C & C globetrotting around the world…

The bus ride from Tujillo to Huaraz took about 9 hours. It was a “Cruz del Sur” bus with semi-cama (half-reclining seats) and it was a comfortable overnight bus ride. We woke up to sunshine and high grasslands, which was a nice change from the arid landscape on the coast. After checking into our hostel, we spent the day acclimatizing to the altitude here and preparing for our trek the next day. Huaraz lies in the Cordillera Blanca of the Andes at an altitude of 3,100m.

The next day we went for a day trek to Laguna 69 in the Huascaran National Park. The park’s 3,000 km² contain 663 glaciers and nearly 300 lakes. We woke up very early and got on the mini-bus to the Huscaran National Park. The ride was bumpy and long, but we eventually got there, passing a pretty turquoise lake on the way. We hiked from 3,900, to 4,600m, where Laguna 69 is found. The hike was very exhausting as the air gets incredibly thin at this altitude. The way there and back took about 6 hours in total, with minimal breaks. Actually only Christoph made it to the top; Cecilia had to stop a bit lower because of stomach issues. The view all around was beautiful with many glaciers, waterfalls and snowy peaks around us. At the top Christoph was rewarded with the view of Laguna 69, but it would have been even nicer had the sun shone and the turquoise colour would have been revealed. Unfortunately on the way down it started to hail and rain, but it was a great hike nevertheless. On the way back to town, we drove by Huascaran mountain, the highest peak of Peru at 6,768m above sea level. The mountain was named after Huáscar, a 16th century Inca chieftain. It was a pretty sight with the later afternoon sun shining on it.