Table of Contents
Huaraz, a small town surrounded by stunning mountain ranges. Here you will find some of the best treks in Peru such as the Huayhuash and Santa Cruz treks.
If you’re after a high altitude, jaw-dropping and serene mountain experience, you can’t miss this place.
Prior to my arrival in Peru, I hadn’t even heard of this tiny town called Huaraz. I don’t really hike much at home so I hadn’t planned on doing many asides from some standout ones such Machu Picchu and Torres del Paine. Prior to arriving in Lima, I had already met a few people on my travels telling me stories about the gloriousness of Huaraz, so I had a fair bit of time to ponder going. At Lima, my itinerary was wide open, everything I had preplanned to do was done right up until that point, everything after that was open to flexibility. As it was effectively right next door and I had time, it was basically “screw it, let’s do it”. I haven’t looked back since.
Over the 3 weeks I’ve spent there I’ve come to discover Huaraz is home to a couple of the best treks Peru has to offer including the 4-day Santa Cruz trek and one of my all-time favourites the 8-day Huayhuash trek.
With Salkantay and the Inca Trail culminating their treks at Machu Picchu and due to their accessible nature, they do steal most of the limelight when it comes to trekking in Peru. However, this leads to where although the treks around Huaraz are some of the best, they are less travelled so they are far less crowded when compared to the daily hundreds headed to Machu Picchu on Salkantay or the Inca Trail. Granted, the latter do have their own charm and I wouldn’t want to trade away my Salkantay experience for anything.
About Huaraz town, the real Peru?
Huaraz is a quaint little town at 3052 m/10013ft above sea level. Arriving from Lima you’ll immediately notice it’s high altitude air sucking nature. This is actually great news since you’ll immediately start to acclimatise upon arrival putting you in a better position for some of the more strenuous activities in the area. Don’t know what high altitude or acclimatisation is? Check out my post here on acclimatisation.
The main season to travel is April – October due to it being the dry season (still can rain duh).
Out of the main areas people visit in Peru i.e. Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Arequipa, Cusco, Puno and the sacred valley, I would say Huaraz offers one of the most authentic ‘real Peru’ experiences out of the bunch, and I don’t mean on the treks in the middle of nowhere. With all the other areas, tourism is at the forefront of everything you see and do and it’s a little hard to avoid (unless you travel away far from the centre of town which you wouldn’t normally do).
In Huaraz, while there are places that cater to tourism such as hostels, hotels, souvenir stores, tour operators, etc, it’s not overwhelming. The closest thing to a tourist trap the tours bring you to is a reasonably priced breakfast stop that doesn’t even sell souvenirs, and depending on if your trek offers a free Pisco Sour, a bar they serve it at. It’s almost like the perfect balance of ‘enough tourism so that visitors can explore with ease’ with local charm. Why is that you may ask? It’s hard to say for sure but I believe it’s due to the fact that the people coming to Huaraz aren’t typical travellers, they’re hikers. This is really just a small subset of people coming to Peru and quite frankly, setting up shop in Huaraz just may not be as profitable as compared to say, setting up shop in Cusco.
Treks around Huaraz
If you’re coming to Huaraz I’d highly recommend doing at least one of the multi-day treks. One is good, both are better. Everything around Huaraz is high altitude, see my post here on acclimatisation to learn more about it.
Booking treks in Huaraz can be a bit of a mission and I’ve written a separate post explaining it here.
Santa Cruz trek
Santa Cruz is a 4-day trek with breathtaking views in the scenic Cordillera Blanca mountain range. Only being 3-4 days in length which is similar to the duration of the most popular treks to Machu Picchu, this trek hits strides with those wanting to see some of the best the region has to offer without spending a significant amount of time. While the scenery is great throughout, the highlight is undoubtedly the 360 panoramic view at the top of Punta Union Pass.
The closest trailhead is roughly 3.5 hours from Huaraz and the bus ride takes the same route as the one for the Laguna 69 hike, passing by Laguna Llanganuco but goes beyond into the mountains.
Altitude: 3000m to 4750m
Distance: 50km (3-4 days trekking)
Mountain passes: 1
Scramble required for the best views at Punta Union Pass
Price: 4-day trek from S/400 + S/65 national park entry.
I paid S/430 which included an upgraded inflatable sleeping pad (instead of foam) and sleeping bag. Higher-end operators, you’re looking at twice that from around S/800.
Huayhuash trek
Commonly regarded as one of the most beautiful treks in the world, the Huayhuash trek is the trek to do in Peru. On this tranquil but tough journey, be prepared to be blown away by daily panoramic vistas shaped by some of the highest majestic summits in all of Peru, including its second-highest Yerupaja (6634m). This is an 8-day circuit trek situated in the Cordillera Huayhuash south of Huaraz roughly 6 hours by road. And you thought Santa Cruz was far. However make no mistake, this isn’t for the unfit and unprepared – there are some real hazards on this trek.
Altitude: 4150m to 5000m
Distance: 120km (7 days)
Mountain passes: 7
Price: Dependant on duration. For my standard 8-day I paid S/800 + S/220 mafia tax.
For high-end operators (such as those topping Trip Advisor), Mini around S/800 (USD240) and group standard for S/2000 (USD600). If you’re rolling in it, private standard S/6600 (USD2000).
Day hikes in Huaraz
For those looking for something simpler, less strenuous, acclimatisation, hate camping or need to fill in time, there are several day hikes in the region. Listed below are the most popular. With a couple of exceptions, the problem with day hikes here is the sheer distance a lot of the trailheads are from town – a minimum of 3 hours, so be prepared to transit a lot especially if you are returning to Huaraz each day.
I only went on one day hike due to this and that was Laguna 69 but from that experience, it seemed like the price was largely just transportation fees. While the guide did hike with us, there wasn’t a whole lot of ‘guiding’ as I’ve come to accept for most day tours in Peru.
A lot of the places (Laguna 69, Santa Cruz, Glacier Pastoruri, Churup) are situated in Huascaran National Park. The fees as of writing are S/30 per day or S/65 for 4 days with the latter ideal for visiting 3+ sites within 4 consecutive days or doing the Santa Cruz trek. I believe there is also a 30-day pass but I don’t have information on the current price.
Laguna 69
Altitude: 3800m to 4600m
Distance: 14km out and back
Laguna 69 is the most popular day hike in Huaraz. Situated in the Cordillera Blanca you get a small taste of its glory on this scenic 14km out and back hike. You will be rewarded with stunning valley views and a very blue mountain lake with snowcapped peaks in the background.
Laguna 69 is great if you’re:
- Looking for a first hike to do in Huaraz and don’t know where to start
- Really short on time (If you only have 1 full day, do this one)
- Just not interested in camping
- Using it for acclimatisation for one of the treks
Laguna 69 can optionally be added onto the Santa Cruz trek to save the headaches of being on a bus for longer than necessary (more info in Santa Cruz section).
Have Santa Cruz and Huayhuash on your list? It might be worth skipping Laguna 69 altogether (if you didn’t manage to tack it on to Santa Cruz).
Just before the trailhead, there is the turquoise coloured Laguna Llanganuco where all Laguna 69/Santa Cruz groups stop off for some quick photos (emphasis on the quick) as a bonus. Note: Laguna Llanganuco is also sold as a separate tour but to be honest I don’t know why you would take this option unless you weren’t able to do the hike.
Price from S/30 + entry fee for national park
Laguna Paron
Altitude: 4200m
Distance: Tiny (with a tour that drops you off at lake)
This one seems to be quite popular and from looking at the photos I can see why. The view from the mirador (lookout) above the lake looks amazing, akin to views comparable to those seen on the treks, without having to depart on a trek. In terms of actual hiking distance, this could depend, as with tours the bus can drive right up to the lake which means the only hiking you do is roughly 20 minutes up to the mirador.
The problem is that Laguna Paron is located even further than Laguna 69 in the same direction. So if you do Santa Cruz, Laguna 69 and Laguna Paron all separately you’re doing a total of six 3-hour transits on partially shoddy roads. I ended up not going here for this very reason (keep in mind I also did two 6-hour transits for Huayhuash). If you go unguided you could plan it in a way so that it’s more efficient by not returning to Huaraz in-between each location, camping in the general area instead.
Price from around S/50 + S/5 for entry
Glacier Pastoruri
Altitude: 5240m
Distance: 4km out and back
Another 3-hour ride from Huaraz but towards the South rather than North. You do see glaciers on the treks but they aren’t up close and personal nor as big like this one. I gave this one a miss due to the distance and as I would be seeing some grander glaciers down in Patagonia later. If you’re not as lucky then this one could be worth the trip.
Price from around S/30 + entry fee for national park
Laguna Churup
Altitude: 4450m
Distance: 8km out and back (or 19km out and back from Unchus)
While pretty in its own right, it could be seen as the lesser of the three when compared to Laguna 69 and Laguna Paron. However, a huge plus for this one is that with the actual trailhead being only 45 minutes from Huaraz, this is the closest.
Price from around S/30 + entry fee for national park
How to get to Huaraz
Huaraz is situated north of Lima about 6.5-9 hours by road. There are occasional flights but an overnight bus ride from Lima is the most common way hikers arrive in Huaraz. There are lots of reputable bus operators running daily buses including Cruz del Sur (which I took), Linear (which some friends took) and several others.
Some people I met used Huaraz as a stop on the way to the surfing town of Trujillo and even to get to the Peru-Ecuador land border crossing (or vice versa).
Before you scoff at the idea of riding on a bus you should know that I was in your exact same position earlier. Hated buses before I arrived in South America. Hated buses when I arrived in South America. Still hate buses today. However, I’ve come to love the premium seats from Cruz del Sur (other companies have similar) which are akin to business class seats on a flight. Some are lay flat but even the ones that aren’t are stuff dreams are made of. Fortunately for you, buses with these seats travel popular routes like Lima – Huaraz daily! If I catch a long-distance bus now it has to be this super spacious, super reclining bubble of comfort. It’s not that I need 5 stars everywhere I go, it’s that I’m 178cm (5’10”) and the regular bus seats are worse than an airplane economy seat. The fact that they recline so much so that the person in front of you can literally hit your legs with the seat is so obnoxious. Couple that with your gear and a leg rest that takes up a stupid amount of space… Ugh!
Things to do in Huaraz
Explore the markets and eat street roast pig
Initially, I was hesitant.
It could have been the fact that I was extremely sick earlier in my trip – I didn’t want to get re-sick on a trek. Or it could have been the fact that she was savagely ripping the meat out of the pig with her bare man hands. 🖐
But by the time I got enough courage to try it, it was too late, I was leaving and I didn’t want to chance it getting sick while having to transit for several hours. Oh well…
I’m not one for street cheese for reasons that shouldn’t really have to be said.
But the street cheese vendor method of keeping a ‘fresh’ wheel of cheese out all day in the sunny street was intriguing. When the outer layer gets old and crusty, cut it off revealing the non-disgusting cheese within. Although the cheese gets smaller day by day it doesn’t have to be discounted when it’s use-by date is near or thrown out (not that these street cheeses have use-by dates). Have you ever bought a small wheel of cheese on sale? If you don’t eat it instantly it looks gross.
When selling the street cheese, instead of cutting wedges revealing a larger surface area to be spoilt, cut off pieces around the circle to make the surface area smaller thus reducing future spoilage the more street cheese you sell.
Genius!
It’s hard to avoid these chickens. They were visible every time I simply looked out my hostel window or walked down the street the markets are on. I don’t know how the locals don’t get sick and die but they must have stomachs of steel.
Onion on a belt
After travelling around for some time and staying in hostels, statistically, you’re bound to bump into some odd characters. Whilst in my dorm room, I heard voices outside and then the door opened. Dressed and looking like Curly from City Slickers, there stood an old man being given a tour of the facilities by the host. He was deciding on whether to check-in. Listening to their conversation it was mainly him doing all the talking and it wasn’t necessarily anything to do with the accommodation. It was non-stop. Remember The Simpsons episode where grandpa is talking about the time he tied an onion to his belt? Yeah, that.
My internal voice was saying “please no please no please no”.
As I heard footsteps walking away and the conversation leaning towards him leaving my heart rate decreased.
Aaah phew!
Not a few moments later I heard their footsteps come back. He had checked in.
Nooooooooo!
After a quick intro, he instantly continued his ‘onion on a belt story’ with me. Fml.
I wanted a shower and I eventually had to close the toilet door slowly while he was still talking. Later that night when I wanted to sleep, the story without an end continues.
Argh!
About when I almost couldn’t take it anymore, the only other guy staying in the room arrived back from his day of activities. Mr Onion on a belt latched onto that guy and not a second did I hesitate. In went my headphones and head down on the pillow. Cya!
Nightlife in Huaraz
Surprisingly, there is nightlife in Huaraz. It exists in a very tiny club on a street off Plaza de Armas. If you go in, you’ll find it’s 99% full of Peruvians with the other 1% being you. If you bring up this map location: https://goo.gl/maps/S7JwFAdzioZcxJgc9 it’s at the T-shape intersection on the unnamed road.
Where to eat in Huaraz
There’s a surprising amount of international cuisines in Huaraz. I had been in Peru for a while now so after eating a lot of Peruvian food it was nice to sample something different.
Restaurants
Chilli Heaven
Easily one of the best non-Peruvian cuisine restaurants in town and up there as some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten – strange for something that is practically in the middle of nowhere. Found this place by recommendation (thanks Laura!) and ending up eating here 3 times and I’m pretty sure I ordered the same thing all 3 times – chicken fajita. Vegan-friendly options available.
Trivio Resto Bar
Celebrated dinner and drinks here with the gang after finishing the Huayhuash trek. Everyone’s food looked so good! Also ate breakfast and had drinks on other occasions. Beer pricing was strange with a Pint being listed at around S/10 with a Litre at S/30. 🤷♀️
El Retablo
I was hankering for some ceviche and past by a few places selling it while walking around town. Seeing only locals inside I boldly ate here the day before a multi-day trek. The decision process was basically: I’m sick of walking, this one has sea-related decor, I’ll choose this one. Thankfully I didn’t get sick from eating the seafood in this non-seaside town. As for the food, the cut of the fish they used just wasn’t to my flavour – I’m no fish expert but I’m pretty sure a sizeable portion was ‘dark meat’ which has a stronger fish taste. I just ended up eating around those pieces.
La Casa de Zarela Thai Restuarant
A very good Thai option in Huaraz but given the town size, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the only Thai option in town. I stayed at this hostel/guesthouse so I ate here one night due to the convenience. Situated about a 10-15 minute walk from the main square.
Cafes
Cafe Andino
If you look around online, Cafe Andino seems to get a lot of raving reviews. I had lunch along with a coffee and a piece of cake here. I found the food was pretty average and the cake was ordinary, so I don’t really see what the fuss is about. Maybe it was what I ordered? Its size seems to suggest it caters to a lot of people in the high season.
California Cafe
Being easily one of the best cafes in Huaraz, I had to go here a few times. They serve some really good coffee and desserts plus their breakfast was nice too. It has a chilled out vibe with loungey couches.
Supplies in Huaraz
Food and Snacks
There’s ample cheap hiking food in the main market of Huaraz. There are two levels with the upper level for fresh fruits and veggies. In the central area of town, there are also 3 small supermarkets about half the size of a local IGA back home.
Mercado Central de Huaraz
Jirón Juan de la Cruz Romero 210, Huaraz 02001, Peru
Trujillo Mart
Av. Mariscal Toribio de Luzuriaga 416, Huaraz 02001, Peru
Novaplaza
Jirón Julián de Morales 793, Huaraz 02001, Peru
Trujillo Market
Jirón Jose de Sucre 950, Huaraz 02001, Peru
Phone Repairs (My Poor phone!)
My Xperia Z5 screen completely crapped out on the Santa Cruz trek. I dropped it and it landed face down on a rock, I was soooo devastated. It was an old phone by today’s standards and I figured if I was going to get spare parts, it sure as hell wasn’t going to be in Huaraz.
Upon return to Huaraz from the trek I walked into a phone store which advertised “servicio tecnico” on the front. I was doubtful but I had with me one of my new Dutch friends who could speak a lot better Spanish than me. Thankfully as without my phone, I couldn’t even Google Translate my way out of this one. After some back and forth he was able to order the parts from Lima which arrived the next day!! (I had to ask if they did express shipping) My dark green phone was now dark green and grey but I didn’t care, it worked again! The whole ordeal was quite cheap (can’t remember), but I do remember it was significantly less than what I would have to pay back home.
It broke again not long after. Fml.
Pharmaceuticals
There’s a well-stocked pharmacy basically on every second corner in the central area.
Banks and ATMs
While there are ATMs scattered about, there is a concentration of banks in the main square (Plaza De Armas Huaraz). If you’re using an Australian Citibank Debit (the best debit card for Australian travellers as of writing) there is a Banco de la Nacion there which has 0 fees (also as of writing) however there is a low daily limit. I can’t remember how much but I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get enough to pay for Huayhuash in 1 withdrawal.
OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT
As always, if you can you should buy your own equipment at home since it will be far cheaper. In case of emergencies, there are a few outdoor equipment stores. Just north of the Plaza de Armas there is a courtyard where you’ll find the Chilli Heaven restaurant. Around this Courtyard there are a couple of outdoor equipment stores with some branded goods. They are quite small so don’t expect choices or cheap prices. In the pathway to one of the main roads (I think the one to the West), there are some more stores.
Tatoo Adventure Gear
Jirón Simón Bolívar 615, Huaraz 02001, Peru
Where to stay in Huaraz
Akilpo
Type: Hostel
Private/Dorm: Both available
Price for my stay was S/25 per night (AU$11) in an 8-bed/10-bed dorm. Private rooms available for about 3x.
If you’re just looking for a decent place to meet fellow travellers and sleep on the cheap, you can’t go wrong here. They have one of the best hostel bed layouts I’ve come across. Looking at a map of Huaraz it’s hard to beat the central location of this place, but it does come with drawbacks such as cars that drive in a loop playing annoying loudspeaker ads. If my poor Spanish is anything to go by I’m pretty sure it was “…ice cream… 1 sol 1 sol” but far more annoying than the lovable ice cream man van at home.
Pros
The rooms are spacious and the beds are built into the wall so they are very solid. They have a privacy curtain, personal charging points, personal light and under the bed, there is a personal locker. This is the gold standard of hostel bedrooms. Location is very close to all the action which means you can just step out and be in the thick of it all. Very easy to meet other people.
Despite the cons, for this price point, it can’t be beaten.
Cons
I stayed here late 2018 so some things may have changed and despite the flaws below, Akilpo continues to be one of the most highly rated hostels in Huaraz.
I ended up eating out a lot as the kitchen facilities are far too small for a hostel of this size. Notably the number of stove-tops (hikers love cooking and high altitude cooking is slower), medium fridge size and pre-boiled hot water for tea. The issue is compounded since there is no included breakfast so people have even more stuff to overload the fridge (I’m looking at you 8 milks). Showers have pressure and heat but heat can instantly shut off at any time. “Resetting” doesn’t always work. Bus from Lima arrived at something like 6am but people were denied early check-in until about 4-5 hours later. I didn’t have that issue anywhere else in South America. The central location leads to a noise issue as it’s adjacent to two of the busiest streets.
La Casa de Zarela
Type: Guesthouse/Hostel
Private/Dorm: Both available
Price for my stay was about S/39 (AU$17) per night in a 6-bed dorm. Privates available for about 3.5x.
I stayed in La Casa de Zarela 3 nights and as its name would suggest it’s run by Zarela herself. A lot of the people who stay here are avid trekkers or climbers. Zarela is super friendly and has trekking experience herself which is great if you have a lot of questions about doing the treks on your own without a tour.
Pros
One of the most hospitable and knowledgeable hosts I’ve ever met. Quiet location. No issue with the showers 🙂 La Casa de Zarela has a chill vibe and attracts a friendly type of guest. A nice Thai restaurant is inside the hostel if you’re looking for something different.
Cons
Although it’s quiet, the location is a 10-15 minute walk from the centre of town. But as this place attracts avid trekkers, I think most people that stay here don’t care. Not all rooms had lockers – I stayed in 2 different rooms – 1 did, 1 didn’t. I raised it as an issue as I travel with a lot of electronics so that may have changed by now.
Ebony Hotel
Type: Hotel
Looking for a bit more privacy? A friend stayed at Ebony Hotel with rooms from about AU$50/night. Situated just off Plaza De Armas De Huaraz you can’t go wrong with the location and for the price, it looked quite good.
RELATED POSTS
Huaraz, Peru’s hiking capital
Santa Cruz Trek, Peru
Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru
Laguna 69 Hike, Huaraz, Peru
Santa Cruz Trek Guide