Huayhuash Circuit

The Cordillera Huayhuash is a tight 30 km chain of 6,000 m glaciated peaks south of the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, and the 130 km circuit around it is routinely ranked the best long-distance trek in South America. Walked at altitude — every day crosses a pass above 4,700 m and the highest tops out at 5,050 m — it's a serious physical undertaking but has none of the permit lottery or operator monopoly of the Inca Trail. It became famous after the 1985 Joe Simpson incident on Siula Grande, documented in *Touching the Void* — the broken mountain in the book sits directly above the day-3 campsite at Carhuacocha.

The circuit is walked in 8 to 12 days depending on pace; the 10-day version with rest days is the popular middle ground. From the road end at Cuartelhuain — usually reached by collective truck from Llamac or Chiquian — the trail crosses Cacanan Pass on day 1 and immediately drops to Mitococha, the first of a chain of glacier-fed lakes that punctuate every day's walk. Days 3–5 traverse the famous Carhuacocha → Three Lakes viewpoint, the Punta Cuyoc pass at 5,050 m (the highest of the trek), and the Viconga hot springs camp where most groups linger for an afternoon. Days 6–7 cross the back side of the range to the village of Huayllapa, where you can buy bread and beer, then climb to the final layover at Laguna Jahuacocha — the trek's most photographed lake, with the south face of Yerupajá filling the western view.

The walking season is May to September (dry, cold nights, busy in July–August). Most trekkers go with a Huaraz-based operator providing arrieros (muleteers), donkeys, a cook, and food — $1,000–1,500 per person for the 10-day package. Independent trekking is entirely possible and increasingly common, but you'll carry tent, stove, food, and the entry fees for each community along the route (the trail crosses six campesino comunidades that each charge 30–50 soles for camping). Acclimatise in Huaraz (3,050 m) for at least four days before starting and ideally do the Santa Cruz Trek as a warm-up. Altitude is the limiting factor — the trek isn't technical but the cumulative effort above 4,500 m is what defines it.