Thin air, wide skies and switchbacks that earn every view. After six weeks split between Cusco and the Cordillera Blanca, these are the high routes we'd walk again tomorrow — with the altitude strategy that finally stopped the headaches.
Acclimatise like you mean it
The Andes punish ambition and reward patience. Three nights at 3,400 m before anything higher; climb high, sleep low; and drink water until you're bored of it. Our rule: the first headache ends the day's climbing, no negotiation. Coca tea helps the symptoms and the ritual both — accept every cup offered.
"The Andes punish ambition and reward patience. The first headache ends the day's climbing."
— FROM OUR FIELD NOTEBOOK
The three routes
1. Ausangate circuit, Cusco — 6 days
Rainbow Mountain without the crowds, because you walk in from the back. Turquoise lakes, 5,000 m passes, hot springs at Pacchanta on day five. Go with arrieros (muleteers) — the route-finding across the high puna is non-trivial.
2. Santa Cruz trek, Huaraz — 4 days
The classic for a reason: the Punta Unión pass frames Alpamayo like a postcard that refuses to end. Well-marked, busy in August, sublime in June. Camp at Taullipampa and wake up inside the photograph.
3. Lares valley to Ollantaytambo — 3 days
Lower, greener, warmer — the cultural counterpoint. Weavers' villages, condor sightings and a finish at the fortress town. Best first high route if your sea-level lungs are nervous.
What to carry (and what to skip)
- —Four-season sleeping bag even in June; nights at 4,600 m bite.
- —Sun protection as religion: glacier glasses, SPF lip balm, wide hat.
- —Skip the "just in case" outfits — every village has laundry, none has regrets about light packs.
- —Cash in small soles for bridge tolls, campsite fees and emergency empanadas.
