private
transport (at higher cost, around 40 soles) if the colectivo doesn’t work out.

STAGE 3

Day 11 - Highlight: The massive icefall of Nev. Huantsan, the southernmost 6000er in the
range, calving directly into the mint green waters of L. Rajucolta.

From Huaraz, the colectivo to Llupa (and from there on to Pitec) at the start of stage 3 leaves
from Av. Augustín Gamarra between the cross-streets of Antonio Raymondi and Caraz. It’s a
good idea to confirm the times and locations for these colectivos the day before with the hostel
you’re staying at. The colectivo to Llupa only leaves once per day, around 8:00 AM, so you
wouldn’t want to miss it.

After a long, bumpy ride, disembark the colectivo near the bathroom stalls encountered
previously at the end of stage 2. From here, rather than following the dirt road (which leads back
the way you’ve come from, up to Q. Quilcayhuanca), look for an inconspicuous trail/track that
heads off from the road on your right. It may be worth trying to ask the colectivo driver to point it
out if you’re feeling unsure. As you head down a grassy ramp into the gully, look for a bridge
that takes you across the Rio Quilcay. The path then wends its way through various knolls,
crossing a few streams and taking you past several huts and corrals. Begin curving around the
main northern ridge of Q. Shallap. Reach a junction, and keep straight here (turning right would
take you back the opposite way to the hamlet of Jancu). Now you enter Q. Shallap, with its
narrow entrance walled by massive boulders on either side. Follow the main trail all the way up
to L. Shallap, crossing the main river three times on bridges on the way. Laguna Shallap is
reached in a mere two to three hours. There are a number of run-down, abandoned looking
stone and sheet-metal huts just before the lake shores, which could provide shelter should you
need it.

The waters of L. Shallap are perhaps the greenest encountered on the whole trip, an alien sight
to behold.

The main Shallap Pass is a very narrow notch located just to the NE of the 5305m peak above
(called “Cerro Huamashpunta” on the Alpenvereinskarte map). Although this is comparatively a
much more rarely used pass, there are still some good cairns leading up the second, upper half
of the ascent to the pass. If you ask trekking guides or hostel-owners about it back in Huaraz,
they may be familiar with this route.

The first goal on the ascent to Shallap Pass will be to find a way past the sheer, impassable
boulder walls that occupy most of the ridge. As you scan this rock wall, you can spy out the first
feasible place to break through on steep tundra: an opening/gully in the rock wall just south of
the southern shores of L. Shallap.

Reaching this gully from the lake, there are very steep moraines choked with bushes on the
right/S side which you need to ascend. If you want to avoid frustrating, tedious, bushwacking,
the best option is to quickly backtrack to the metal hut complex previously encountered just
before the lakeshore. From these huts, just on the right/S side, there are a series of much nicer
cow trails and use trails that lead up on top of the ridge of the moraine and slightly on its
backside. Following the ridge of this moraine is much nicer going, and conveniently leads you
right up to the gully you need to go to mentioned above.

Once you reach the vicinity of this gully, you have a short, steep climb ahead of you before
reaching nicer ramps and ledges above. You can go one of two ways to do this. You can either
go up the first option presented to you, which is thickly choked with queñua trees, which may
seem alluring here at first because there’s a noticeable cow trail going up it. The going here is
quite nice at first, but as you reach the head of this miniature gully, you will have a tough job
punching through the steep, thickly forested and narrow head. A better option is to go just past
these queñua trees, contouring around the base of the steep bouldered ridge that the queñua
trees are growing out of. From here you are on a steep but excellent grassy slope.
From the upper head of the small gully with the queñua trees, which are now just below you and
on your right, aim straight ahead for more grassy ramps, followed by a series of steep boulder
walls with nice but somewhat exposed ledges. For the next portion, you will be making a series
of zigzags, connecting these ledges up as best as possible.

Initially if you head slightly to the left here, rather than straight up the tundra ramps directly
ahead of you (which may seem the most alluring option at first), you can actually find a solid use
trail on the left hand shoulder of the main gully that you are currently in. This use trail goes quite
nicely for about 15-20 minutes, sticking to the left hand shoulder of the gully. It then quickly
fades out for a brief span when it comes against a large boulder wall. From here, make series of
zigzags along boulder walls for about another 10 minutes, at which point you should once again
find a use trail, this time, with a prominent cairn perched out on the edge of a boulder, as well as
some actual trail construction: rock walls built into the sides of the switchbacks to prop them up.

From here, you’ll be on more of the same terrain, boulder walls with good mixed rocky/tundra
ramps. The trail tends to fade out in the grass, but cairns generally keep you more on the left
shoulder of the main gully. Soon you’ll reach a more open pampa area, and over on the left
there’s a large stone fence/corral, which you can aim for. From the rock fence, the path
continues to hug the left hand side of the steep wall, weaving through ichu grass and rolling
knolls.

Here, you finally catch a view of the pass itself: the obvious, conspicuous notch that forms the
lowest point in the rocky boulder wall ahead. The pass tends to hold a late-lying snowfield, and
as you can make out from here, the final portion once the ichu grass fades out, will involve a
slog over very loose, reddish-hued scree and small talus.

From here the best route is basically a straight shot to the pass. You may choose to hold onto
the left side for a small, compact dirt ridge that offers better walking before eventually the dirt
ridge runs into a boulder wall, that forces you back to the right into the main gully of scree
leading to the pass. At this point, your only option is a slow slog scrambling and zigzagging over
loose scree and talus, often sliding backwards a bit. But the exposure is never bad. As you get
to the very last portion, hug the right shoulder of the pass for more solid medium-sized talus.
Eventually reach the notch of Shallap Pass, and enjoy the vertiginous look down the other side
with excellent views to the south. From here, the deep purplish L. Huamash, cupped perfectly
below, with the spectacular icefall of Nev. Huantsan (6395m) in the distance is another
contender for most beautiful lake on the CBT.

Note: From the pass you have excellent views of Cashan Pass ahead, your next pass. Cashan
Pass, another very narrow notch in a sheer boulder wall is one of the more steep, rugged and
exposed scrambles on the entire traverse. It also harbors arguably the steepest and most
precarious snow-tongues of the whole route on both the north and south sides of the pass in the
early season during late May to early June. It’s worth taking the time to assess the conditions of
the pass while you have clear views of its north-facing side in order to make sure you are
adequately prepared for it and to spy out the overall route to it.

The initial portion of the descent from Shallap Pass is somewhat hairy. Normally, straight down
the main gully on the left would seem to be the best option. However, there is often a late-lying
snow-tongue here, or if not, it tends to be wet mud that is incredibly slick. These factors could
potentially make this option truly treacherous. If so, a better option is to hug the small ridge of
boulders jutting out just on your right. Scrambling over these makes you feel somewhat
exposed, but it is never too bad, and the ground is much more solid. Zigzag, weaving from side
to side of this spiky boulder ridge, soon finding your way down to solid, medium-sized talus
below with a much nicer grade than what was initially encountered. Zigzag down this talus,
aiming for the right/W shores of the tranquil L. Huamash.

Once you reach the shores of L. Huamash, take a moment to enjoy the spectacular sight of the
monstrous Nev. Huantsan reflected in the lake waters. The size of the sheer icefall from this
giant is perhaps the best seen on the whole traverse. Huantsan is the southernmost 6000er in
the range, the last you will be seeing for the duration of the traverse.

From the southern tip of the lake, the going gets less obvious. Stick to the right in order to avoid
the very steep headwall just below L. Huamash, then descend into the obvious gully below,
staying on its right shoulder. Faint cow trails run through here.

At the end of this gully you reach the most laborious part of the descent, the final stretch of long,
very steep hillside between you and L. Rajucolta. The hillside is rifled with small drop-offs,
impossible to detect from above, and there are a variety of steep stream-filled ravines, and the
ichu grass is yet another hazard that prevents sure and easy footing. To make things even more
difficult, the most obvious route dumps you onto L. Rajucolta’s northern side. The only problem
with this is that the lake’s northern side has no shores, rather, it’s just met directly by the sheer
steep hillside, which is intersected by very deep, loose ravines. This makes reaching the lake’s
outlet a frustrating process, over very loose and steep talus, with much up and down-climbing,
and will almost surely force you to walk in the lake as well. If possible, it would be better to hang
right at the shelf just below L. Huamash in order to find a diagonal that dumps you out directly at
L. Rajucolta’s outlet and the dirt road found there. However, this way is steeper, and there are
more drop-offs, so extra care is required in order to safely connect the grassy ramps.

The nastiness of this final portion of the descent is compensated for by the unforgettable views
of ice calving off from the Huantsan glacier and crashing down directly into the mint green
waters of L. Rajucolta. The Huantsan glacier, along with the Contrahierbas glacier, were the
most frequently calving glaciers we encountered on the whole traverse. A spectacular sight to
behold, but also a depressing reminder of the rapid, accelerating death of the Blanca’s glaciers
due to climate change.

STAGE 4
Day 12 - Highlight: Stunning new botanical life--a variety of cactus gardens and the first
sightings of Puya Raimondii. The sublime valley of Lagunas Jarpacocha and
Gueshguecocha.

Note: If you’re going to the start of Stage 4 from Huaraz rather than the recommended Chavin,
you can take Z Buss which leaves from Huaraz at around 7 or 8AM. The route goes to Chavin,
but you’ll need to ask the driver to drop you off at the snack shack at L. Querococha, right
before the first switchback. The ride should only cost around 5 soles.

It’s well-worth stopping into the snack shack at L. Querococha to get some fried egg
sandwiches and other refreshments if you find yourself passing by it. The owner is very friendly.

Your goal from the snack shack and switchbacks in the road is to cross the grassy ridge
separating you from the mouth of Q. Cotush, your next goal. From here, angle diagonally
right/SW over the lovely, gently rolling ridge. You can go any number of ways as you see fit; one
obvious way would be to aim for the convenient low spot at about 4200m, just above and north
of the huts that the Alpenvereinskarte map labels as “Rodeo Corral.” Drop down into the mouth
of Q. Cotush zigzagging among ichu grass and small talus.

From “Rodeo Corral” and the mouth of Q. Cotush, your next goal is to find the path of least
resistance contouring around the base of the next wide ridge to the south, separating Q. Cotush
from Q. Maraytaca. Eventually you want to meet up with the faint use trails in Q. Maraytaca, and
follow them toward the head of that valley.

As you contour, hugging the base of the ridge, you will likely run into some boggy terrain just
before passing by the huts at “Jaguishpata.” While contouring, you may notice what looks to be
a big trail contouring on the same path just above you. However, his is actually a pipeway cut
into the hillside. From just above the huts at Jaguishpata, walk up past some boulder-strewn
terrain, from where you now have good views into Q. Maraytaca. The southern mouth of the
valley is marked by a conspicuously conical grassy peak.

Heading into the valley, initially the use trails stick to the left side of the river. Eventually you will
cross the valley’s main river so that you can find the most solid use trail which sticks the valley’s
right/southern shoulder. The going continues to be pleasantly rolling ichu grass mixed with
gravel and talus.

Once you get far enough into the valley, (about 1.5-2 hours) you should be able to get good
views of the small pass you are heading for. Scanning the ridge on your right that you’ve been
following, the “pass” is the first low point formed between this ridge and the next rounded,
grassy hill.
As you are heading up this very mellow pass, enjoy the beautiful views of the cirque at the head
of peaceful Q. Maraytaca, formed by Nev. Gueshgue (5403m). Soon reach the long and broad
saddle and meander across it until the scenic L. Gueshguecocha comes into view below. If you
look closely, you can already spot the massive poles of Puya Raimondii that cover the far
hillside just SE of L. Gueshguecocha. This unique plant was one of the chief reasons for
Huascarán National Park to be designated as a World Heritage site for conservation. Within the
park, the groves of the Puya Raimondii are found only in the southernmost tip. The Puya
Raimondii are native only to Peru and Bolivia, and found only at high altitudes of 3000-4800m
above sea level. Also known as the “Queen of the Andes,” this is the world’s largest species of
mountain plant. It can grow as high as 15m. It flowers only once every 100 years, and is the
largest member of the bromeliads, the pineapple family. The radial pattern of leaves is ideal for
catching as much sun as possible in this frequently cold, cloudy environment. The plant initially
consists of just this vegetative ball of spiky stalks, about 3-4m in height, which stores up energy
from starches for 100 years before suddenly sprouting its remarkably tall pole, which can shoot
up to 10m in as little as one month. Around 10,000 flowers cover this pole, and they flower
simultaneously. After flowering, the plants wither and turn black, and are frequently harvested
for thatching shepherd’s huts.

Descend in the direction of L. Gueshguecocha, sticking to the left side of the shallow gully for
drier ground and use trails. As you come around the bend on the next ridge over, beware not to
go too far to the left/SE, as you will run into some barbed wire fences. Instead, head straight for
the outlet of L. Jarpacocha, which should now be coming into view and feeds into L.
Gueshguecocha.

Once down in Q. Tranca Ruri, you have to hop across at the outlet of L. Jarpacocha, in order to
pass between these two lakes and meet up with the faint trail on the southern side of L.
Gueshguecocha. You may have some trouble keeping your feet dry on this crossing, as it
involves a fair jump across one side of the grass to the other.

It’s well worth meandering over to the shores of gorgeous L. Jarpacocha in order to soak up the
views of Nev. Mururaju (called “Pongos” on the Alpenvereinskarte map) reflected in its soulful
waters. Excellent camping spots abound in this pleasant valley.

Day 13 - Highlight: the gorgeous, tranquil lower Laguna Raria, hemmed in by fascinating
red rock formations, reflecting Nev. Raria and its glaciers above.

After bisecting the outlet flow of L. Jarpacocha feeding L. Gueshguecocha, meander over in a
SW direction, as you are dwarfed among countless Puya Raimondii towers, to meet up with a
very faint trail (don’t worry if you can’t find it exactly). You may want to veer up onto the small
ridge at the lake’s southern shore in order to keep drier feet. The walk from here to L.
Mancancocha tends to be very boggy throughout though, so the effort may be in vain.
If you reach the SW tip of L. Gueshguecocha and its outlet flow and you’ve lost the trail, don’t
worry too much. Even though there are no cairns here, the going is very broad and easy over
rolling hills of ichu grass. The outlet stream tumbling down from L. Mancancocha provides a
perfect handle here for you to follow up the shallow gully that angles now to the SE in order to
reach L. Mancancocha above. Once you reach L. Mancancocha, the trail becomes very clear
for a brief span of time. It’s just next to the lakeshore, contouring around its SW side. From here,
it continues contouring SE over the small ridge separating L. Mancancocha from the larger L.
Acococha just above.

Use trails and cairns take you through a gravelly area in the flat wide open plateau that houses
L. Acococha, passing somewhat far to the left/NE of the lakeshore. Soon after passing the lake,
you’ll come to a lip where you begin your descent to the mouth of Q. Raria below and slightly to
the east. The full ridge of the southwesternmost glaciated peaks of the Cordillera Blanca now
suddenly come into spectacular view (Nev. Caullaraju, Nev. Huicsu and more).

Initially on the descent you can follow cairns down the first brief stretch until it levels off
somewhat on a small pampa just above 4400m. However, from here it’s best to abandon the
use trail and cairns which lead out of the way to the road below. Instead, it’s best to cut left/E to
the old trail on the northern shoulder of Q. Raria. The view up the valley from the mouth of Q.
Raria is one of the most scenic valleys of the trip, lush and wide, with Nev. Mururaju (called
“Pongos” on the Alpenvereinskarte map) to the north and Nev. Raria to the south providing a
picturesque backdrop

Note: there are actually trails on both sides of the river in Q. Raria, even though the
Alpenvereinskarte map only indicates one. In fact, it is the newer trail on the southern side of the
valley (not indicated on the Alpenvereinskarte map) that is now the better trail. The trail on the
northern side of the valley is extremely boggy. However, since the CBT drops in from the north,
and since the river at the mouth of Q. Raria often proves to be impassable due to its swiftness,
depth, width, and steep cliffs on either side, it’s probably best to just deal with the bogs on the
the northern side of Q. Raria, and then cross over to the southern side later on and higher up
where the river crossing becomes safe. The trail and cairns on northern side are quite good for
the first half of the stroll through Q. Raria, at which point the bogs become truly dreadful, and
you’ll be forced to tromp across the river to the much nicer moraine ridges on the southern side.

You should reach the head of the valley on its southern shoulder where you begin the climb to
the pass, Punta Raria. As you move up, contour around a mixed scree and tundra bowl before
arriving at the main obstacle, an ascent up a mixed scree and talus gully that will lead all the
way up to the mouth of the outlet of the lower L. Raria. You can choose whether to ascend on
the left or right side of this talus gully. Either way is stable and will do just fine, the talus ascent
is a short one.

When the talus gives way to more level grass slopes and knolls, take the time to meander right
up to the wide, shallow outlet flow of the lower L. Raria. This lake constitutes a highlight of
Stage 4, with its tranquil waters perfectly reflecting the glaciated Nev. Raria above, and
featuring dramatic red rock walls on its far side with fascinating twisted slabs.

From the lake’s outlet flow, which is easily crossed hopping rocks, the pass is the obvious low
point just above on your left/E, directly below Nev. Raria. The going is incredibly pleasant,
connecting grassy ramps and ridges the final way up, with very little elevation gain left
remaining.

From the broad and boulder-filled pass, you want to keep left/N in order to find the best trail and
cairns leading the way down on the left shoulder of the narrow valley below. Continue cutting
diagonally down this scree ridge until you can spy out a safe place to switchback down to the
narrow pampa below. When you reach the pampa, following either side of its river will do just
fine, although eventually you’ll want to cross over to its right/SE side, so you may as well hug
that side now. Stick to contouring on the shoulder just above the pampa itself if you’d like to
keep your feet dry. Eventually reach the lip at about 4460m from which you get a good view
down into Q. Puchua below.

Note: from here you have a decent view of the unnamed pass just north of peak “5051” (as
labeled on the Alpenvereinskarte map). This pass is most easily identified by the conspicuous
black rocky ridge/bluff that shoots out from its northern side at at SW direction (this is also
clearly shown on the map).

There’s a large, obvious grassy and rocky knoll sticking out prominently from the very middle of
the valley floor of Q. Puchua as you look up-valley to your right/SE. The easiest route is to
contour behind this large rocky knoll on its right/W side (the side you are dropping in from),
since the terrain is more favorable here with nice grass ramps and slopes. Doing this will have
you sticking just to the right side of the outlet stream from L. Yanacocha, before crossing it at
pampa found at the backside of the large knoll.

Once you’ve contoured around the backside of this knoll, you will find yourself at the western
edge of a very large open pampa. There’s plenty of good campsites here, but be aware that
there are also a few inhabited shepherd’s huts in this vicinity.

Day 14 - Highlight: Seeing a pack of wild Vicuña, framed by the glaciers of Nev.
Huarapasca in the background, just before the turnoff to the Pastoruri Glacier

Cross the pampa, heading straight for the gully/bowl formed just to the right of the obvious dark
rocky ridge mentioned above.

As you begin climbing up the pass, there are a variety of possible routes. One obvious route is
to hug the right shoulder of the narrow gully. The steep grass eventually flattens out briefly in a
miniature bowl. The terrain turns into a mixture of red and light sand colored scree for the final
small portion of the ascent. There is a band of boulders going lengthwise down the middle of
this final small scree slope that forces you to pick a side to go up on. The most obvious route is
to go up on the right of this band of boulders, using them as a handrail and footstep as you go
up this final bit of scree. Reach the pass with little effort and notice the large cairn tower on your
left.

The next point lies just out of sight. It’s just around the corner from the slope of the rusty colored
scree slope on your right/SE. This next “pass” is at the same elevation, and thanks to the nice
slope before you, it’s perfectly feasible to contour to it without losing any elevation. There’s even
a decent use trail to it. Reach this “pass” at the head of the small valley and hop over the stone
fence that goes along it.

Looking ahead, you are now peering into the southern head of Q. Putacca. You’ll have have to
descend and lose some elevation here, hugging the right/W side of the valley’s small head in
order to minimize elevation loss. You can meet up with some decent cow trails/use trails here as
you begin following the outlet flow of L. Japrucocha up over good grassy ramps and ledges
mixed amongst boulders.

Reach the northern tip of L. Japrucocha, with Nev. Gajap looming overhead on its western side.
From the lake’s outlet, cross straight over to the very obvious dirt road on the left/E side of its
shores. You now follow road for the rest of the duration of the CBT to its southern terminus at
Pastoruri Glacier.

The final portion of the CBT walking on the road from L. Japrucocha to the turnoff for Pastoruri
Glacier will take about 3-4 hours. The walking is very easy-going, however, it does meander a
lot over a multitude of switchbacks and ins-and-outs of various gullies.

There are two final, very diminutive “passes”/saddles that the road crosses. The first is the very
low-lying saddle, just south of L. Japrucocha at the eastern shoulder of Nev. Gajap, located just
below 4850m. Then, after reaching a low-point in the road at 4600m, there’s a very gentle, but
long and meandering climb on the road to Punta Huarapasca at 4780m. From here, you quickly
reach the turnoff for Pastoruri Glacier just below.

Logistically speaking, Pastoruri Glacier is an excellent final terminus for the CBT, because you’ll
need to hitch a ride back to Huaraz, and out here, in the far southern tip of the range, this tourist
spot is really you’re only feasible option.

Turn left at the T, marked with an obvious sign for Pastoruri Glacier (or hitch a ride on an
incoming tourist bus if you’re feeling done with road-walking), then make the quick walk over to
the busy Pastoruri Glacier.

Signs explain that this glacier was once of the major sights to behold in the whole range, but
over the last few decades, has become perhaps the most visible casualty of climate change in
the entire Cordillera Blanca. In less than 20 years, including 10 of the hottest ever recorded,
Pastoruri Glacier has shrunk from to roughly half of its earlier size, revealing in its place the
slabs of mineralized black rock on the hillside it once covered. Tourism to the spot has similarly
dropped dramatically, which has had a harsh impact on the local communities which have
depended on this income in the past. The glacial loss is now said to be irreversible, and some
estimate that Pastoruri Glacier will disappear completely within about 10 years.

To return to Huaraz, simply hitch a ride with any one of a dozen or so tourist buses in the
Pastoruri parking lot. These buses leave more or less constantly throughout the day. The last
ones tend to empty out from the parking lot around 3 or 4PM.