Backpacking South America- Peru: Huaraz, Laguna 69 (Days 13-18)

After a rewarding trip to Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo, we took the day-long bus ride back to Lima, where we stayed a couple of nights to refresh and get the next few days of our trip organized. 

Next, we headed to Huaraz, from where we intended to hike the Santa Cruz trek, a 4-day trek throughout the Cordilleras Blancas (part of the Andes Mountain Range). 

Huaraz was a surprise! This city, which felt much more like a town, was bustling with locals! It felt busy, but it still felt quaint. With beautiful views of the Cordilleras Blancas surrounding the city, we happily settled into our hostel. We shared a room with Christine, a gal from Holland that we ironically shared a room with at our Lima hostel (though that room had eight people and this turned out to be just us). For $7/night, it ended up being a very pleasant stay.

The owner is the sweetest man, truly living up to his “mi casa es su casa” motto. His generosity and kindness prevailed with every interaction. He gave us great free advice, practiced Spanish with me, always smiled, and was the first time I didn’t feel like I was being seen as a tourist. I didn’t realize how much it was beginning to wear on me being an obvious tourist with my oversized pack, unoriginal merino wool clothing and hiking boots.

From Huaraz, we heard wonders about a hike to Laguna 69, which required a few hours by bus to get to the trail head. Because the Santa Cruz Trek began at just one town away from Laguna 69, we decided to do both!

Packing for a four day trek – that we didn’t do

We made sure to stock up on ramen and soup packets, tuna and crema de aji (a perfect and delicious local substitute for mustard or mayo), instant oatmeal, and some snacks. We sorted through our luggage to take only what would be needed for four days. Not only did we feel we left a lot at the hostel for safekeeping while we were trekking our little hearts out, but it still seemed like we still had a lot. For our entire trip, we are only carrying two large packs and two smaller backpacks – where does it all come from?

Once arriving at the trailhead, we were able to leave about half of what we brought in the bus. Seeing the breathtaking camping available here, we were excited to camp at the picturesque start of the Laguna 69 hike! 

The hike to Laguna 69, at my speed, was about 3-4 hours plus half of that for the return time (because it’s downhill back). With the altitude and our packs (which we brought mostly to “warm up” for our big trek), it was hardly an easy hike! 

It was, however, absolutely beautiful. It was stunning. Amazing. Beyond what I could have hoped for. Vast colorful landscapes with a snowy mountain backdrop. Cows moving about freely (for “wild” cows, they were quite docile), streams, waterfalls, and lakes. It felt special to be in such beautiful lands that seemed untouched and yet served handfuls of hikers each day. The beauty of the Laguna also was a striking reward. The water really was turquoise blue, set among grey, snow-topped mountains. The contrast was spectacular! Here are some photos! Click one to expand into an image slider:

We talked to our hike “guide” (he comes on the bus to make sure everyone gets back, but he’s not actually guiding anything along the way). He recommended we get a donkey or two for our gear and an donkey driver for our trip. Most people do hire the donkey and driver, which of course isn’t cheap (plus you include food for the driver, which we had not brought). He said the second day was especially hard. With the altitude and experience only carrying part of what we would carry (and feeling a likely inequity of the energy output for food we brought for “fuel”), I really started to question moving forward with a trek of this magnitude. This five hour hike was tiring, and many times I had to stop to catch my breath on the ascent. With the beautiful scenery we’d already experienced, I was concerned that the significant effort needed to survive the trek would make the the experience of the trek itself less enjoyable (maybe bordering on suffering). We had already experienced so much beauty with only a fraction of the effort that would be required if we continued. 

We decided to go back to our hostel with the rest of the group and book a bus continuing North, skipping the Trek. Once making the decision, it felt right. We gained time for the ever-growing destinations we wanted to see (who knew three months would hardly be enough?) and we ensured a more enjoyable next four days. 

My only regret is that we couldn’t camp there at least one night. We had paid a decent fee for a multi-day park pass (instead of the much cheaper one-day pass), but we were at risk of not getting transportation back as easily if we didn’t go back on the same bus, and it would cost more. Lastly, when we returned from our hike, our prime camping spot had already been taken, so we reluctantly passed.

That night, we headed North for Trujillo by bus, where we stay for just day (and offered very little of note), and continued on for Ecuador!