Day 2. Huaraz

Submitted by maria on Sun, 07/09/2025 - 10:23

We arrived in Lima at 4.15 am and got through immigration in just five minutes. At that time of night, there was no one else at the airport.

Huaraz

Our bags took 45 minutes to arrive, and we had a connecting flight to Huaraz leaving at 7:20 am. It seems like you have plenty of time until you realise that it's almost 6 am, we still don't have our backpacks, and we have to check in for another flight.

Our flight to Huaraz is with Latam. This airline works a bit like Iberia: you have to get the stickers for your hold luggage from the machines and check it in. With a bit of stress due to the rush, we managed to check them in and ran to go through internal security. Luckily, the airport is small, and all flights, both domestic and international, are in the same terminal, so there is no need to move around.

Finally, we arrived without any problems 10 minutes before the boarding gate opened.

The flight from Lima to Huaraz takes approximately one hour. There is only one flight a day, but if you can't get a seat, you can always take the night bus, although it takes between 8 and 10 hours.

Huaraz Airport is very small and does not have an ATM or currency exchange office, but there are several currency exchange offices next to the Plaza de Armas in the centre of Huaraz.

Huaraz

To get to our accommodation, we take a bus for 20 soles/person or 5 dollars, which drops you off at the door of each accommodation. You can take a taxi, but it costs 60 soles/trip. They also accept dollars.

Our accommodation is Sunrise Guest House, a double room with bathroom and breakfast, 13.66 dollars per night for two people.

We leave our backpacks and go to change money and have a coffee in the Plaza de Armas. In Peru, the Plaza de Armas is located in the centre of each city, surrounded by museums and the main churches.

Huaraz is 3,100 metres above sea level and you can feel the altitude.

Huaraz

Then we will meet Francisco at his agency, Franpisco Adventure, to finalise the last details of the Huayhuash trek. We are doing the 5-day trek, but there is also an 8-day trek.

The trek crosses the Huayhuash mountain range with mountain passes at over 5,000 metres. We will sleep every night above 4,000 metres in tents.

We are a group of 11 travellers. With us are our guide, Ricardo, our cook, Giovani, and Freddy. The team is completed by two other people who set up and take down the camps every day. Our luggage and the rest of the equipment is carried by mules from one camp to another.

They have solutions for everything, so if you have any questions, ask them and they will always find a way to solve them. For example, we weren't returning to Huaraz because we were taking a bus from Cajatambo to Lima and we had a backpack that we didn't need on the trek. At first, they were going to take it with us on the bus, but since the terminals were different, they decided to send another mule for 50 soles. We only carried a backpack with the essentials for the day.

Recommendations for your day pack in Huayhuash:

1. Rain poncho and rain trousers.

2. Small first aid kit with painkillers, saline solution, Fortasec, a bandage, Betadine, scissors, and a thermal blanket.

3. Bring at least 2 litres of water and some energy bars

4. Warm clothing

5. Hat, neck warmer, gloves, sun cream

Tip. But remember not to carry too much, 4 kg at over 3,000 metres can feel like 8!

As it is a high-altitude trek, it requires at least two prior acclimatisation periods, which we also do with them.

Huaraz

Once we've finalised everything with Francisco, we go to eat at a nearby restaurant recommended by the woman on the bus, where we try a typical local dish, ceviche de chocho or cevichocho as they call it here.

The restaurant is called Superchocho. It has several dining rooms and is very busy. The woman told us it was very cheap, and she was right. It was also very tasty. We had cevichocho with seaweed from the lagoon and octopus crackling, rice with fish and tortilla, and two bottles of water for 36 soles.

In the afternoon, we took a walk through the centre and bought water and dried fruit at a supermarket near the hostel to help us acclimatise for tomorrow, as well as yoghurt and turkey for dinner (all for 41 soles). At the hostel, you can use the dining room and the fridge.

We went to bed early as we were very tired.