In 2012 on a trip from Lima, Peru to Cartagena, Colombia I had a chance to head on a 4 day/3 night circuit in the Cordillera Blancas. The landscapes of this region of Peru provide some of the most jaw-dropping alpine scenery I have witnessed, and the hike was definitely a highlight of the trip. Let’s just say, I will be back!
After spending a couple of days wandering around the bustling Andean city of Huaraz, day hiking to Laguna Churup, and gathering food and gear we were ready to head off for the 4 day Santa Cruz Trek in the Cordillera Blanca Mountain Range.
Day 1: Huaraz – Cashapampa – Llamacorral (3700m)
Day 2: Llamacorral – Jatuncocha – Taullipampa (4250m)
Day 3: Taullipampa – Punta Unión pass (4750m) – Paria (3850m)
Day 4: Paria – Vaqueria – Llanganuco – Huaraz
Day 2
Up early the next day, we packed up camp and headed on the trail–only to stop for some breakfast and coffee once the sun hit the valley floor and provided some warmth. We packed some great oatmeal and quinoa hot cereal that can be found in the supermarkets in Peru, too bad we don’t have it here in the U.S. Throw in some Starbucks Via instant brew coffee and we’re good for the morning!
The first hour or so of trial continued up the valley floor, as we passed through some rocky sections along the meandering stream. The morning was cold, but as soon as the sun began to hit us, it warmed up and we were able to peel off some layers.
Soon we had views of Alpamayo and a cascading waterfall exiting the valley above. That’s where we were headed 
After passing a lake the valley opened up to a large mud flat which had an amazing cracking landscape juxtaposed against the mountain backdrop. I wandered onto the center to take some photos.
The valley floor shows the destruction left behind after a huge avalanche and mudslide occurred the year before. Mud and debris scoured the valley all the way to Cashapampa and killed most of the livestock in the valley.
After passing the mudflat the trail has an optional side trip up to Alpamayo Base Camp, which is highly recommended.
The side trip up to Alpamayo Base Camp takes a few hours because it is quite a climb, but when you return you can take a trail that traverses across the slope and connects back to the main route. This saves having to descend down to the valley floor and losing all the elevation you gained.
The trail up to Alpamayo base camp has an amazing approach and offers really unique scenery. Most of the plants are these enormous grass clumps and it is very open, eventually the views of the magnificent Alpamayo come into view. I absolutely loved this part of the trek (and could only imagine how much fun it would be on a mountain bike!)
After passing through the small base camp and shelter area, you can continue up the trail to the glacial lake poised at the base of Alpamayo.
After reaching the lake, it was the perfect time to stop and soak in the sun and amazing scenery. At this point it was actually pretty warm, even though we were at close to 15,000 ft.
After eating lunch here, we continued on to our camp for the night at Taullipampa (4250m), which was still a few hours up the trail. When heading back down from Alpamayo base camp we made sure to connect with the traverse trail over to the main route. This saved us from descending all the way to the valley floor again.
As we approached Taullipampa the sky began to look ominous as clouds rolled over the top of the peaks above us. The temperature continued to drop as the sun began to set, and we hustled to reach camp and get setup in daylight. There were already a groups of tents setup at Taullipampa camp and we contemplated on heading up the valley to the next open camp spot, but in the end settled down here to play it safe.
After setting up our tent and we wandered over to the stream to fill up our water bottles and get cooking water. Soon the sun began to set and we watched the glow fade over the valley–hoping for good weather on tomorrow trek over Punta Unión pass (4750m).