4850m
Hard
Santa Cruz & Quebrada Ulta Trek — 6 Days
Duration
6 Days trekking (with 7-day option)Best Season
May - Sept
Olleros to Chavín Trek — 3 Days
A short, relaxing cultural trek following an ancient pre-Inca pathway through a remote area of the Cordillera Blanca, far from the busier circuits, where local communities still live much as their ancestors did.
It ends at the enigmatic ruins of Chavín de Huántar, the feline-worshipping religious centre of Peru’s oldest major culture (around 1000–300 BC), with its labyrinth of underground chambers and tunnels.
A short cultural trek to Chavín
- Grade: Easy to Medium
- Duration: 3 days
- Highest point: Punta Yanashallash 4700m
- Highlight: Chavín de Huántar
- Family-friendly: pony & llama options
This is one of the less demanding treks we offer, ideal for families and children as well as more energetic walkers who want to stay away from busier trails. Pony-trek and llama-trek options are available, making it a memorable introduction to trekking and to living Andean culture.
Essential Trekking Notes & Rules
A Trek for Families
This trek suits everyone, and is ideal for families and children as well as more energetic walkers. We offer both a pony-trek option and a llama-trek option.
Visiting Chavín — Closed Mondays
The Chavín ruins do not open on Mondays. Plan your trek dates so you do not finish at Chavín on a Monday. Two acclimatisation days in Huaraz are recommended beforehand, with one essential.
Access Roads
Access roads to and from the trek are generally unpaved mountain roads and can be bumpy, so road travel times are slower than the distance suggests.
High Altitude Tactical Itinerary
Review the route day by day: altitudes, distances and acclimatisation.
Drive Huaraz to Quisuar, hike to Sacracancha
Distance
9 kmWalking time
5 hoursHighest point
4080mAscent
+394mA 45-minute drive south past Olleros to the trailhead at Quisuar (3686m). An easy pre-Inca path gently climbs the wide Quebrada Uquian past traditional thatched homes, with views of Shaqsha (5632m) and Cashan (5716m), to camp at Sacracancha (4080m).
Plan Your Journey
Ready to Conquer the Andes?
Contact our operations base in Huaraz: we sort out the prerequisites and secure your place on the expedition.
You'll talk directly to the people who run the trip.
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Duration
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4860m
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Duration
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May - SeptFrequently Asked Questions: Olleros to Chavín Trek — 3 Days
Essential answers about this high-altitude route.
Yes. It is one of our less demanding treks and is ideal for families and children, with both pony-trek and llama-trek options available.
It is the religious and administrative centre of the Chavín culture (around 1000–300 BC), Peru’s oldest major culture, famous for an underground labyrinth of chambers, tunnels and canals.
Yes. The Chavín ruins are closed on Mondays, so plan your dates so the trek does not finish there on a Monday.
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