Based in Huaraz

Day Treks, Hikes & Sightseeing Tours

Short on time, or building up to a bigger trek? A single day out of Huaraz can take you to a turquoise glacial lake, a pre-Inca ruin or a high pass with the whole Cordillera Blanca laid out before you. Every outing is private and guided, run at your pace — and they double as some of the best acclimatisation days you can have.

Private & guided Great for acclimatising Half-day to full-day

Choose your day

Two ways to spend a day in the mountains

On foot or by vehicle, every option is run privately for your group and led by a local guide. Walking grades run from gentle valley strolls to hard climbs to lakes above 4500m — tell us your fitness and how acclimatised you are, and we will point you to the right one.

Day Hikes

On foot, from easy valley walks to demanding lake climbs. Most start with a short drive to the trailhead.

Easy

Wilcahuaín Ruins — Half-Day Hike

4 hours hike · ▲ 3500m · 7 km · Car back to Huaraz

An easy 7 km walk on a good path from Huaraz to the Wilcahuaín archaeological site, built by the Wari Empire between roughly 600 and 900 AD. The main three-storey building once…

Easy

Marian Village Hike

3 to 4 hours · ▲ 3500m · 5 km

A relaxed short walk to the small village of Marian, tucked beneath the mountains behind Huaraz. We leave town through the new suburb of Nueva Florida and follow quiet lanes past small…

Easy

Quillqueyhuanca Valley Hike

5 to 6 hours · ▲ 4150m · 6 km

An easy, almost flat walk up the Quebrada Quillqueyhuanca, with wide mountain views and sheer vertical rock walls overhead — we have spotted condors here more than once. Lunch is a picnic…

Easy

Cordillera Negra Hike

2 to 3 hours hike · ▲ 4225m · 10 km · 1 hour drive

From the pass of Punta Callan at 4225m the whole Cordillera Blanca lines up in front of you — peaks, glaciers and steep-walled valleys, end to end. We drive up through small…

Moderate

Llaca Valley & Ranrapalca Glacier

2 hours hiking · ▲ 4460m · 1.5 km

Few places in the Cordillera Blanca put you this close to the ice. From the end of the road we walk up about an hour and a half through a narrow valley…

Moderate to Hard

Huaraz Ridges & Views Hike

5 to 6 hours · ▲ 3750m · 9 km · 10 min drive to trailhead

A line of open hill ridges above Huaraz, with the city, the long Callejón de Huaylas valley and the snow chain of the Cordillera Blanca all laid out below. A short drive…

Moderate to Hard

Macashca Hills Hike

5 to 6 hours · ▲ 4200m · 7 km · Short drive

An escape from the usual circuit, close to home. A short drive into the farming valley of Macashca — past its small hydroelectric scheme — and then a steady climb up a…

Moderate to Hard

Lake Urus — Hidden Lake

5 to 6 hours · ▲ 4400m · 4.5 km · Short drive to Pashpa

A lake few people know but the villagers. From Pashpa, at the mouth of the Ishinca valley, the trail climbs gently through open farmland with the giants Huascarán, Copa and Vallunaraju across…

Moderate to Hard

Lake Shallap Remote Hike

6 hours · ▲ 4250m · 9 km

Apart from the local people, you will likely have this trail to yourself. The walk to the lake is gradual and never steep — except the last twenty minutes, scrambling over a…

Hard

Laguna Churup Hike

5 to 6 hours · ▲ 4450m · 3.5 km · Drive to Pitec

One of the most popular day hikes near Huaraz, and a strenuous one. We drive to Pitec at 3850m through the farming hamlets of Unchus and Llupa, then climb steadily up a…

Hard

Laguna 69 with Llanganuco Lakes

5½ hours hiking · ▲ 4500m · 7 km · 5 hours driving

A brilliant blue lake set right under the peaks. We drive into the Huascarán National Park, passing the famous twin Llanganuco lakes, and start walking from Cebollapampa at 3850m — a continuous…

Hard

Laguna Ahuac Hike

6 hours · ▲ 4560m · 6 km · 30 min drive

A little-known lake hidden high behind Huaraz at the foot of Vallunaraju, where we are almost certain to have the trail to ourselves. A half-hour drive to the Wilcahuaín ruins, then a…

Tours by Car

Full days by private vehicle to lakes, ruins and high passes — light walking only, ideal when you want the views without the climb.

Easy

Llanganuco Lakes & Portachuelo Pass

Full day · ▲ 4767m · Full-day drive

By car into the heart of the Huascarán National Park to the twin crystal-blue lakes of Llanganuco — Chinancocha and Orconcocha — under the huge walls of Huascarán, Huandoy and Yanapaccha. We…

Easy

Car Tour to Laguna Paron

Full day + easy lakeside walk · ~3 hours each way

A bright blue lake ringed by snow peaks, with the sharp Pirámide (5885m) standing straight at its head — and one of the few you can reach by vehicle. We drive 67…

Easy

Cordillera Blanca Views & Puya Raymondi

Full day · ▲ 4225m · Full-day drive

We follow a paved road into the dry Cordillera Negra to the pass of Punta Callan at 4225m, where nearly the whole snow chain of the Cordillera Blanca lines up across the…

Easy

Puya Raymondi with Pastoruri Glacier Option

Full day · Full-day drive

The Puya Raimondi grows only in the high country of Peru. It flowers once in its life — up to twenty thousand blooms on a single spike, pollinated by hummingbirds — and…

Easy

Chavín de Huántar Car Tour

Full day · 3 to 4 hours each way

Three to four hours by road from Huaraz lie the ruins of Chavín, a culture dated between 800 and 200 BC whose religion reached across much of Peru. The great temple holds…

Easy

Honcopampa Ruins & Waterfall

Full day + 30 min hike · Half-day drive

Into a remote valley close under the mountains, to pre-Inca ruins and a waterfall hidden in the trees. We drive up through Parihuanca and small farming villages to a wide green pampa…

Easy

Highlights Tour — Caraz, Yungay & Mountain Views

Full day · Full-day drive

A relaxed day stitching together several sides of the valley. First the pre-Inca ruins of Wilcahuaín just outside Huaraz, then a turn into the Cordillera Negra to the lookout of El Mirador…

Plan your day

Tell us what you would like to see

Write to our team in Huaraz with your dates, how many you are and whether you would rather walk or ride. We will suggest the right day out and send you the price.

Contact us for prices