Breakfast
Porridge, quinoa or cereal, with eggs, pancakes or toast and marmalade.
Inti Raymi Sun Festival & Huayhuash Mini Trek — 9 Days
A special departure that pairs the pristine heartlands of the Cordillera Huayhuash with the colourful Inti Raymi Sun Festival at the Inca ruins of Huánuco Viejo — a celebration little known to tourists, far from the crowds of Cusco.
The trek itself is our least demanding Huayhuash option, with shorter days and rest nights, camping beside beautiful lakes beneath Yerupajá, Siula Grande and Jirishanca.
Duration
9 Days trekking (departs Huaraz 26 July)Grade
ModerateHighest Point
4750mAn Inca festival and the heart of the Huayhuash
- Grade: Moderate
- Duration: 9 days
- Highest point: 4750m
- Departs: 26 July (festival 27 July)
- Family-friendly
The Inti Raymi at Huánuco Viejo is celebrated each 27 July by some 600 local dancers and actors in Inca costume, giving thanks for the harvest. Unlike the crowded Cusco festival, here you share a relaxed day with the local people. From there, the trek follows the gentlest route in the Huayhuash, ideal for active families, though crossing four passes above 4,500 m still requires good fitness and proper acclimatisation.
High Altitude Tactical Itinerary
Review the route day by day: altitudes, distances and acclimatisation.
Drive Huaraz to Huánuco Pampa, visit the Huánuco Viejo ruins
Distance
230 km driveWalking time
5 to 6 hours driveHighest point
3736mA 5 to 6 hour drive (230km) to Huánuco Pampa (3736m), with first distant views of the Huayhuash. We camp near the extensive Inca ruins of Huánuco Viejo a major stopover on the Cusco–Quito road, with fine interlocking stonework and the usnu temple, and spend the afternoon exploring.
How your Huayhuash trek runs
A private trek with your own crew, from the drive out of Huaraz to the day you walk back into Llamac. The community access and camping fees are included.
Included in your trek
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A licensed trekking guide, a cook and an assistant (one for 3 or 4 clients, two for 5 or more)
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Donkeys and donkey drivers to carry your bag, the tents and the food
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Five meals a day, from fresh produce; vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free on request
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Twin-share tents, dining tent with table and chairs, foam mat and inflatable Thermarest
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Private transport to the trailhead and back
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Community access and camping fees
Not included
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Hotels in Lima and Huaraz, and meals in town
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Getting from Lima to Huaraz and back
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Sleeping bag (we can arrange hire)
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Acclimatisation day hikes before the trek
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Travel, rescue and cancellation insurance
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Tips for the crew
Plan your trek
Ask about this trek
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. You will hear back from the family that runs the trip, with honest advice on acclimatisation and the route, and a full price for your group.
How we price this trek. It depends on how many of you there are and how many days you trek, and the price per person comes down as the group grows. The community fees are included, and our quote is valid for 31 days.
When I started inquiring about trips many companies either didn’t respond or took a week or more, but right from the first prompt email Peruvian Andes Adventures was professional and thorough.
Essential Trekking Notes & Rules
Grading
Although graded moderate, you cross four passes above 4500m, so reasonable fitness and adequate acclimatisation are necessary. Shorter days and extra rest nights make it the least demanding Huayhuash option.
Horses
For those who want to experience the Huayhuash without hiking the full distance, riding horses can be arranged (at an extra cost). Horses are ridden on flat and rolling terrain and up to the tops of the passes, with descents made on foot.
Community-Owned Land
The entire Huayhuash circuit crosses privately owned community farmland, not a national park. Communities allow groups to pass and camp and charge access and camping fees (included in the trek fee), providing toilets at campsites. Please leave no rubbish and respect the local people and their animals.
Hiking Hours & Kms
Hiking hours are estimates including breaks and the lunch stop, for our average groups; the altitude affects people differently, so some are faster and others much slower. Distances are estimated. Access roads are unpaved and bumpy, so road travel is slower than the distance suggests.
Five meals a day, at 4,000 metres
Good food is how your body keeps going at altitude. Every year, before the season starts, our cooks spend a course learning new trekking dishes, and on the trail they cook from fresh vegetables, fruit, chicken and meat. All drinking water is boiled. Menus change with each cook's favourite dishes; this is a typical day.
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-free
Lactose-free
Trail snack box
Nuts and dried fruit, biscuits, chocolate or sweets, a piece of fruit and a small fruit juice.
Cooked lunch
Protein, carbohydrate and vegetables — say a tuna and tomato salad with carrot, cauliflower, broccoli and rice — with herbal tea.
Afternoon tea
Popcorn, crackers, cheese, spreads and nuts, with extra treats like wontons and guacamole.
Dinner
A fresh soup (never from a packet), a main of chicken, fish, meat or a vegetarian dish with pasta, rice or potatoes and vegetables, and dessert.
What our Huayhuash trekkers say
"We were very particular about the itinerary and they work with us to make our specific desires happen… Our cook made the most amazing Peruvian food, and it may be the only trek where I gained weight."
Brian (USA) — Cordillera Huayhuash Trek, May 2018
"Our guide David is very knowledgeable in the history, flora, fauna and peaks. It’s amazing how he remembered the exact elevations of all the peaks we saw!"
Carolyn (Canada) — Cordillera Huayhuash Trek, June 2018
"Giovanni always making sure that I had protein at every meal! … I have been vegan for 16 years… I can’t believe that over 10 days I didn’t touch my emergency supply!"
Tamsin (UK) — Cordillera Huayhuash Trek, September 2017
What to pack for the cold
On a clear night in the Huayhuash the air can drop to between −5 and −12°C, and the sheltered campsites are the coldest. The ground is colder still, so bring a good four-season sleeping bag rated to at least −20 to −25°C, and a down jacket for the evenings.
- Your trek bag travels by donkey: a soft duffel or backpack, never a hard suitcase, up to 15kg.
- Line it with a waterproof bag so your sleeping bag stays dry if it rains.
- We provide the tent, a foam mat and an inflatable Thermarest. If you have a good Thermarest of your own, it is worth bringing.
- No sleeping bag? We can arrange one for hire in Huaraz.
Getting there & when to go
From Lima there is one LATAM flight a day, leaving at 7am and landing in Huaraz at 8.10am, or an eight-hour tourist-class bus with Cruz del Sur or Movil Tours, by day or overnight.
The best months are May to September. June and July are the busiest. May and September are quieter, and May is green and full of wild flowers after the rains. Weather in the Andes is changing, so come ready for cloud and rain in any month.
Ready for the Huayhuash?
Tell us your dates and group size, and we will send you a full price and everything it includes.
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May - SeptFrequently Asked Questions: Inti Raymi Sun Festival & Huayhuash Mini Trek — 9 Days
Essential answers about this high-altitude route.
It is the Inca Sun Festival celebrated each 27 July by some 600 local dancers and actors in traditional costume, giving thanks for the harvest. Unlike the crowded Cusco version, this one is little known and very relaxed.
This special departure leaves Huaraz on 26 July so that the second day coincides with the festival on 27 July.
Yes. It is the least demanding Huayhuash option, with shorter days and rest nights, though four passes above 4500m still require reasonable fitness and acclimatisation. Horses can be arranged for part of the route.
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