Trekking

Peru is a veritable paradise for hikers. Practically the entire highland spine of the country, including valleys, plains and massifs feature trekking circuits varying in degrees of difficulty.

Only a handful of these circuits have been commercially "discovered" as trekking routes. The rest remain relatively unexplored, awaiting all those who wish to retrace the magical roads through the Peruvian Andes, with its extraordinary network of pre-Colombian trails and more than 12,000 lakes. It is a land which features the world's deepest canyons, glaciers and snow-capped peaks, forests and thundering waterfalls, picturesque villages and above all, the most hospitable people imaginable.

Some trails are so steep they lead into breath-taking gorges, zigzagging through the mountains, others straight as an arrow, fading into the distant desert horizon; hidden and invisible amongst the thick undergrowth of the Amazon jungle.

The trails of Peru offer endless possibilities, and many ideal combinations for hikers of all levels of experience. The Following are some of the nicest routes.

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Located in the department of Cuzco, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is Peru's most popular trekking route and possibly one of the most spectacular walks in the Americas. It forms part of the more than 23,000 km of roads built by the Incas across South America. Each year, some 25,000 hikers from all over the world walk the 43 km stone-paved trail, built by the Incas to get to the impregnable citadel of Machu Picchu, deep in the Cuzco cloud forest.

The trail sets out from Qorihuayrachina, at Kilometer 88 of the Cuzco-Quillabamba railway, and takes three to four days of tough hiking. The route runs through an impressive range of altitudes, where climates and eco-systems range from the high Andean plain down to the cloud forests. The trail climbs up through two highland passes (the higher of the two, Warmiwañuska, lies at 4,200 masl) before reaching Machu Picchu through the Inti Punku or Gateway of the Sun. One of the attractions of the trail is that it winds past carved granite Inca settlements (Wiñay Wayna, Phuyupatamarca), and is surrounded by breath-taking natural scenery. The forests abound in hundreds of species of orchids, brightly-colored birds and dream-like landscapes, the ideal complement to this indispensable hikers' route.

The Cordillera Blanca
Located in the department of Ancash, the Cordillera Blanca is the world's highest tropical mountain range. It runs for 180 km from North-South and divides the western and eastern watersheds of the Andes. Every year, the Cordillera Blanca receives thousands of mountain climbers bent on climbing the snow-capped peaks or hiking through the spectacular landscapes. Almost the entire mountain chain is protected by the Huascarán National Park, an area home to 663 glaciers, 269 lakes and 41 rivers, in addition to 33 archaeological sites.

The Cordillera Blanca is riddled with countless trekking circuits. However, some of them have become world-famous: the route of the Quebrada Santa Cruz gully is possibly the most popular of all. The trek sets out from Cashapampa and ends up in the gorge of Quebrada Llanganuco, at the edge of the emerald-green waters of the Llanganuco lakes. The hike takes four to six days. Other popular circuits include the tour of Mount Alpamayo, a spectacular 12-day hike along the mountaintops; the Quebrada de los Cedros, a trail that gives visitors views of the mountains in the northern sector of the Huascarán Park during a four-day hike; Llanganuco-Portachuelo, a simple, day-and-a-half trek; and Quebrada Quilcayhuanca, which is gently sloping and lasts for two-and-a-half days.

Llama Trek Olleros - Chavín
Located in the department of Ancash, this interesting and novel form of trekking is aimed at promoting eco-tourism in the region by reviving its traditional customs. The llama and alpaca, key pack animals in the Peruvian Andes, will captivate hikers on a tour of some of the most spectacular trails of the Cordillera Blanca and the Huascarán National Park.

The route sets out from the picturesque village of Olleros (30 km south of Huaraz), where the llamas are loaded up with the necessary gear for the trek. During the four-day hike, in addition to walking through breath-taking mountain scenery and taking in Mount Shaqsha (5,703 meters), Cashan (5,686 meters) and Tuctupunta (5,343 meters), hikers can take part in the customs and traditions of peasant farming communities such as Shongo (home to the imposing Huancas complex of sacred stone monoliths and Nunupata. The trail comes to an end at the vast Chavín de Huántar temple, an important administrative and ceremonial center of the first Pan-Andean pre-Colombian civilization.

Trekking in the Cordillera Huayhuash
Located in the department of Ancash, the Cordillera Huayhuash is held to be the world's least-known and most beautiful mountain ranges. It stretches across an area of 30 km, running from north to south, and is studded with a string of soaring peaks, including Mount Yerupajá and dozens of glacial lakes (Carhuacocha, Jahuacocha, Mitucocha, among others).

The trekking circuit runs across the entire range and covers nearly 165 km in 12 days. The experts deem it one of the most spectacular trekking circuits on Earth. The route -the only trail that circles the cordillera- sets out from the town of Chiquián (3,400 masl) and takes two days to reach the heart of the cordillera.

Along the way, the trail runs through five high mountain passes and passes through picturesque farming and livestock herding villages such as Llamac, Pocpa, Huayllapa and Pacllón, bordering the mountains to the north, before following the eastern edge and completing the circuit on the west side.

A shorter circuit (45 km) links Chiquián with Lake Jahuacocha, setting out from the villages of Llamac and Pocpa and returning through Pacllón.

Towering mountains, crystal-clear lakes, flocks of llamas and alpacas, hospitable people, and above all, Nature in all her unspoiled glory is the prize for those who venture to discover this unique circuit.

Trekking in the Colca Valley

Located in the department of Arequipa, the Colca Valley covers a series of beautiful trekking circuits which have been recently discovered for adventure tourism. The area features a network of practically endless trails that wind through the mountains, linking lovely colonial villages. It is also studded with beautiful lakes, bizarre stone formations formed by wind erosion and unique flora and fauna such as Andean condors, vicuñas, queñual forests and clumps of yareta plants.

The main attraction of the area is without a doubt the chain of snow-capped volcanoes, some of them active: Mount Hualca Hualca (6,025 masl), Sabancaya (5,976 meters) and Ampato (6,288 meters), among others.

Since the time immemorial, the Colca has been home to the Collagua and Cabana tribes, descendants of the Pucará people of the southern highland plains and from the Quechua people of Cuzco, who proved to be skillful hydraulic engineers and master builders.

One of the most popular trekking routes in the Colca is the trail that links the town of Cabanaconde and Tapay in a circuit that takes two to three days and gives hikers views of impressive landscapes, Cabana towns such as Cosnihua and Malata, and many pre-Hispanic ruins.

The Salkantay loop
Located in the department of Cuzco, Mount Salkantay (6,271 masl) marks the culmination of a trekking circuit that combines majestic landscapes with the attraction of the world's most famous pre-Hispanic site: Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail

The route starts out following the old Inca road carved into the rock and which leads to the citadel of Machu Picchu. The trail crosses through a high mountain pass between Mount Salkantay and Humantay (5,917 masl) before heading along the Acobamba River Canyon down to the archaeological site. The trail grant hikers extraordinary views of most of Cuzco's most beautiful mountains: Mount Wayanay (5,464 masl), Palcay (5,229 masl) and Wakay Willka or Verónica (5,750 masl), which soar above one side of the Urubamba River Valley.

Trekking beyond the mountains
Trekking is not just about mountains and rugged terrain. Some parts of the Peruvian coast combine the vast and apparently empty desert with the jagged coastline to create extraordinarily beautiful natural scenarios for hikers. One such spot is the Paracas desert south of Lima and Bayóvar, in the northern department of Piura.

The peninsula and bay of Paracas, in the department of Ica, is criss-crossed by countless trails which make for first-rate trekking circuits. Plains of yellow saltpetre, shifting sand dunes and extraordinarily rich fishing grounds are the stomping ground for vast flocks of marine bird species and sea lions, which have created a unique environment along the Peruvian coast.

The far north of Peru is home to Bayóvar and its unspoiled beaches, a natural treasure of the department of Piura. Deep ravines, carved out by rivers long since dried up but which every 50 years spring to life to violently reshape the landscape; forests of twisted carob trees; flocks of migratory birds and a windswept desert are just some of the area's attractions.

On the other side of the Andes, along the steep eastern slopes, drenched by the constant rains from the Amazon plains, spreads the cloud forest. This land of impenetrable forests is believed to be the last refuge for a unique wildlife (orchids, bromeliads and tree-born ferns) and unique species on the verge of extinction (the spectacled bear, the dwarf deer and the yellow-tailed choro monkey). This area formed part of the vast and complex network of pre-Colombian roads that linked the highlands to the jungle. One of these routes leads to Kuélap, the Chachapoyas fortress deep in the jungle department of Amazonas.

Other fascinating routes in the eastern Andes include the trails that descend to the east of Cuzco and Puno, and make up spectacular, little-known circuits for trekking enthusiasts.

Source: PromPerú (Comission for the Promotion of Peru).

Back to Adventure Sports in Peru