Circuit of Alpamayo to the Ulta Valley — 13 Days

We descend the Callejón de Huaylas, stopping at the Yungay memorial — the town buried by the 1970 earthquake landslide from Huascarán — and the market at Caraz, then take an unpaved road up to our first camp at Hualcayán village (2900m), greeted by local children.

A steady, continuous climb up a zig-zag path to camp at Wishcash (4300m), perched high on the mountainside with terrific views across the Callejón de Huaylas to the Cordillera Negra.

A tough day. We climb to the crystal-blue Laguna Cullicocha (4650m), with the triple summit of Santa Cruz opposite, then ascend to the Paso Osoruri (4850m, joint high point), descend and climb again to Paso Vientunán (4770m), and make a long switch-back descent into the Quebrada los Cedros to camp at Ruinapampa (4050m).

An almost flat walk up the beautiful Cedros valley past ruined structures and ancient standing stones, until the pyramid of Alpamayo (5947m) comes into view. Camp at Cruce Alpamayo (4150m).

A second night below Alpamayo. Climb the moraine over Laguna Jancarurish for close views of Alpamayo and Jancarurish (3-hour return), continue towards Alpamayo Base Camp (5–6 hours return), or rest in camp.

We cross the Los Cedros river and climb to the windy Cara Cara pass (4830m) on the continental divide, with great views back to Alpamayo, Jancarurish and Quitaraju. A traverse to the lower Mesapata pass (4500m) precedes the drop to camp at Safuna (4200m).

We cross the Huillca plateau, rich in alpacas, and ascend to the rocky Paso Pucajirca (4600m) below Pucajirca Norte (6046m). A scree descent eases into a shrub-filled valley past Laguna Sactaycocha to camp at Jancapampa (3600m) below a huge hanging glacier.

Past adobe houses and fields, we climb to the Tupatupa pass (4400m) with views of the Pucajirca/Rinrijirca massif, then descend via a tarn into the Tuctubamba valley and a short climb to camp beside Laguna Huecrococha (3950m).

A long traverse of the forested Huecrococha valley, then a steepening zig-zag climb to the Alto de Pucaraju pass (4650m), where jagged Taulliraju (5830m) towers. A rocky descent reaches the open Quebrada Huaripampa and Tuctubamba camp (3950m).

A second night at camp. Optional day trip to the Punta Unión pass (4760m) looking down the Santa Cruz valley to the Pucajirca massif and the west face of Taulliraju (5-hour excursion), or a rest day.

We follow the Santa Cruz trail down the Huaripampa valley through the farmland of Huaripampa and Colcabamba, meeting many local children, then climb to Challhua and traverse to camp at Molino Pampa in the Quebrada Keshu (3600m).

A short but dramatic day of swift height gain up the Keshu valley through ancient quenual forest to a moraine-enclosed glacial lake, then a steepening zig-zag to the spectacular Avalancha camp (4650m), opposite the avalanche-prone glaciers of Contrahierbas (6037m).

A traverse and ascent to a knife-edge pass — Punta Yanayacu (4850m), our last and most spectacular, where condors nest — with close views of Chopicalqui and Contrahierbas. A steep zig-zag descent into the Cancahua valley and a long descent through quenual forest reaches the Ulta valley and our bus to Huaraz.