Huayhuash Alpine Routes “The Lot”: Trapecio & Siula Base Camp — 10 Days

We drive from Huaraz to Chiquián, then past Llamac (3300m) into a wide U-shaped grassy valley flanked by quenual forest to camp at Quartelhuain (4200m).

We cross our first pass, Cacanan Punta (4700m) on the continental divide, sometimes spotting condors, then descend to the Jalca plain and camp near Laguna Mitucocha (4220m) below Jirishanka Grande, Rondoy and Ninashanca.

We flank the Jalca floodplain and ascend to the Paso de Carhuac (4650m), where a row of Huayhuash giants — Yerupajá Grande, Yerupajá Chico and Siulá Grande of “Touching the Void” fame — suddenly appears. We descend to camp at the large Laguna Carhuacocha (4150m).

We walk alongside Laguna Carhuacocha then climb, steeply at times, past the three Siula lakes (Gangrajanca, Siula and Quesillococha) to the alpine Siula pass (4800m), with very close glacier views, before a scree descent across a cushion-grass plain — home to wild vicuña — to camp in the Huayhuash valley (4340m).

A steady climb towards the Trapecio pass with views of Mitococha and Barroso lakes, the trail hard to follow through tussock and over moraine. At the pass (5050m) are stunning views of Trapecio, Puscanturpa and Cuyoc; we descend an unmarked moraine route past turquoise Laguna Huanacpatay to the Elefante camp (4350m). One of the longest, toughest days — we start early.

A demanding climb to the Santa Rosa (Jurau) pass on the Cerro San Antonio range (5000m), with fantastic views of all the Huayhuash giants, the lakes of Sarapococha, Santa Rosa and Jurau, and the Siula glacier of “Touching the Void”. The descent drops steeply on 200m of alpine scree, then follows a cattle trail to camp at Cutatambo in the Calinca valley (4260m).

An exploration day. We can walk to the Base Camp of Siula Grande (“Touching the Void”) and the glacial lakes of Sarapococha and Santa Rosa, with the option to climb to a viewpoint on Cerro Gran Vista (around 5000m) for amazing views of Siula Grande.

An easy walk down the Quebrada Calinca, which becomes the agricultural Quebrada Huayllapa, then a hard 3½ hour afternoon climb to camp high on the pasture of Huatiac (4265m).

A long, tough two-pass day. We climb Punta Tapush (4838m), descend past Laguna Susucocha, then climb again to Punta Yaucha (4800m) before descending to the beautiful Laguna Jahuacocha (4150m) and one of the best panoramas in the Andes — the west faces of Jirishanca, Yerupajá and Rondoy.

After a gentle descent we climb to the final pass, Pampa Llamac (4300m), for last views of the Huayhuash, then a long descent to Llamac where the bus returns us to Huaraz.