01 / The Premise
“The Cordillera Huayhuash may be the most spectacular mountain range on earth, measured mile for mile.”
Fifty kilometres south of Huaraz, a compact wall of glaciated peaks rises from the high puna of the Peruvian Andes. Eight summits above 6,000 metres. Turquoise lakes at their feet. Passes that top 5,000 metres. And almost no one there.
The Huayhuash Circuit is not a destination you stumble across. You come because you've been drawn here — by photographs, by accounts of those who've done it, perhaps by the shadow of Siula Grande, whose west face became part of mountaineering legend. When you finally round a corner and that wall of peaks fills your view above Carhuacocha, nothing prepares you for it.
This is the Playwest Huayhuash program. A small team, an expert guide, fourteen days in one of the most dramatic landscapes on the planet.
Principal summits · Cordillera Huayhuash
02 / Program Design
Built for the serious wilderness traveller
The Huayhuash demands proper preparation, proper support, and an experienced hand. We've designed this program around those realities — and then made it as good as it can be.
01
ACMG guide leadership
Your Playwest lead is an ACMG-certified guide, trained for remote wilderness environments. Altitude management, emergency protocols, route assessment — the expertise is built in from the start.
02
Full arriero support
A complete arriero team — muleteers, pack animals, camp cook — carries everything. You carry a daypack. Your tent is pitched when you arrive. Hot tea and a meal are waiting.
03
Two acclimatisation days
Before the circuit begins: Churup Lake at 4,450 m, then Laguna 69 at 4,600 m in the Cordillera Blanca. Two of Peru's finest day hikes, and the best possible preparation for what follows.
04
Maximum eight guests
Small groups reach places and paces that large groups cannot. Eight is the ceiling. The Huayhuash is remote and committing — the guide-to-guest ratio reflects that.
05
Lima to Lima, in-country
The program is fully in-country. You book your own international flights to Lima. We handle everything from the moment you arrive in Peru to the moment you leave.
06
May – September season
The dry season brings stable weather, clear skies, and firm trail conditions. We operate within this window exclusively — no compromises on the experience.
03 / The Circuit
Eight days.
Seven passes.
Six of the eight days cross a major col, and one of them crosses two. The reward on every descent is another lake, another viewpoint, another angle on the massif. The circuit is continuous and committing — you don't leave until you've finished.
Circuit day 2. Three hours up to the first col — your first full view of the massif.
Day 3. Descent to Carhuacocha, the most photographed camp on the circuit.
Day 4. Three lakes below the pass, each a different colour, under Siula Grande.
Day 5. The high point of the circuit, looking across at Trapecio and Puscanturpa.
Day 7. The hardest day begins here. Two major passes in a single push.
Day 7. The second col, then down to Jahuacocha — your final lake camp.
Day 8. The last viewpoint. One final panorama before the descent to the road.
04 / Highlights
01 · Night three · 4,200 m
Carhuacocha Lake
Your camp sits above a turquoise glacial lake. Above it: Yerupajá Grande, Yerupajá Chico and Jirishanca, reflected in still water at dawn. This is the image that defines the circuit.
02 · Day four · the west face
Siula Grande
The west face of Siula Grande is one of the most recognisable walls in Andean climbing. You will walk beneath it. You will see it at dawn, at dusk, reflected in the lakes below. Its presence is immovable.
03 · Seven nights above 4,100 m
Camp at altitude
Your tent is up before you arrive, the dining tent is pitched, and the cook has dinner on. Seven nights on the high puna with the range turning pink above the camp — the part of the trip most people remember longest.
04 · Day five · 5,020 m
Trapecio Pass
The summit of the circuit and its finest viewpoint. Trapecio and Puscanturpa stand across the valley; the whole range opens behind you. The effort is considerable. The view is commensurate.
05 / The Landscape
Three places that define the circuit
The Huayhuash is small enough to walk around in eight days and dense enough that every one of them gives you something you'll describe badly for years afterwards.
06 / Itinerary
Fourteen days,
Lima to Lima
Two acclimatisation days above Huaraz before the circuit begins, then eight days walking the Huayhuash. International flights are not included — you book your own to Lima, and the program takes over from arrivals.
Phase one
Days 1–4
Lima · Huaraz · Acclimatisation
Phase two
Days 5–12
The Huayhuash Circuit · 8 days
Phase three
Days 13–14
Return · Huaraz · Lima
- 01
Arrive Lima
Met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Miraflores. Nothing else asked of you today.
Arrival
- 02
Lima → Huaraz
Morning transfer to the bus station; departure at 09:00 for the 408 km run north into the Cordillera Blanca, arriving around 19:00. Met at the station, taken to your hotel, and your first briefing with the guide.
Arrival
- 03
Churup Lake — 4,450 m
First acclimatisation day. Private drive to Pitec at 3,850 m, then three to four hours up to Lake Churup, sitting directly beneath Mount Churup. The final section is a short rock climb.
High4,450 mWalk4–5 hrsAcclimatisation
- 04
Laguna 69 — 4,600 m
North through the Callejón de Huaylas into the Llanganuco valley, past the lakes Chinancocha and Orconcocha, to the trailhead at Cebollapampa. Huascarán Norte and Sur, Chopicalqui, Chacraraju, Yanapaccha, Pisco and Huandoy in view the whole way.
High4,600 mWalk5–6 hrsDist14 kmAcclimatisation
- 05
Huaraz → Cuartelhuain — 4,100 m
Drive via Conococha, Chiquián and Llamac to the roadhead at Cuartelhuain, where the arriero team and the donkeys are waiting. An easy afternoon — the walking starts tomorrow.
Camp4,100 mDrive5 hrsCircuit · Day 1
- 06
Cacanan Pass → Mitucocha — 4,150 m
Three hours climbing to the first pass, then down to camp beside Laguna Mitucocha. Rondoy, Jirishanca and Ninashanca stand close above the tents.
High4,700 mWalk5 hrsDist8 kmCamp4,150 mCircuit · Day 2
- 07
Carhuac Pass → Carhuacocha — 4,200 m
Over Carhuac and down to camp above Laguna Carhuacocha, beneath Yerupajá Grande, Yerupajá Chico and Jirishanca. Strong groups have the option of a harder 4,800 m variant — unmarked, with a short scramble — past a deep blue high lake.
High4,600 mWalk6 hrsDist9 kmCamp4,200 mCircuit · Day 3
- 08
Siula Pass → Huayhuash — 4,200 m
A long day, and for many the best one. Below the pass lie three lakes, each a different colour — Siula, Quesillococha and Jancacocha — under Yerupajá, Yerupajá Chico and the west face of Siula Grande.
High4,800 mWalk8 hrsDist13 kmCamp4,200 mCircuit · Day 4
- 09
Trapecio Pass → Elefante — 4,300 m
The high point of the circuit, with Trapecio and Puscanturpa across the valley. Down to Elefante camp; an optional afternoon walk to Santa Rosa pass for anyone with legs left.
High5,020 mWalk6–7 hrsDist9 kmCamp4,300 mCircuit · Day 5
- 10
Huanacpatay Valley → Huatiac — 4,300 m
Down the Huanacpatay valley, past people working the land in traditional dress, then a climb to Huatiac. The village of Huayllapa at 3,600 m is there to visit if the group wants it.
Walk7–8 hrsDist12 kmCamp4,300 mCircuit · Day 6
- 11
Tapush and Yaucha Passes → Jahuacocha — 4,100 m
The hardest day: over Tapush, forty minutes down, then straight back up to Yaucha. From the viewpoint — Rondoy, Jirishanca, Yerupajá, and the lakes Jahuacocha and Solteracocha below. Camp at the last lake of the circuit.
High4,800 mWalk7–8 hrsDist10 kmCamp4,100 mCircuit · Day 7
- 12
Pampa Llamac Pass → Llamac → Huaraz
Fifty minutes of flat, then up to the final pass and a last look at Diablo Mudo, Yerupajá and Jirishanca. An hour and a half down to Llamac, where the vehicle is waiting. Huaraz by late afternoon.
High4,300 mWalk4 hrsDrive3½ hrsCircuit · Day 8
- 13
Huaraz → Lima
The 11:00 bus south, eight to nine hours through the mountains and down to the coast. Met at the Lima station and taken to your hotel in Miraflores.
Return
- 14
Lima → airport
Transfer timed to your international flight. Many guests carry on to Cusco and Machu Picchu instead — Peru rewards those who stay.
Return
Walking times, distances and altitudes are the operator's own. Weather, group pace and conditions on the passes can change the order of a day — your guide makes that call on the ground.
07 / Logistics
What's included
The program is fully in-country and covers everything from your arrival at Lima airport to your departure transfer, including both bus journeys and six nights of hotels.
Included
- ACMG-certified Playwest guide for all fourteen days
- Full arriero support team — muleteers, pack animals and camp cook
- Both acclimatisation days: Churup Lake and Laguna 69
- All camping equipment: two-person tents, kitchen tent, dining tent with table and chairs
- All meals on the circuit — breakfast, snacks, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
- Four nights' hotel in Huaraz and two nights' hotel in Lima
- Lima–Huaraz–Lima bus tickets and every internal transfer
- All Huayhuash community fees and permits
- Emergency horse for groups over four, first aid kit and oxygen
- Emergency response coordination and expedition first aid
Not included
- International flights to and from Lima (LIM)
- Personal trekking gear
- Sleeping bag and sleeping mat — rental available
- Travel and emergency medical insurance (required)
- Meals in Huaraz and Lima
- Gratuities for the arriero team
- Personal expenses and anything not listed
Key specifications
Physical requirements
Eight consecutive days at altitude with a major pass on six of them, seven nights camped above 4,100 m, and the highest crossing at 5,020 m. The longest days run eight hours. Guests should have prior multi-day trekking experience, be comfortable carrying a daypack for a full day, and have no significant cardiac or respiratory contraindications to altitude. Mountaineering experience is not required.
08 / Guest Fit
Who this trip is for
The Huayhuash is remote and committing. Being honest about that up front is better for everyone than discovering it on day five.
This program is for you if
- You have prior multi-day trekking experience, ideally at elevation
- You're drawn to remote, consequential wilderness — not resort-adjacent adventure
- You want a small, self-contained team with expert leadership and genuine support
- You understand that altitude is a real variable and you're prepared to take it seriously
- You want to spend eight consecutive days inside one of the world's great mountain landscapes
- You're comfortable with camping and outdoor living at 4,000–4,500 m
This is probably not for you if
- You have no prior multi-day hiking experience
- You have significant cardiac, respiratory, or altitude-related medical history
- You need reliable communication or internet access during the trip
- You prefer lodge-based or hotel-supported itineraries
- You're looking for a trip that can be easily shortened or exited mid-route
Reserve your place · 2027 season
The Andes are waiting.
One departure per season. Maximum eight guests. If the Huayhuash has been on your mind, this is the year.
Tell us a little about yourself and we'll come back to you within two working days — no obligation, no pressure. Every inquiry gets a real conversation with a Playwest guide.
Inquire · Huayhuash 2027