South American Explorer

Travel writer Matthew Barker spends a few days in Peru’s mountain region.

 

A couple of cartons of red wine are tried and tested as the perfect antidote to long distance bus journeys. Except when the destination is over 3,000 meters above sea level and you’re about to climb another 1,000 meters into Peru’s most dramatic and challenging mountain range; the Cordillera Blanca.

 

Stumbling off the bus from Lima in downtown Huaraz, the first thing that penetrated my hazy mind was the altitude, the wheezing of a heavy smoker which made me stop to catch my breath as I lugged my rucksack up a slight hill towards the city’s central plaza.

 

Note to self: don’t do this again with a hangover.

 

Huaraz isn’t a beautiful place. Far from it, the city was hastily reconstructed onto a bland but functional concrete grid following a devastating earthquake in 1970 that left 20,000 people dead and virtually every building lying in rubble.

 

But it isn’t the architecture that draws people to this region of Peru. It’s the colossal, unspeakably beautiful landscape that surrounds the city, giving visitors to Huaraz an immediate sense of perspective, as well as endless opportunities for outdoor adventures in the country’s mightiest mountain range.

 

The range is actually divided into two separate cordilleras, with Huaraz sandwiched in the middle. To the west is the Cordillera Negra and to the east, the more famous and snow-capped Cordillera Blanca. The two ranges are both huge but the eastern mountains catch the lion’s share of the moisture rolling in from the Amazon, giving them a thick covering of snow that is rarely seen on the western mountains, which bask under warm currents from the coast.

 

These mountains are home to a vast network of hiking and trekking routes, making this the leading trekking, mountaineering and climbing destination in South America.

 

Travellers flock here seeking new challenges and thrills which range between one-day hikes to weeks-long professional expeditions with technical climbs worthy of the world’s best mountaineers.

It was in these mountains that the legendary story of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates was played out, since popularized in the 2003 film Touching the Void. Descending in difficult weather from the peak of Siula Grande, Simpson suffered a series of accidents culminating in a 100 ft fall into a deep crevasse, leaving him with a severely broken leg. Yates managed to reach base camp while Simpson, in an extraordinary feat of human endurance, spent three days crawling and dragging himself down the mountain on the verge of death, reaching base camp moments before his fellow trekkers were to leave for good.

 

But never mind the hardcore professionals and rock climbing heroes, the Huaraz region offers something for everyone else too. Investing 70 soles in the high detail Austrian Alpine Club’s map, the Alpenvereinskarte Cordillera Blanca Nord, is recommended, with all the established trails and trekking routes clearly marked, along with camp grounds, contours and other essential information.

 

Equipped with this map and some standard camping equipment, casual trekkers can easily spend a day or two following the well marked lower level trails that fan out from Huaraz.

 

Anything more challenging should always be accompanied by an expert guide.

 

One particularly pleasant day hike starts from the tiny pueblo of Llupa, situated to the east of Huaraz, and follows a trail up Mt Churup towards Churup Laguna, a stunningly beautiful glacial lake.

 

You can reach Llupa by taxi (25 Soles) or bus (2 Soles) from Huaraz and from here commence a long, and at times demanding, hike leading directly uphill.

 

Passing through Llupa you’ll soon notice the characteristic friendliness of the grinning locals, with everyone stopping to say hello. On my ascent I paused to snap a photo of a weather-beaten old woman herding a mixed flock down the narrow lane. “Pay me for my photo, I’m beautiful!” she demanded, beaming a wide and toothy grin at me. How could I refuse, I pulled out some change and handed it over. “Fifty cents?!” she cackled incredulously, grin wider than ever. “Well, it is a beautiful photo,” I said, handing over some more money. It was the friendliest mugging in history, unfortunately the photo turned out useless.

 

With the eucalyptus groves and swaying maze fields of Llupa behind you, the trail enters the increasingly bare hillsides of Mt Churup.

 

The trees become stooped and dwarfed before turning into hedgerows, and then the tree line disappears completely. Up here the elements are harsher and a cold wind blows from the snowy heights of the Cordillera.

 

The trail skirts up and along the mountain’s shoulder before dipping down again into a sheltered valley, at the foot of a long waterfall which originates several hundred feet up, at the laguna itself. This is a sensible place to fill up on refreshing glacial water because the final stretch is a tough scramble up boulders and steep, muddy trails, aided in parts by metal cables which have been bolted into the rock face.

 

By this point you’re at almost 4,500 meters above sea level, a challenging altitude for even the fittest of hikers. With every step, half climbing, half clambering up the trail becomes increasingly difficult and before long I found myself stopping to catch my breath after every dozen paces.

 

When you eventually reach the summit, the perfectly still turquoise waters of the laguna stretch out in front of you, contrasting against the gunmetal grey of the surrounding rock face. This is the reward that makes you forget instantly the wheezy ordeal you underwent to get here, although my mild sense of pride was quickly eroded when a troupe of local youngsters bounded past us, having run the entire way without breaking a sweat.

 

It’s possible to camp at the lakeside, although quality equipment is essential: the temperature up here plummets at night and you’re at serious risk of hypothermia without appropriate kit. The soft beds and log fires at The Way Inn offer a more comfortable option; a friendly lodge built by a long term English expat, the inn is conveniently located on the path between Churup and Llupa and makes a good base for day hikes or longer treks into the Cordillera.

 

Back down in Huaraz, there are a couple of places that are definitely worth a visit.

 

Café Andino, located a few blocks from the city’s central Plaza is a perfect choice for breakfast and lunch. A personal recommendation is their huevos rancheros, an enormous plate of fried eggs, potatoes, beans and soft flour tacos.

 

But no trip to Huaraz is complete without a pilgrimage to the travellers’ Mecca, Chilli Heaven. This place serves the best Indian curries outside of the English West Midlands, along with a huge range of imported British ales, making it an ideal place to end your visit, rest your weary legs and enjoy some of the finer things in life after testing your body and spirit against the might of the Peruvian Andes.

 

Directory:

 

For quality equipment hire, including tents, sleeping bags, boots and climbing gear, stop in at Andes Camping (Tel: 043-943049829. Address: Parque Ginebra, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas.) They also buy and sell second hand kit, and offer the best price on the excellent Alpenvereinskarte Cordillera Blanca Nord map (70 Soles.)

 

The Way Inn is a 20-30 Soles taxi ride out of town on the road to Pitec. Reservations can be made in advance (Tel: 043-943466219) The lodge has comfortable private and dorm rooms plus camping space and offers abundant, excellent food at a good price.

 

Café Andino (Tel: 043-721203. Address: Jr. Lucar y Torre 530) has a wide menu and relaxed atmosphere and if a perfect place to fill up on a big breakfast before heading out into the mountains.

 

Chilli Heaven (Tel: 043-221313. Address: Parque Ginebra, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas) is undoubtedly the best and most unusual place to eat in Huaraz. Probably the best Indian inspired menu in Peru, never mind the outrageously wide beer selection. A real treat.

 

Matthew Barker lives in Lima, working as a travel writer and photographer for the Peru travel specialists, Peru For Less. He splits his time between getting to know the hidden faces of Lima and exploring the beautiful Peruvian wilderness.