Santa Cruz’s trekking is one of the most famous hikes of the White Cordillera. Lots of people get surprised by the landscapes’ beauty of this trek and by some snowy summits like the Alpamayo, considered the most beautiful mountain of the world by some alpinists in 1966, the Taulliraju, the Quitaraju and the Pucajirca.
Itinary:
Day one : Huaraz – Vaqueria (3750) – Cachinapampa (3850m)
First we will do the five hours of road/off-road in a private car until the hamlet of Vaqueria where will be waiting our muleteer. In the way to, we will pass by the beautiful lakes Llangauco then we will get to the Portachuelo’s collar (4767m), from where we will be able to take a picture of the Huascarán, Huandoy, Pisco, and the LLanganuco’s valley with it two turquoise lakes. We will start our first day of walk, about three-four hours, until Cachinapampa. We will meet the area’s inhabitants and will have a spectacular view on the mount Garcilaso.
Day two : Cachinapampa (3850) – Punta Unión (4760) – Taullipampa (4100)
After the break-fast, we will begin our walk of about seven hours (14km) to the camping of Taullipampa. We will get until the highest collar of this trekking, la Punta Unión (4760). Our reward will be the great view offered on the snowy mounts that take place in this way : Artesonraju (the Paramount picture’s mountain), Quitaraju, Taulliraju, Alpamayo, Pucajirca, Rinrijirca, Caraz, Aguja. After having taken some pictures of those summits, we will get down until the camping for a well deserved rest.
Day three : Taullipampa – Llamacorral (3750)
This day, after a good break-fast, we will start our walk of 6-8 hours (10km). Getting to the crossing of Quisuar, we will get to the base camp of Alpamayo (4400), we will walk until the lake Harhueycocha. So we will have a view on the Quitaraju and the Pucajirca, moreover of course on the Alpamayo. Then back at Quisuar, we will keep on walking until the camping Llamacorral. We will see quite a lot of trees, named “queñual”, some forest plants named “Tarhui” and we will be able to watch some wild ducks and some Andean geeses, known under the name of “huacha”.
Day four : Llamacorral –Cashapampa (2900m)
Last day of trekking quiet, getting down during about 2-3 hours until the Cashapampa’s village at the getting out of Santa Cruz’s valley. During this day, we will watch some typical flowers of the area like the “zapatitos del Diablo” (les chaussures du diable), “el machito” (le macho), the “patas del galo” (les pattes du coq), and the Yanapacha’s waterfall, outcome from the melting snow of the summit of the same name. A change in vegetation and landscapes in quick time and that does the charm of the Andean’s Peruvians’ trekking.
From Cashapampa we get back to Huaraz in a special car for about 2h30.