Huayhuash Circuit, Kraig Adams's way

The numbers come from my own GPS recordings, smoothed the same way for every day. Day 2 includes a 2.7-mile walk to the lake after lunch. My Strava entry for the trip says 83 miles.

To Huaraz. Fly to Lima, then take the bus north to Huaraz. It was my third time in Huaraz, and I love this place: you wake up and look at mountains. Cruz del Sur, for one, runs 8 buses a day from Lima to Huaraz in 7.5 to 8.5 hours (2026 timetable, fares from S/87). I stayed at the agency the first night and in a hotel in town after that.

In Huaraz. Give yourself two or three days. Do an acclimatization hike (Laguna 69, Laguna Churup and Laguna Rajucolta are the ones people do), buy snacks, get cash in soles, and rent anything you need: I rented trekking poles, and they helped so much on the climbs. I had breakfast and did my editing at California Cafe.

To the trailhead. Our agency drove us in a private van: about six hours from Huaraz in all, with a lunch stop in Chiquián, the last town before the trailhead, and the last three hours or so on dirt roads to the camp at Cuartelhuain, near the Matacancha road end, at 13,730 ft (4,185 m). Without an agency, the public route is a minibus from Huaraz to Chiquián (El Rápido, for one), then a local car to Llamac, Pocpa or Matacancha. These aren't timetabled like the Lima buses; ask in Huaraz the day before.

The trailheads. Llamac (about 10,800 ft, 3,300 m) is the classic start, with a first day's climb to Cuartelhuain or Jahuacocha. Matacancha and Cuartelhuain, where we started, sit at the road end high above Llamac. The road also reaches Rondoy, where we finished, and the villages of Queropalca, Huayllapa and Cajatambo.

Getting home

The van picked us up at Rondoy and drove us back to Huaraz through Chiquián, most of the afternoon. That night we had a trek victory dinner in town. The next morning, August 28, I took the Cruz del Sur bus back to Lima and flew home that night.

From Huaraz, the buses to Lima leave from late morning into the night (Cruz del Sur's 2026 timetable: 6 to 8 departures a day from 11 a.m., 7.5 to nearly 10 hours). Keep a spare day before your flight.

Gear for this route

From my operator's list, bring

• A warm sleeping bag and an inflatable mat (not included)
• A daypack, water bottles, and purification tablets if you don't want boiled water
• Warm layers for below freezing, a waterproof jacket, hat and gloves
• Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
• Water and food for Day 1 (not included)
• Cash in soles for the fees and tips
• A power bank big enough for eleven days

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Donkeys carried the camp, so I only carried a daypack. Here's what I had in August 2022, what I'd take now, and what I filmed with.

What I carried in 2022

My records don't name the brands, so no links here.

Hiking

• Sleep: my sleeping bag and inflatable mat. Not included by the operator. Nights were cold enough that I wore everything I had.

Filmmaking

• Daypack: a daypack. Water, snacks, layers, my phone and the drone.

Other

• Duffel: a duffel. The donkeys carried it, limited to 8 kg (18 lb).
• Poles: rented trekking poles. I rented a pair in Huaraz for $30, and they helped so much on the climbs.

What I'd take now

What I'd bring for this trek from my current kit.

Hiking

• Sleeping bag: Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20° Mummy Bag (Hyperlite). Nights are below freezing, with frost on the tents.
• Sleeping pad: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT (Amazon). The operator doesn't supply a mat.
• Pad inflator: AlpenBlow Micro Inflator (Garage Grown Gear). Easier than blowing up a pad at altitude.
• Daypack: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 (Hyperlite). The donkeys carry the rest.
• Poles: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Z Poles (Amazon). Rented poles helped so much on the passes over 16,000 feet.
• Puffy: Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody (Arc’teryx). For camp after sunset, below freezing.
• Rain shell: Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket (Arc’teryx). On the operator's list.
• Sun hoodie: PATH Projects Pyrenees T19 Hoodie (PATH Projects). Strong sun on clear mornings.
• Hat: PATH Projects Hoyt Merino Beanie (PATH Projects). On the operator's list for the cold.
• Gloves: Unigear Touchscreen Liner Gloves (Amazon). For the cold.
• Sunglasses: Goodr OG Sunglasses (Amazon). Strong sun at altitude.
• Water: Katadyn BeFree AC · 1L (Amazon). The cook boiled water morning and evening. Treat stream water: there are animals everywhere.

Filmmaking

• Power bank: Nitecore NB20000 (Amazon). There's no charging in camp. Huayllapa, on Day 8, was the only place I charged batteries.

Other

• Navigation: AllTrails+ (AllTrails, 30% off). Load my GPX files and download offline maps while you still have Wi-Fi in Huaraz. Offline maps need the paid plan.
• Phone data: Airalo eSIM (Airalo, $3 off). Data in Lima and Huaraz. Don't count on a signal once you leave the road.

Filming kit

What I filmed this trip with in 2022. My setup is different now (below). Check the current rules for flying a drone in Peru before you bring one.

Hiking

• Phone: an iPhone. I'd sold a lot of my Sony gear and was testing how little I could get away with.

Filmmaking

• Drone: my DJI drone. I shot this trip mainly with a drone and an iPhone. I charged three drone batteries at the hostel in Huayllapa.
• Tripod: a tripod. For setting up the iPhone and walking past.

What I film with now

Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.

• Camera: DJI Osmo Pocket 4 (Amazon)
• Mic: DJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX (Amazon). It pairs with the Pocket 4.
• Drone: DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon)
• Tripod: SmallRig Carbon Fiber Tripod (Amazon)

Community fees in cash at checkpoints and camps: S/280, or S/290 with Cutatambo (2026)

The Huayhuash is trekked in the dry season. Peru's tourism inventory recommends May to September. Outside those months the wet season, roughly November to March, brings snow on the passes and cloud on the peaks, and storms can start in late September and October.

I walked in the middle of August. We had clear, sunny days for the big passes (Days 4, 6 and 7), an overcast day with the peaks in cloud on Day 3, and a foggy morning on the ridge that same day. Nights were cold, with frost on the tents by Day 5, and middays were hot in the sun. Pack for both.

Altitude

This is the part of the trek to take seriously. Huaraz is at about 10,000 ft (3,050 m). Our first camp was 13,730 ft (4,185 m), we crossed a pass nearly every day, and every camp except Huayllapa was above 13,300 ft.

How I acclimatized. I arrived in Huaraz on a long flight and a long bus ride and could feel the altitude hitting me the first night. I was so tired I couldn't tell if it was jet lag or altitude. The next day, August 15, I did a day hike with a few others to Laguna Rajucolta: about an hour's drive, then up the valley to the lake and back, 9.1 miles (14.7 km) to a high point of 14,030 ft (4,275 m). It felt pretty easy. The day after that was a prep day in town, with another short hike on the hills above the city. We left for the trek on August 17.

How it went. Day 2 over the Cacanan pass gave me a slight headache, and that afternoon I didn't feel good at all. I had a slight headache again at Carhuacocha on Day 3. From then on it got better, and on Day 7, crossing 16,600 ft and climbing Cerro Gran Vista, I felt great: the most acclimatized I've ever been.

My camp heights (from my GPS):

The rules of thumb. The US CDC's current guidance (Yellow Book, April 2025): once above 3,000 m (9,850 ft), don't raise your sleeping height by more than 500 m (1,650 ft) a night, and allow an extra night for every 1,000 m (3,300 ft) you gain. The jump from Huaraz to the first camp is more than that, about 1,100 m, which is why the days in Huaraz and the acclimatization hikes matter. After Day 1 most camps stay within a few hundred meters of each other; Day 9, Huayllapa to Cashpapampa, sleeps 1,040 m (3,400 ft) higher, twice the CDC's limit.

The signs. Headache is the main symptom of acute mountain sickness, usually with loss of appetite, dizziness, tiredness or nausea. Confusion, stumbling or drowsiness like being drunk can mean HACE (swelling of the brain); breathlessness at rest, a cough and chest congestion can mean HAPE (fluid in the lungs). Both are emergencies. The CDC's advice is to descend if symptoms get worse despite rest, and to ask your doctor about acetazolamide before you go. On this trek, going down means walking or riding the emergency horse to a lower valley; see each day's "If you need to get off" and Weather and safety.

Weather and safety

Weather. On my trip in August: clear mornings, strong sun, a few cloudy days, and nights below freezing, with frost on the tents. Fog can hide the path on the high ridges (Day 3 for us).

Altitude is the main risk. Read Altitude. Tell your guide early if you feel unwell, and don't go higher with worsening symptoms.

Getting help. The Huayhuash is remote. Don't count on a phone signal, and help comes on foot or horseback first. My operator brought an emergency horse for exactly this. The ways out are the valleys to the roads at Queropalca, Cajatambo, Huayllapa, Pacllón and Llamac, a day's walk or more from most camps (each day's "If you need to get off" gives the route). Helicopter rescue in the Peruvian Andes is limited and can't be counted on. Carry a satellite messenger or make sure your operator has one, and have insurance that covers evacuation.

Emergency numbers in Peru (checked September 2026): 105 police, 106 ambulance (SAMU), 116 fire. The police high-mountain rescue unit (USAM) is based in the Huaraz area. In September 2026 rescues in the range were run from Huaraz by Socorro Andino Peruano with the police unit, and one hiker was carried out overland after cloud and wind stopped the helicopter. Get current rescue numbers from your operator or the Casa de Guías in Huaraz.

Dogs. Farm dogs guard their houses. On my prep day in Huaraz, a farm dog bit me while I was running. Walk past calmly, and carry your poles.

Water. Our cook boiled water morning and evening. Treat stream water: there are animals everywhere.

Did you do the whole circuit? Yes, the full loop around the range, clockwise, from Cuartelhuain to Rondoy in eleven days, with Cerro Gran Vista and the Siula Grande viewpoint on Day 7. The classic start is the village of Llamac, lower down; we drove past it to the road end at Matacancha, which saves a day or two. See Other ways to do it.

Can I do it on my own? People do, but it's a big trek to carry alone: ten nights of food and camp at 13,000 to 15,000 ft, with only one real village on the way. When I asked in 2021, my operator told me solo hikers were technically no longer allowed into the range, and that most people who go without a full agency at least hire a muleteer and donkeys. I haven't found an official rule on solo hiking; ask in Huaraz when you arrive. See How this trek works.

How many days do I need? Eleven on the trek, plus at least two or three days in Huaraz first to acclimatize, and a day each way between Lima and Huaraz. I arrived in Huaraz three days before we left, did an acclimatization hike and a day of prep, and took the bus back to Lima the day after we finished.

How hard is it? The walking days are short, 6 to 12 miles, and the donkeys carry the camp, so you only carry a daypack. What makes it hard is the altitude: we crossed a pass nearly every day, went over 5,000 m three times, and slept above 13,000 ft every night but one. It's also cold at night and long. By Day 10 I said it plainly: 11 days is a lot, and I think we were all feeling it.

Will I get altitude sickness? I had a slight headache on Days 2 and 3, and on Day 2 I didn't feel good at all. By Day 7, at almost 17,000 ft, I felt nothing: the most acclimatized I'd ever been. Read Altitude before you book anything.

When should I go? The dry season, roughly May to September. I went in the middle of August. See When to go.

What does it cost? In 2022 our private group of six paid the operator US$1,200 a person for everything on the trek: guides, cook, muleteers, donkeys, food, tents and transport from and back to Huaraz. On top of that you pay the community fees in cash, about S/290 a person in 2026. See What I paid.

What are the community fees? Each community whose land the trail crosses collects its own fee at its campsite or checkpoint, in soles. In 2026 the nine fees add up to S/290 if you visit Cutatambo, as we did. Every day in this guide lists that day's fee.

What's a day like? A cup of coca tea brought to the tent, breakfast in the dining tent, pack your duffel for the muleteers, then 3.5 to 9 hours of walking with a daypack. Most days we were in camp by early afternoon, with time to nap, walk to a lake, and eat dinner early.

Is there phone signal or Wi-Fi? Don't count on it. The hot springs camp at Viconga allegedly had Wi-Fi, and in Huayllapa I could charge batteries at the hostel. Download everything before you leave Huaraz, and consider a satellite messenger.

Can I charge my phone and camera? Not in camp on my trip. In Huayllapa, on Day 8, I charged three drone batteries at the hostel. Bring a power bank big enough for the whole trek.

My operator's plan. Quechuandes' 11-day plan, sent in December 2021, was: Day 1 drive to Matacancha; Day 2 Mitucocha; Day 3 Carhuacocha; Day 4 Huayhuash; Day 5 Viconga; Day 6 Pampa Cuyoc; Day 7 Cutatambo over the Santa Rosa pass; Day 8 a "rest day" at Cutatambo with Laguna Sarapococha and Cerro Gran Vista; Day 9 Huatiac via Huayllapa; Day 10 Jahuacocha over the Tapush and Yaucha passes and Cerro Huacrish; Day 11 Rondoy over the Sambuya pass and the drive home. On the trail we folded Day 8 into Day 7, slept in Huayllapa instead of Huatiac, and camped at Cashpapampa between Tapush and Yaucha. Same passes, same finish.

Starting at Llamac. The classic circuit starts and ends in the village of Llamac, lower down on the west side, with a climb to Cuartelhuain or Jahuacocha on the first day. It adds a day or two to what we walked.

Longer or shorter. My operator organized the trek in 9 to 12 days. A day to spare lets you split Day 7 or sit out bad weather. The south side (Viconga, Cuyoc, Cutatambo, Huayllapa) and the west side (Jahuacocha) are where most shorter trips cut in or out, using the roads to Cajatambo, Huayllapa and Llamac.

I walked the version in this guide. I haven't walked these other versions.

How this trek works

What my operator did

My trip was organized by Quechuandes, a trekking agency in Huaraz (quechuandes.com). I'd met them briefly on my 2021 trip to Peru. In October 2021 I wrote asking for help with the full circuit, and we settled on a private group: me plus five subscribers, starting August 15, 2022. I collected applications from my audience, and the agency took it from there.

On the morning of Day 1 we met at the agency, loaded twelve donkeys' worth of gear, and said goodbye to David, the mastermind of the trip. From there the team ran everything.

The agency's 2021 quote listed what was included, and it matches what I saw on the trail:

• A guide certified in mountain first aid and speaking Spanish and English. We had two guides.
• A cook, who prepared three meals a day and served them in a dining tent.
• Muleteers (arrieros) and donkeys, carrying up to 8 kg (18 lb) of personal gear per person. You carry only a daypack.
• An emergency horse, for evacuation or to ride for a while if someone is unwell.
• All food on the trek, a mix of Peruvian and Western dishes.
• Private transport from your hotel in Huaraz to the trailhead and back from the finish.
• Equipment: two-person tents, a foam sleeping mat, dining and kitchen tents, tables and chairs, stove, dishes and a group medical kit.
• Small things: a cup of coca tea at your tent each morning, a bowl of hot water for washing, toilet paper in camp, a printed itinerary and map.

Not included in 2022, and still worth planning for: the community fees, a sleeping bag, an inflatable mat, tips, water and breakfast on Day 1, dinner on the last day, drinks, travel insurance, and any cost of leaving early or being rescued. The agency boiled water for our bottles each morning and evening at no charge.

Life in camp

The food. The cook fed us well, and it's a big part of what I remember. Pumpkin soup on the first night. Cheese and potatoes. Steak and eggs, and a random banana, at Carhuacocha. Blueberry pancakes with peanut butter and honey before one of the harder days, so we were powered by pancakes. A stuffed pepper for lunch on Day 7, one of the best lunches of my life. On Day 10 the team cooked a feast at Jahuacocha, a real feast.

Mornings. Every morning we packed our stuff, rolled up the mat and left our duffel for the muleteers to load. Then daypack, tea, and into the dining tent to wait for breakfast.

The cold. Nights were cold. On Day 2 I was wearing everything I had. Day 5 started with frost on the ground and on the tents, the coldest morning of the trip, and on Day 6 I walked circles around camp to warm up before breakfast. The days swing the other way: by midday at Mitucocha it was really hot.

The dog. A dog we called Free Solo hiked with us every step, a beast of a dog.

The community fees (2026)

The Cordillera Huayhuash is a reserved zone (Zona Reservada Cordillera Huayhuash, created in 2002), and most of the land around the circuit belongs to peasant communities. Each community charges for its own sector, at a checkpoint near its village or at its campsites. The 2026 list, published at huayhuash.com (checked September 26, 2026):

Carry it in cash, in soles, in small notes, and keep the receipts. On my trip the fees weren't in the operator's price; in 2021 the agency estimated them at about S/260 a person.

What I paid

I hosted this trip, and the five subscribers' tickets covered my place, so my records don't hold a normal personal price. This is what the records show.

For scale, the agency's 2021 price was US$80 a person per day for its own groups of 5 to 8. A private trek for one person was quoted at US$4,000 for 2022, because the whole team costs the same for one person as for six.

For your budget (2026)

• The operator's trek. Most of the cost. Ask exactly what's included, how many guides, whether a horse comes along, and what happens if someone has to leave early.
• Community fees: S/290 a person in cash (2026 list).
• Tips for the guides, cook and muleteers. They usually aren't included.
• A sleeping bag and an inflatable mat, yours or rented in Huaraz.
• Huaraz: two or three nights before the trek and one after, meals, and an acclimatization day hike or two.
• Lima to Huaraz and back: about 8 hours by bus each way.
• Travel insurance that covers trekking to 5,100 m (16,800 ft) and evacuation.

What you need to arrange

1. An operator, or at least a muleteer. Most groups go with a Huaraz agency. The trek needs ten days of food and camp carried at altitude, and only Huayllapa has shops. If you don't want a full agency, you can hire a muleteer and donkeys and cook for yourselves (and for the muleteer).
2. Acclimatization days in Huaraz. My operator wouldn't take anyone who wasn't acclimatized. Its rule of thumb: at least one day hike above 4,000 m if you've been at altitude the week before, and three if you come straight from sea level. See Altitude.
3. Cash in soles for the community fees, tips and Huayllapa. Get it in Huaraz.
4. A sleeping bag for nights well below freezing, and an inflatable mat.
5. Insurance that covers this altitude and evacuation, and a plan for getting help (see Weather and safety).
6. Spare time. A day in Lima or Huaraz at each end in case of buses, strikes or someone needing more time to acclimatize.

Before you go, check these

These change from year to year; everything else in this guide stays the same. Checked September 26, 2026. Check them again when you book and the week you fly.

On the trail

• The community fees: S/280, or S/290 with Cutatambo, per person in 2026, cash in soles (published at huayhuash.com, which was down in late September 2026; ask your operator in Huaraz for the current amounts)
• What your operator includes: guides, cook, muleteers, donkeys, a horse, food, tents, transport, and whether fees are in the price
• Whether solo or unguided trekking is allowed this season: ask in Huaraz

Getting there

• Lima to Huaraz buses: cruzdelsur.com.pe and other companies
• Huaraz to Chiquián and on to the trailhead, if you're not with an agency: ask in Huaraz the day before
• Your own entry rules for Peru, and the US State Department's advice (Level 2, exercise increased caution, in September 2026) travel.state.gov

Health and safety

• A doctor's visit about altitude and acetazolamide; the CDC's guidance is in Altitude
• Insurance covering trekking to 5,100 m (16,800 ft) and evacuation
• A satellite messenger, and your operator's plan for an emergency

Money and gear

• Soles in small notes for fees, tips and Huayllapa
• A sleeping bag for below freezing, an inflatable mat, poles
• Offline maps and the GPX files on your phone