Day 01 – 20/06/2022
The first day of the trip had just the flight from São Paulo (Brazil) to Lima (Peru) and the shuttle to Tupac Amaru hostel. The flight was typical, with people fighting for space in the luggage compartment and a child kicking my seat. I held on for over an hour, thinking that the parents would at some point control the child, but then I realized that they wouldn’t, I got up and looked at the mother, which was enough for her to make the child behave. Meanwhile, the father was always coughing, and many times the imbecile took off the mask to cough.

As for the hostel, it is in an ugly area of Lima, but very well located for this stage of the trip, as it is between the airport and the bus terminal that took me to Huaraz. The location, by the way, is the only quality of the hostel, but as that was the most important thing, it was a good choice.

The ugly view from Tupac Hostel’s breakfast area

Day 02 – 21/06/2022
After a simple breakfast with flatbread, butter, strawberry jam, fried or scrambled eggs, tea and coffee (Later note: this is the standard Peruvian hostel breakfast, so don’t even bother looking for accommodation with breakfast because it’s better to make your own), I walked through a very ugly neighborhood until I arrived at Plaza Norte mall, to buy a SIM card for my cell phone. As strange as it is, none of the operators (Claro, Movistar, Entel and Bitel) accepted my ID as a valid document. That is, the ID allows me to go through immigration, but does not allow the purchase of a prepaid SIM card. Another one of the Latin American bureaucracy…But it wasn’t a problem, because I walked to the historic center and, on the way, there were sellers on the street and I got an Entel chip, registered in the name of the seller. What I didn’t know is that Entel has very poor coverage outside the big cities, so I recommend you buy from Claro or Movistar.

The historic center is beautiful and I took the opportunity to exchange euros for soles on the street, as in some places there are people with vests that, supposedly, serve to identify who is authorized to exchange currency. It’s a little scary, I assume, but I had no problem with counterfeit banknotes. Lunch was at Toque Criollo restaurant, but the food was not good, I was deceived by the beautiful atmosphere and good location of the restaurant. Don’t do the same mistake, don’t it at Toque Criollo..

Lima Cathedral

The historic center of Lima is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and one of the reasons is the wooden balconies, the most characteristic architectural element of the city.

A rare moment of sun in the middle of the Peruvian winter, when Lima usually has cloudy weather for weeks at a time.

I was lucky enough to find an exhibition with beautiful photos taken by Miguel Mejía Castro of an annual pilgrimage to Ausangate, which is the destination of my third trekking.

After the Historic center, I walked to Parque de la Reserva, which houses the Circuito Mágico del Água, a set with several fountains and which, at the end of the day, has multimedia presentations. Interesting, but not a must see as some sites say, go only if you have time to spare.

Water tunnel at Circuito Mágico del Agua

The end of the day is when the park is most crowded, because of two multimedia presentations

The projection made on the water column shows several elements of Peruvian culture and history

I returned to the hostel with an Uber, but due to an error on the Uber map, it dropped me off about 700 meters from the hostel and I only noticed when the car had already left. The distance is not great, but the neighborhood was kind of scary, even more so after the Peruvians said that I shouldn’t have walked from there to the Plaza Norte mall because there was a danger of robbery. Well, if they said that the region is dangerous during the day, I wondered how dangerous it would be at night and I tried to walk very quickly to the hostel.

Day 03 – 22/06/2022
After breakfast, I called an Uber to go to the Plaza Norte bus terminal and, again, the Uber map was wrong. But now I saw the mistake before I got out of the car and the driver took me to the right spot.

The Cruz del Sur bus is very comfortable and departed on time. The coastal landscape is quite ugly, completely deserted, with a lot of garbage and some abandoned huts, but I didn’t go to Peru to see beaches, I went to see mountains and, as soon as the bus went up the Andes, the view was beautiful, with lakes and snowy mountains. Another difference is that, in winter, the coast is always cloudy, while in the Andes it is sunny almost every day.

When leaving the bus terminal in Huaraz, the taxi drivers made an aisle and kept offering the overpriced service to those passing by. I ignored the first ones, then one came and told me he would charge 20 soles. I refused, then another one came and offered 15 soles, but then the first taxi driver pushed him and I was just wondering if the two would fight right there. I kept walking and received an offer for 10 soles, which I then accepted.

At Lhotse Hostel, I was upgraded and I stayed in a very spacious room, in the quietest part of the hotel, which had been my request.

The first dinner in Huaraz was at Jama restaurant, which has good reviews on TripAdvisor. Unlike lunch in Lima, which was bad, I had a trout with creamy quinoa that was amazing!

Trout with creamy quinoa at Jama restaurant in Huaraz, the best food of the entire trip

Day 04 – 23/06/2022
As I live at sea level and the trails I chose are at high altitudes, I had to acclimatize well, with light trails until my body was ready to face the thin air. As Huaraz is located at an altitude of 3,000 meters (9,850 ft), just to be in the city there is some acclimatization, but the ideal is to climb a few hundred meters during the day and return to sleep in the city, allowing the body to adapt better and rest during the night.

This is the first van I took and it was interesting to see the women in their typical clothes. The flat tire wasn’t so interesting, but since I wasn’t in a hurry, whatever.

Today I went up by van to Willkawain archaeological site, which is very interesting and has buildings that are over a thousand years old!

Funeral set of Ichic Willkawain

Inside one of Willkawain’s buildings

Ceramic bottle approximately a thousand years old!

After seeing everything and realizing that I was only 350 meters (1.148 ft) higher than Huaraz, I took the trail to Radian Lagoon and climbed another 450 meters (1,476 ft), until a peasant told me that, if I wanted to go forward, I would have to pay him because the land are not public. I didn’t know if he was telling the truth, so I looked at the satellite image of this lagoon and saw that it is a dull little lake, far from mountains, and I decided to go back from there, as I had already made a good acclimatization, climbing 800 meters (2,600 ft).

Huaraz seen from the trail to Radian Lagoon, which I don’t recommend doing, unless it’s exclusively for acclimatization.

For lunch, I had two chicken fillets, spaghetti with pesto and avocado salad at J.E.S. for only 12 soles, cheap and very tasty! Then I met with the guide Fredi Cruz Lumbe, who gave me excellent tips about the three circuits. By the way, if you want to hire a guide, contact him.

Getting great tips with the guide Fredi Cruz Lumbe

In the evening, I measured my blood oxygen saturation again and it was already much better. When I arrived in Huaraz, 36 hours before, it was 88%; that night, it scored 93%.

Day 05 – 24/06/2022
For the second day in a row, I woke up at 5:30 am and couldn’t sleep again. I don’t know if it was due to the altitude, anxiety to go straight to Alpamayo Circuit or if I simply still haven’t adapted to the Peruvian time zone. As there are no bakeries open at this time, I played chess until 7:30 am, when breakfast starts at the hostel.

For the second day of acclimatization, I chose Wilcacocha Lagoon. I took the van that would drop me off at the beginning of the trail and, again, it was full of people and with the windows closed, and it wasn’t even very cold. Am I paranoid or do others not realize the risk of this?

The trail has 8 km (5 mi) round trip and go up almost 600 meters (2,000 ft), which is a great acclimatization. Good, because the lake is not pretty, only the view to the mountains behind Huaraz is worth it, but as it was cloudy today, I couldn’t see them well.

This is Wilcacocha Lagoon, nothing different from a pond on any farm in Brazil, but what matters is the acclimatization.

In the background is Huascarán National Park. On a clear day, the view must be very beautiful.

After 1.5 hour standing by the lake, letting my body “work”, I returned to Huaraz just in time to eat a great bistec a lo pobre (beef, fries, salad, fried potatoes, rice and fried egg) at Mamma Mia for just 16 soles, I’m loving the taste and price of the food in this city.

A dish like these after the trail is all I want. Even better, costing only 15 soles.

Again, I went in search of where the van would leave the next day and, again, I received conflicting information. There were people who said that there is no van to Pitec, there were people who said that I would have to go to a village and, there, take another van, and there were those who said that there is, but they gave different locations for the departure point. There was one person who said “it’s on that street, 5 blocks away, the van is in front of a red house”. I don’t understand how difficult it is to put a sign in front of that red house, with the van’s destination and departure times, I try to imagine how a tourist who doesn’t speak Spanish well must suffer to get information.

Sunset at Plaza de Armas of Huaraz

This my oxygenation went up to 94%, a little better than the night before.

Day 06 – 25/06/2022
On the third and final day of acclimatization, I decided to head to Churup Lagoon, a hike that I knew it would be a little longer and with more elevation. I arrived at the van stop at 06:10, but as the vans only leave when they are full, I was seated for an hour and a half, waiting until all seats were occupied.

Even though it was a little cloudy and they covered the top of the mountains, Churup Lagoon is very beautiful. While I was there, I met a group of Colombians (three women and two men) who, tomorrow, will participate in a mountain race. If it’s hard enough to walk uphill at 4,500 m (15,000 ft), I wonder how hard it must be to run at this altitude.

Trail to Churup Lagoon

Another day with a bit overcast weather, which is not normal for this region in June, but the view is beautiful anyway

Churup Lagoon, at 4.450 m (14,600 ft) of altitude

After a few hours, Nevado Churup appeared briefly through the clouds

Then I met a Brazilian, we talked for a while and made the descent together. In the van back to Huaraz, we talked about how many Peruvians drive: honking all the time, well above the speed limit and, worst of all, overtaking in curves , with no visibility of oncoming vehicles. By the way, all the foreigners I talked to about this until the end of the trip were scared by the way many Peruvians drive, so it wasn’t just our impression.

Dinner was at Manka restaurant, where I had a lasagna with lomo saltado which was good, but the one I cook is better.

Map of Alpamayo Circuit: each color is a hiking day. In total, I walked 128 km ()79.5 mi) in 8 days, with an accumulated elevation of 7,700 m (25,262 ft).

Finally, the first day of Alpamayo Circuit, but before that I had to take two vans and, again, I was scared to death to see the driver overtaking in the curves, without any visibility. What impresses me even more is that the other passengers are not shaken, they think everything is normal.

The walk from Cashapampa, the village from where I started the circuit, to Llamacorral Campsite, has 10 km (6 mi) and an ascent of 900 meters (2,952 ft). Even walking uphill most of the time, the climb is not steep and it was easier than I thought. The path is beautiful, almost all the time inside a canyon, with numerous rapids and waterfalls.

On the first day, the trail goes almost all the way through a canyon.

One of the many waterfalls in Valle Santa Cruz. I’m in front of the waterfall just to give you an idea of the size, there is no need to cross the river at any time.

After some time at the camp, I saw that I had lost my cap and decided to ask if anyone had found it on the trail. The conversation I had with the first person went like this:

-I lost my cap on the trail, did you see it?
-Yes, I found your cap.
So I thought “Wow, the first person I talk to found my cap, how lucky!”
-Do you have it?
-No, I put it next to the trail, on top of a rock.
“Fuck, what’s the point of putting it next to the trail”, I thought, but tried to contain my disappointment face and asked:
-Is it far?
-At least one hour going downhill.
-Ok, thanks.

I even asked other people, as someone could have thought a little more than him and brought the cap to the camp, but no one saw it… After all, the guy didn’t bring the cap and still took it out of the sight of the hikers.

This is my first camp in Peru and I hope the others are not so dirty, as there is a lot of garbage and also a lot of donkey poop. For some reason I don’t know, they leave the donkeys next to the tents instead of setting aside a place just for them.

The large tents are the dining or kitchen tents of the groups that take tourists to the trail. In the two camps I slept that are part of Santa Cruz Trek, I was the only hiker who wasn’t part of a group.

Donkeys loose in the tent area, which was all dirty by donkey poop or garbage.

The minimum temperature that night was -2 ºC (28 ºF) and, even waking up several times, I slept well.

The climb to the southern base camp of Alpamayo is not very hard, but even so, I was exhausted, probably because of the altitude and the bad night’s sleep. Arriving there, I decided to climb a little further, to Arhuaycocha Lagoon, and it was a good idea, as the view is outstansding! In addition to the beautiful lagoon and its glacier, you can also see Alpamayo and Artesonraju from this lookout.

Arriero with his horse, donkey and dog in Santa Cruz Valley

 Alpamayo seen from the trail to the base camp

Alpamayo seen from the trail to the base camp

Artesonraju (right) seen from the trail that leads to Alpamayo base camp

If Artesonraju looks familiar to you, it’s because it inspired the Paramount Pictures logo

Click to open a 360 degree photo taken at the Arhuaycocha Lagoon lookout. Once opened, rotate the photo to the sides

Photographing the Arhuaycocha Lagoon. As I’m always asked how I take the photos I appear in, I had two cameras and a tripod

The beautiful Arhuaycocha Lagoon and Ririjirca mountain in the background

Resting overlooking Artesonraju

I had a terrible night because I woke up at two in the morning and couldn’t sleep anymore. Minimum temperature of – 5 ºC (23 ºF).

It took me a while to start walking, as today’s route would be short, but even so, I arrived very early at the campsite I had planned to stay and decided to keep going.

The climb to Paso Punta Unión tired me a lot, I don’t know if it was because of the altitude or because I slept very poorly. I decided to stop at Tuctupampa Campsite, which is no longer part of the famous Santa Cruz Trek, and I stayed alone that night.

Leaving from Alpamayo Base Camp with Artesonraju in the background

Santa Cruz Valley

Having a snack at Taullipampa Campsite with Taulliraju in the background. The guide Fredi Cruz recommended me to sleep here because he said that the sunset is beautiful in this spot, but I arrived very early and, when I hike alone, I like to be on the move, so I went ahead.

Taulliraju.

Taulliraju seen from Paso Punta Unión.

View to the other side of Paso Punta Unión, which is beautiful but far from having the impressive beauty that you have on the previous side of Punta Unión. That day, I camped after the last lagoon of this photo, in a valley that is no longer part of the Santa Cruz Trek.

Night with -6 ºC (21 ºF) and I felt a little cold, even using the liner along with the sleeping bag.

Today was not as beautiful as the two previous days, but it had its interesting places.

Alto de Pucaraju, the most beautiful view of the day

Huecrococha Lagoon

Cactus flower

I found several types of flowers and I would like to have the macro lens to be able to photograph them better

On the way down to Jancapampa, I passed several farms that were burning leaves, which made me cough a lot. Instead of camping, I took advantage of the fact that I was in the only village of the circuit to buy some cookies and rented a room that is still under construction, therefore quite dirty, but it’s good to sleep in a bed. Before that, while I was watching the kids play ball, the owner of the shop gave me a plate full of boiled cassava, which was delicious. Since I passed the farms, I started coughing a lot and, on the day, I thought it was because of the smoke and all the dust in the room, but after several days, I discovered that it was the first symptoms of COVID, which turned the following days into a hell.

Room under construction where I slept in Jancapampa. Bad, but it was nice to be in a bed instead of the tent

The minimum this night was 0 ºC (32 ºF), much warmer than the previous nights, and I slept very well.

I woke up with a bit of a sore throat from all the dust or the COVID, but after I started to walk and breathed some fresh air, the pain went away.

Today’s trail was the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done, I was absolutely exhausted and I thought it was from having to carry 20 kg (44 lb) on my back and climb 5,000 meter (16,400 ft) mountains, but in reality, COVID was causing this, along with the altitude and effort, of course.

Today’s most beautiful landscapes were at the very beginning, when leaving Jancapampa, it is a path where the landscapes are not worth the effort.

The most beautiful landscape of the day was at the beginning of the walk, still in Jancapampa.

One of the friendships I made in the Peruvian mountains.

Was it born crooked or broke in a fight?

I was already completely exhausted and when I faced this climb, I just wanted to lie on the grass and sleep, but I had to keep going, otherwise I would never finish the trail.

I had planned to do the day trip to Safuna Lagoon before heading to Jancarurish, but when I saw it from afar, I changed my mind, as it didn’t seem worth the effort and, besides, the good light would be in the afternoon, so I would have to spend another day here.

The crossing of the Pasos Mesapata and Caracara was extremely tiring, but I managed to reach Jancarurish Campsite in the middle of the afternoon. As the light was beautiful, I decided to climb a hill to have a view of the Alpamayo and the lagoon below it, but there is no trail and this hill is very steep, with some sections of 60 degrees, which did not allow any mistakes, since it would be a drop of 200 or 300 meters (650 or 1,000 ft).

Quebrada Alpamayo seen from Paso Caracara.

Descent from Paso Caracara.

Alpamayo and Jancarurish Lagoon.

A beautiful place to spend the late afternoon coughing and enjoying the view of Alpamayo.

Another almost sleepless night, luckily there are only two days left to reach Hualcayan, because for the first time I started to think about calling a rescue, as I have extreme difficulty in climbing any 100-meter hill, let alone crossing the Andean mountains. My desire is to lie down in the middle of the trail and sleep, but I have to keep going, even with snail’s steps.

I didn’t know if it was because I had slept two hours a night, if it was because I almost couldn’t eat or if it was accumulated tiredness, but I do know that I never felt so exhausted as I did those days and, to make matters worse, I was coughing and expelling green phlegm, which it showed that I had a lung infection. I didn’t remember if this could be caused by altitude sickness and there, without internet, there was no way to search. All I knew was that I needed to go down as soon as possible and, fortunately, the next day I would have a descent of about 1,500 meters (5,000 ft) and then I would only have to arrange transport to Huaraz, where I would have medical support, if I didn’t get better.

I camped by the beautiful Cullicocha Lagoon, overlooking Santa Cruz, which at 6,259 meters (20,534 ft) is the highest mountain in the region.

I stopped to let the sheep pass and took the opportunity to rest, as even an easy climb like this one left me exhausted because of COVID.

Descent to Cullicocha Lagoon.

Santa Cruz during sunset.

I left early in the morning to face the long descent of 1,500 meters to Hualcayan and, on the way, I found 4 people who were doing the trail in the opposite direction. In total I saw 5 people doing Los Cedros trail, a huge contrast to Santa Cruz and its many groups of trekkers with guides, mules and arrieros (person who take care of the mules).

Sunrise at Cullicocha Lagoon.

Campsite at Cullicocha Lagoon.

Upon arriving in the village, I asked about taxis, since there is no regular transport to Caraz, and a resident said he would take me for 100 soles, an excellent price.

In Huaraz, I went to the same hostel I stayed in the first time, took a good shower, ate and collapsed into bed.

I didn’t really feel like eating cuy (guinea pig), but as it’s a very typical dish, I decided to try it and, as I imagined, it’s just skin and bones.

Day 15 – 04/07/2022
I slept reasonably well, but when I woke up, I saw that there was blood in the phlegm that I was expelling, so I went straight to the hospital, from where I was sent to a tent in a square to be tested for COVID, which was positive.

With the recommendation to stay isolated for a few days, luckily some restaurants did delivery, they gave me a bigger room in the hostel and, nowadays, with my cell phone I can read books, watch movies and play chess, so the time even passed quickly .

Day 16 – 05/07/2022
I spent another day in the room with the cell phone in my hand, sleeping, eating and coughing.

I thought about going to a pulmonologist, but first I would have to see a general practitioner, so I left it for the next day, if it didn’t get better.

Day 17 – 06/07/2022
As I kept coughing a lot and with a little blood, I went to a clinic, had a lung x-ray, they gave me an oral antibiotic and injectable penicillin, in addition to two medicines to help with expectoration.

Day 18 – 07/07/2022
That day I already felt a little better, it seems that the medicine took effect.

Day 19 – 08/07/2022
Nothing worthy of comment, other than that I kept improving.

Day 20 – 09/07/2022
Last day of isolation, so I went in search of a new test, which was negative, I can now resume the trip, even with some restrictions. To celebrate, I had an excellent chicharrón (fried pork) at Chicharronería San Francisco, a restaurant frequented only by Peruvians.

Time to eat well and a lot, to try to regain the 5 kg (11 lb) I lost on the trail with COVID. This is chicharrón de chancho, a typical Peruvian dish.

Day 21 – 10/07/2022
I felt good, although I still had a cough, which I knew would stay with me for a while. To test myself, I walked to the Rataquenua Lookout and everything was fine, although I still felt weak. Anyway, I could already start planning the Huayhuash Circuit, if I didn’t have a relapse because of the effort of the hike.

Huaraz seen from Rataquenua Lookout.

After the walk, I had lunch with Daniela, a Chilean I met through a friend who is spending a month in Huaraz.

With two dishes like this per day, I had to regain my weight.

Day 22 – 11/07/2022
Day dedicated just to rest, eat well and buy the food I needed to Huayhuash Circuit.

Last good meal before the trail.

Even though I feel better every day, I can’t deny that I was anxious not knowing how my body would react to putting the backpack and walking for hours and hours. The first time I had COVID, even before the pandemic was declared, I had a lung infection for 6 months, and I only found out because when I made a great physical effort, I had a slight fever, despite feeling perfect if I didn’t do strong exercises. Anyway, just testing to find out.

Map of the Alpine Route in Huayhuash Circuit, split in 7 days, with 87 km (54 mi) of distance and 5,635 m (18,487 ft) of accumulated elevation.

On the bus to Chiquián there was a man coughing too much, which made me worried again. After all, I just had COVID and I should have great immunity, but I can’t help but be afraid of having it again during another trail. Or, even if it’s not COVID, a flu wouldn’t do any good to hike steep mountains.

Upon arriving in Chiquián, the owner of a van offered to take me to the beginning of the trail for 200 soles and I declined. I went to a restaurant to use the restroom, and there I saw half a dozen foreigners who looked like a family. I introduced myself, explained that I was going to Huayhuash and they said that they would also start the trail today and that, if the owner of the van agree, I could go with them. So I talked to the driver, who charged me 50 soles, that’s luck!

Chiquián is the bus stop and where it is necessary to find transport to the beginning of the trail.

The family is from Banff, Canada, they are very friendly and, like me, they will do the alpine circuit on their own, without an agency.

The dirt road that leads to the trail became more and more beautiful and, in Llamac, the first charge was made in exchange of nothing, as we had to pay 50 soles to pass through the village. Then, in Pocpa, a charge of 20 soles to pass.

Later note: after there were some robberies on tourists a few years ago, including one death, residents began to charge a fee and, from then on, there were no more robberies. There are people who say that it is a form of income distribution for the locals, but in my view this is extortion, since they are protecting me from themselves. Nor should this be compared with tolls on highways, since in exchange for the toll there is road maintenance. Here they don’t offer anything in return, it’s the same as me joining with other residents in my city and demanding that tourists pay us to pass through the road.

When we got out of the van, two campesinos came, we started talking and one of them said, in a polite way, that we should pay 50 soles. Then the other said, not politely, that for him it would be 20 soles. I didn’t quite understand what that charge was, but both I and the Canadians paid. So when he hands me the proof of payment (here the extortion has a receipt), I saw that it was Llamac’s charge, so I said that we had already paid, I showed the receipts and they gave us the money back. My impression is that they double charge and, if the person doesn’t notice, they ear twice. After all, if they were honest, before charging they would have asked us if we had already paid when we passed the guardhouse in both villages.

The trail starts with a climb of about 500 meters (1,640 ft) and I felt very good, it was a relief.

The trail starts at the bottom of this valley.

View to the other side of the valley. This road can also be used to reach the trail and avoid the first climb, but the access is by the village of Baños, much farther from Huaraz.

Beautiful colorful mountain right at the beginning of the circuit.

Janca Campsite, the official camping spot in this region.

When arriving at the campsite, there is a new charge of 20 soles, but this at least has the counterpart of maintaining the campsite, which is fair. Officially it is not allowed to camp near Mitococha Lagoon, but I talked to the man who collected the payment and he said that, as the Canadians and I would do the alpine route and we didn’t have donkeys, we could camp by the lake.

Unfortunately, the mountains are behind the clouds, because the view from this camp should be beautiful.

I woke up several times but, overall, slept well. All the times that I woke up, I look outside to see if I could take a picture, but it was always cloudy.

Before starting the hike, for a few seconds I could see one of the mountains behind Mitococha Lagoon.

Instead of taking the ascent of the alpine circuit, I decided to climb the hill in front of the lagoon, to find the trail at the crest, but I regretted because the ascent was very steep and with stretches of soft earth and loose rocks, where the walk was not easy at all.

At least the clouds let me see this colorful mountain.

At the end of the trail, before the final descent to Carhuacocha Lagoon, I went to the spectacular lookout that is in front of the mountains, overlooking the 3 Lagunas, the mountains and the camping area. Unfortunately clouds covered the mountains, but I stayed there for a while, hoping it would open at some point. It didn’t open, and when the group that was nearby started to descend, I decided to follow them to see the path, which in this area is not well marked and the descent is very steep, with slippery places due to soft earth and grass. I was very worried at times, because a small slip would result in death or at least in many broken bones, and I didn’t understand why to go down there, instead of going back 1 or 2 km and have a safe walk. By the way, on the next day I met the people of this group and they were also scared of the descent and didn’t understand why the guide took them there.

This lookout has the opposite view of the famous Mirador Tres Lagunas.

I spent hours at the lookout waiting for the weather to improve, which didn’t happen until I was at the bottom of the trail.

Sunset at one of the campsites on the shore of Carhuacocha Lagoon.

Sunset at one of the campsites on the shore of Carhuacocha Lagoon.

At the campsite, which costs 40 soles, I met Arkraitz, a Spaniard who was also doing the circuit without an agency. We talked for a long time and, after taking some night photos, I went to sleep hoping to get some sun on the third day, since the first two have not been good for photos.

Stars and moonlight at Incahuasi Campsite.

Night with -5 ºC (23 ºF), but I slept well.

I did some photos at dawn, with the moon still in the sky, and headed towards Mirador Tres Lagunas, when I was surprised by a new fee, this one in the amount of 30 soles, just to go along the trail. Apparently, every year they create a new fee, I can’t even imagine how much it will cost to make this circuit in about 10 years.

Full moon setting behind Cordillera Huayhuash.

The walk today was amazing, with unforgettable viewpoints and lots of sun. When I was starting the ascent to Mirador Tres Lagunas, an Israeli asked to accompany him to the lake because he wanted to get into the water, but he was afraid that the bottom would be muddy and he would get stuck. I should have said I wouldn’t go, after all I wanted to take pictures of the viewpoint, not to mention it’s ridiculous that he’s afraid of getting stuck in the mud, but I went anyway.

Click to open a 360 degree photo taken at Gangrajanca Lookout. Once opened, rotate the photo to see it from every angle.

Gangrajanca Lookout.

Then, during the climb to the viewpoint, clouds started to appear and I was worried about losing the photo I wanted so much, so I climbed as fast as I could and arrived drenched in sweat, but it was worth it because the day was still beautiful. There, I met two groups, talked a lot with them, and later, when I was at the top of Paso Siula, the Nuestra Montaña guides invited me to eat with them. At first I refused because the customers are paying for this food, but as I was getting along well with them too, I ended up eating it and it was delicious.

Mirador Tres Lagunas.

I asked to a Belgian girl nearby and to pose for the photo.

The guides Richard and Román, from Nuestra Montaña, gave me a delicious pasta dish.

Just before arriving at Campamento Huayhuash (30 soles), I ordered baked potatoes and cheese from a peasant and she took the food to my tent in the early evening. At the camp, I met the Canadian family again and we talked a lot about the previous two days and the plans for the next few days.

Huayhuash Campsite.

Baked potatoes and homemade cheese that I ordered from a peasant woman.

Night with minus 8 degrees and I didn’t sleep well, but I don’t know if it was because of the cold or altitude. In addition to not having rested, I woke up a little bad in my stomach, which could be because of the food made by the peasants or the altitude.

Before starting the hike, I was already feeling weak, but I couldn’t stand still on such a beautiful day. Also, the weather forecast said that one day after passing the most difficult part of the trail, there would be rain/snow, so I didn’t want to be late to cross Paso Rasac in good weather.

Dogs eating a dead horse and threatening people passing by.

When I was climbing Paso Trapecio, I found Arkraitz and we walked together to the summit, where we spent a good amount of time enjoying the view. Then he went straight to a village because he was feeling very cold at night and wanted to finish the trail early.

Trapecio.

Paso del Trapecio. At this point it is possible to cross the ice to reach Jurau Lagoon, or take a long detour to Paso Santa Rosa, which was my choice because I didn’t want to lose the view from there.

Descent from Paso del Trapecio.

Paso Santa Rosa, one of the most beautiful viewpoints on the Alpine Route (Vía Alta)

I made a mistake going to Paso Santa Rosa that increased my weariness as the wrong ascent and descent were quite difficult. The view from Paso is spectacular and, when I was arriving at Laguna Jurau, I met the family of Canadians, who had crossed the Trapecio Glacier, and we camped on the edge of the lagoon. Now I am no longer on the Traditional Circuit and here, on Alpine Route (also known as Vía Alta), there are almost no people because donkeys and arrieros can’t come.

More comfortable temperature this night, with -2 ºC (28 ºF) and, for the first time, I woke up and it was already clear, how good it is to spend the whole night sleeping.

I walked in the valley, until I thought it would be better to look for the trail I had recorded on the GPS, but it no longer exists; the landslides removed the old trail, which slowed me down a lot as the terrain was quite unstable.

Sarapocoha Lagoon.

Sarapococha Lagoon.

The view from Paso Sejya is breathtaking, perhaps the most beautiful I’ve had so far, so it was worth all the effort.

Click to open a 360 degree photo taken on Paso Sejya. Once opened, rotate the photo to see it in every angle.

To the right, deep down, is the valley where I slept last night, and to the left is Paso Rasac, which I have to cross tomorrow.

Self portrait at Paso Sejya.

Paso Rasac seen from Paso Sejya.

As the Canadians stayed in a lake before Paso, and the European couple went down the valley as they would not cross Paso Rasac the next day, I had Caramarca Lagoon only to myself that night.

Laguna Caramarca, the most beautiful campsite in the whole circuit.

View from the tent at Caramarca Lagoon.

It was minus 4 degrees that night and I slept very badly, but I think it was because of the anxiety of not knowing if I would be able to cross Paso Rasac or if I would have to take a detour that would make the circuit longer in three days, what would force me to ration food.

When arriving in front of the glacier, I saw footprints of a person using crampons, so I decided to step right where the footprints were, because there I knew there would be no cracks. The difficulty was because using crampons, that person could walk safely in steep ice , and I didn’t have crampons nor an ice ax, so I had to fix the poles and use them to avoid slipping.

Paso Rasac ascent.

The beginning of the ascent was easy, since the slope was not big. But in the middle of the climb, the slope increased and there was no more snow, just ice, which made it difficult to fix the hiking poles. Near the end, the slope became dangerous for those who didn’t have crampons or axes and I decided to do a little rock climbing, on the wall next to the glacier, what made me a little tense, but I managed to finish the ascent.

Upon reaching the top of Paso Rasac, I immediately looked to the other side to see what I would have to face and, luckily for me, there was not much ice, just a long descent with large loose rocks, and there were few trail signs, as the constant landslides erased the signs of people who passed before.

View from Paso Rasac to the side that I came from.

Descent of Paso Rasac.

On one of the many rocks that slipped with my step, I had a sprain in my right knee and it started to hurt with every step I took to get down, so I had to lean on the poles a lot. I thought it would be a momentary pain, as I always have on my knees, but it continued until the end of the trip, more than a month later. Fortunately, it only hurt on the descents.

Paso Rasac seen from Barrosococha Lagoon.

As soon as I arrived at Jahuacocha Campsite, I started to ask the guides about transport from Llamac to Chiquián and Huaraz, and I found one that had room in the van, going straight to Huaraz for only 80 soles, so I said that I would walk with them on the next day.

Jahuacocha Lagoon, the campsite is on the other side.

Some guides were fishing for trout in the Jahuacocha River.

Waterfall at Jahuacocha Campsite.

View from Jahuacocha Campsite.

In the early evening, a light rain started, the first since I arrived in Peru, almost a month ago. As the forecast said there was a possibility of rain/snow today, I planned to cross Paso Rasac before that and I did well not to delay, because now there should be no more footprints on the ice, making the crossing much more difficult.

It rained most of the night and the temperature was 0 ºC (32 ºF). I slept very well and got up at 04:15 to be ready before the group, as I wanted to leave early to have a break from the walk. During the ascent they caught up with me and then we went together to Pocpa, where the van was waiting for us.

View from Mancan Punta, on the way to Pocpa.

Descent to Pocpa.

Arriving in Huaraz, I stayed for the third time at Lhotse Hostel and went to Chicharronería San Francisco to celebrate. This is a restaurant frequented only by locals, with good prices and delicious dishes.

Today I took care of the equipment, washed clothes, backed up the photos and, of course, ate a lot to make up for the days in the mountains. Lunch was Rupay’s executive dish, which was ok, with a good ice cream at Sabores de Casa. In the evening, I had another dinner at Jama, with fried trout and creamy quinoa, the best food of the entire trip.

I spent the afternoon enjoying the war day at Plaza de Armas of Huaraz, reading and eating ice cream, on a well-deserved rest day.

Day 31 – 20/07/2022
I returned by bus to Lima, but this time I stayed in Miraflores, at the Hotel Esperanza, which is very close to Parque Kennedy, a park full of tourists and cats. As I was walking, at night, a person asked me:
-Marijuana?
-Don’t have.
-I do, do you want?
-No, thanks.
How naive of me to think he was asking and not selling. Soon after, I arrived at La Lucha Sanguchería, which was highly recommended on a travel site but the sandwich is very simple, the best was the fries.

Day 32 – 21/07/2022
As the best way to get to know a city is walking, I went to Malecón de Miraflores, a group of parks overlooking the sea, and walked 22 km, passing by Museo Larco (very interesting), Pastelería Todo Dulce (delicious sweets, especially the suspiro limeño) and Plaza San Miguel, from where I took a taxi back to Miraflores.

On a sunny day, the view from the Malecón should be beautiful, but in winter the days are always cloudy.

Chino Park.

Before returning to the hotel, I visited the famous Dulces Limeños Anita and ate mazamorra morada and arroz con leche. Both are good, but the suspiro limeño wins easily as the best Peruvian dessert.

In the afternoon I received a message on WhatsApp from the hostel I booked in Cusco. They told me that Booking did a mistake in accepting the reservation, that they are full, and that I should cancel. It’s obvious that it’s a lie, they got a reservation off Booking with a better price and they don’t want to cancel so they don’t have problems. I warned that I would not cancel because I would have to pay a daily rate, but until bedtime, they did not write to me anymore.

Day 33 – 22/07/2022
Today the walk was through San Isidro, a chic neighborhood. In the afternoon I went to Parque Kennedy to spend some time reading and, shortly after I arrived, a guy walked by quietly saying “marijuana, weed, weed” and I ignored him. Then another guy came, started chatting and asked me:

-Want weed?
-Thanks, but I don’t like it.
-Cocaine?
-Hm, not today, thank you.
I barely drink beer… These guys are terrible at choosing their audience. As my drug is sugar, I went to Anita’s again and had picarones, a fried dough in the shape of a donut that is eaten with a syrup. Yummy, but nothing special.

Then I went to the bus station, stocked with bread, empanadas and 6 Dunkin Donuts, ready to face the 23-hour trip to Cusco. While waiting for the bus, I wrote again to Retamas Hotel Cusco to find out why they still haven’t canceled and they said I won’t be charged but they will cancel later. I made it very clear that I would personally go to the hotel to resolve this.

El Olivar Park, in San Isidro.

Day 34 – 23/07/2022
The bus trip went by quickly, despite having slept little. The possibility of having books and movies on the cell phone makes it easy to spend time, I don’t miss when I had to carry paper books and crossword magazines.

To compensate for the “meals” I had on the bus, I had dinner at Jonas restaurant, which was very well indicated on TripAdvisor. I ordered an alpaca with penne which was very good and, for dessert, I tried lengua de sogra in a pastry shop, but I didn’t find it tasty.

I stayed at El Viejo Roble inn, which has a very comfortable room and a small kitchen. The problem is that when I went to take a shower, there was no water. When I wrote to the owner, he told me that they had no water since this morning, so I was quite angry that they didn’t let me know, as I could have showered earlier. After a good discussion, I went to sleep without a shower, but at least they didn’t charge that night, which is fair.

Day 35 – 24/07/2022
I bought a power bank to replace the one that is not working well, I also bought food to the trail and, at the beginning of the night, I photographed Plaza de Armas.

Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesus, in the Historic Center of Cusco.

Plaza de Armas.

Day 36 – 25/07/2022
In the morning I walked around Cusco a little more and then took the bus to Tinke, the village that serves as the base to Ausangate Circuit.

Tinke is very small, with two or three hostels and I ended up opting for Hostal El Viajero, which is simple but has a very large room and the internet is fast.

I had dinner at Mc Ronald, a small restaurant that every day has two options of dishes, always simple but well seasoned and very cheap.

Day 37 – 26/07/2022
As the day started cloudy and the forecast was not very good, I decided to stay one more night in Tinke.

The breakfast was in the square and I drank a delicious milk with kiwicha and ate two breads, one with avocado and the other with cheese. All for only 5.50 soles.

In Tinke, the only place to have breakfast is the square.

To spend time and give a little training, I climbed a hill overlooking the village and Ausangate.

Ausangate seen from Tinke Lookout.

Lunch was again at Ronald’s and dinner at a pollería. The afternoon I spent in my room, playing chess, watching movies and reading.

I woke up at 2:30 am and couldn’t sleep anymore.

Another time I had breakfast in the square, but this time I ate 3 loaves of bread, including one with egg.

Then I went to the motorcycle taxi stop and he wanted to charge me 60 soles, so I negotiated and lowered the price a little, getting 50 soles. Sounds like a good deal, but then I met a Peruvian and he told me that he paid only 20 soles, that’s the difference between being a foreigner or Peruvian, the foreigner always pays more.

The dirt road is bumpy and the motorcycle taxi driver drove much faster than he should, even more because he had a helmet, but I didn’t. After 45 minutes of fear, we arrived at the trailhead and finally I was safe.

This day had no steep climbs but I didn’t feel as good as I should, maybe I missed some of the acclimatization.

Upon arriving at Laguna Pucacocha, I saw some shelters made to put the tent and, of course, I chose to stay there, protected from the wind. The whole day was sunny and I could make good photos.

Upis Lagoon still frozen by the night’s cold.

Ausangate Circuit.

Pucacocha Lagoon, first overnight stop.

Pucacocha Lagoon.

There are many birds in Pucacocha Lagoon, like these ducks that were building a nest.

Shelters for the tents.

I took some pictures at dawn, had breakfast and, shortly after leaving, I saw a tent in the distance with a person in front of it, I waved and continued walking.

Sunrise at Pucacocha Lagoon.

Alpacas and Pucacocha Lagoon in the background.

Alpacas.

Good thing I didn’t go to Ausangate Lagoon the day before, because it’s much less beautiful than Pucacocha, where I camped. When I was close to the lagoon, a peasant woman came up to me to collect the fee and, even though I didn’t use that camp, I had to pay 10 soles. I gave her a 20, but she didn’t give me the change. When I charged her back, she said she didn’t have 10 soles to pay me back, so I said I would pay 6 soles, which was what I had in coins. Incredibly, she found 10 soles and this was another one of the many cases where they tried to trick the “gringo”, I was already pretty tired of it.

Ausangate Lagoon.

Ausangate Lagoon seen from the ascent of Paso Palomani.

When I was at the top of Paso Palomani, a Peruvian hiker arrived, we talked a little and he asked if he could walk along with me, as I would take a route outside the traditional circuit, which seemed more interesting, but he had not this tracklog on his map.

Click to open a 360 degree photo taken on Paso Palomani. Once loaded, rotate the photo sideways.

View from Paso Palomani.

For me, the biggest attraction of Ausangate Circuit is the variety of landscapes, because to the left there are snowy mountains, glaciers and lakes, and to the right there are colorful mountains.

The traditional path descends to the valley on the right side of this photo. We went to a lake that is in the middle of the photo, 2 km after the brown lake.

Me at Paso Palomani, photo taken by Christian.

Click to open a 360 degree photo with a view of Valle Machuracay. Once loaded, rotate the photo sideways.

This Peruvian is friendly and, like me, he felt safer camping with someone else, due to the issue of robberies. Apparently, there isn’t much danger here, but if even a Peruvian is afraid, I had every right.

We stopped at 4900 Lagoon, which has that name because it is at 4,900 meters (16,076 ft) of altitude, the highest point I camped on this trip. The bad thing about this place is that there is no running water, so I had to get water from the lake and I was hoping that the purifier would be enough.

Again, it was not a day of difficult climbs, only one section was steep, but the landscapes were incredible.

Very cold night, with -10 ºC (14 ºF), but I slept well. The trail starts with a long descent and then we walk for a long time in a valley. Later we had the only long climb of the day, which leads to Paso Khampa, with more than 5,000 m (16,400 ft) of altitude.

4900 Lagoon.

Trail to Paso Khampa.

My plan was to camp in one of the lakes after Paso, but we arrived early, I could to take my photos and then we went to Pacchanta, so we could eat well and find a hostel. However, when we arrived in Pacchanta, there was a van that was going straight to Cusco and they only charged us 40 soles. We were tired because we had walked two days in one, so it would be nice to eat soon and sleep in Pacchanta, but we would have to hire a taxi to Tinke the next day and take a bus to Cusco, which would be a lot more work.

This is one of the camps we left behind because it was too early.

There are many alpaca farms all over Ausangate Circuit.

Alpacas.

China Otorongo Lagoon has incredibly crystal clear water, but it is forbidden to swim.

Laguna Orco Otorongo is much larger and deeper than China Otorongo.

On the second and third days of walking, I saw several viscachas, this small rodent that looks like a rabbit, but has a very long tail.

Pacchanta village.

Arriving in Cusco, I stayed at Eco Inn, which has a very good room, is in a great location and the price is low for what it offers. To top it off, they have a dog of a breed I don’t know, very similar to a bulldog but bigger, who is super playful and brought me a ball as soon as I arrived at the gate. I was in the right place!

This is the friendly Sultán, the mascot of Eco Inn.

Dinner was an excellent breaded steak at La Nostra restaurant, almost in front of the hostel.

Day 41 – 30/07/2022
Another day of taking care of the gear, washing clothes and backing up photos.

At lunchtime, I met Christian and we went to Los Ricos Chicharrones, which was not very good. Then we walked around Mercado Central, I bought a lot of dried fruit and, in front of the market, I had a frutillada, a delicious drink typical of Cusco made with different ingredients, but with strawberry as a base.

Plaza de Armas in Cusco.

Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesus.

Day 42 – 31/07/2022
Day reserved to visit the viewpoints of Cusco. First I went to Plaza San Cristóbal, which is not far from the Historic Center and has a good view of Plaza de Armas. Then I went to Cristo Blanco, which is much further away and I didn’t find it very interesting, since you can only see the roofs of the houses.

View from Plaza San Cristóbal.

View from Cristo Blanco.

I had lunch with Christian again, this time at Mercado Central, where we had fried malaya, a typical Peruvian meat, which was very tasty.

Fried malaya is a delicious food typical of Peru and, to make it better, I was missing eating beans.

Day 43 – 01/08/2022
I spent the day on the bus and, arriving in Puno, I left my things at the hotel and went to see a bit of the city, which is ugly, except for the Plaza de Armas and a tourist street.

I ate a delicious pizza at Pizza Andina and, as usual, went to bed early.

Day 44 – 02/08/2022
Today was the first day of the boat trip to the islands of Titicaca. I usually avoid this type of tour, with a guide and fixed schedules, but it’s the only way to get to know it without spending a fortune. The boat sails so slowly that, if it were in a fast boat, I could see everything in just one day, but as what really interests me is being on an island at sunset, my choice would be the same.

First we stopped at one of the Uros Islands, which are made of reeds (totora) and the locals welcome tourists to try to sell them tours with totora boats or handicrafts.

The floating islands of Uros are built with totora (reed) harvested from Lake Titicaca.

This type of boat made of reeds is called caballito de totora and began to be used 3,500 years ago!

Like the floating island, the houses are also made of reeds.

In Amantaní, I stayed in a very bad accommodation, but the food was tolerable, despite being just a few.

Amantaní Island.

Amantaní Island.

It doesn’t seem like little food, but the plate is small, almost like a desert plate. The dish served to the guide had almost twice as much food, so we can see that the hostess was concerned with pleasing those who hire her, not the end customer.

When we were about to start the trail to the hill where you can see the sunset, I told them that I would go alone because the group was very slow and that they might not arrive in time.

Sunset seen from Amantaní. The rain that fell in Puno only arrived on the island in the early evening, giving me time to go back to the accommodation without getting wet.

Sunset seen from Amantaní.

Day 45 – 03/08/2022
First we went to Taquile, which is famous for its weaving, and we had lunch at a restaurant with a beautiful view of Titicaca.

Taquile Island.

The crystal clear water of Titicaca.

As it was high tourist season, there were folkloric performances everywhere.

Presentation in Taquile.

Lunch was good and the view, even better.

At night, back in Puno, I photographed the Plaza de Armas and had dinner again at Pizza Andina.

Plaza de Armas in Puno

Day 46 – 04/08/2022
Early in the morning, when I went to tie my sneakers, my little hernia gave me signs of life. To not make it worse, I tried not to bend my back and I went to Plaza de Armas to take some pictures and spent time reading, but the hernia got worse. Then I climbed the Cerrito Huajsapata and the Mirador El Cóndor, always walking like a military to keep the back straight. Cerrito doesn’t have a very nice view, but El Cóndor is nice, worth the walk.

Plaza de Armas in Puno.

Puno and Lake Titicaca seen from Mirador El Cóndor.

I had lunch at Valeria Restaurant and then I went to the terminal to take the bus to Arequipa, a trip that last almost all night.

Day 47 – 05/08/2022
I went to Plaza de Armas and, from there, to the restaurant La Capitana, recommended by Christian, where I had a good rocoto relleno, a typical dish from Arequipa made with bell pepper stuffed with meat and creamy potatoes as a side dish. After lunch I went to Yanahuara Lookout and, shortly before arriving, I had a queso helado, a very famous cheese ice cream famous in Arequipa. This ice cream wasn’t bad, but it didn’t deserve the fame. Later I tried it in other ice cream parlors and found a very tasty one.

Misti Volcano seen from Arequipa.

At the end of the day, I went back to Plaza de Armas to photograph in the early evening.

Plaza de Armas.

Plaza de Armas.

Day 47 – 06/08/2022
Another walk in Arequipa, first visiting the Central Market, then photographing the Plaza de Armas and heading to Yahahuara, to eat at La Nueva Palomino. First I got annoyed because on their Facebook they say it’s open at 11:30, but I waited half an hour on the street because they only open at noon. Then I got annoyed because it’s one of those restaurants where the waiters clap their hands when customers enter, because there were only tourists and, to top it off, they even took a while to bring the menu. When it was 12:30 and they hadn’t even taken my order, I left and ate again at La Capitana.

Arequipa is known as La Ciudad Blanca (The White City) for having many buildings made of sillar, a white stone of volcanic origin.

Carvings made in the sillar.

Arequipa.

In the afternoon I stayed at the hotel spending time until I had to go to the bus station and, when I got there, I spent some time reading amid the screams of two women who kept announcing the destinations of the agencies they work for, as if someone were buying a bus ticket on impulse. Their lack of civility is incredible.

In red are the dirt roads and, in green, the trails.

Although I like to travel during the day, there are only buses to Cotahuasi at night, so I had no choice. I was scared a few times with how fast the driver entered the curves, but overall it was good considering how they drive.

The bus arrived at 03:30 in Cotahuasi and I stayed on the bus until 08:00, since I had nowhere else to go. When the terminal opened, I went to all the inns to check prices and facilities and ended up at Hotel Los Andenes, which is very comfortable, has a good price and wifi, which many didn’t have.

Cotahuasi Canyon seen from the city of Cotahuasi.

The hotel manager knows the area well and gave me a lot of tips, the problem was the transport to get to the beginning of the trail, as the informations were conflicting.

As I was told there was a van that leaves at 3:30 pm for Charcana, I took my things at the inn and decided to go the same day, but when it was 4:00 pm and the van didn’t arrive, I went out asking whoever would show up. A woman who was next to me didn’t even know where Charcana is, but she was kind enough to look it up on the internet. Her friend, even nicer, went to the bus station to ask, as if it were for him, and they said he had already left, which is not true because I was there much earlier than scheduled. So I approached a taxi that was with two customers, I explained my question and the conversation went like this:
Lady 1: Today is Sunday, there is no van.
Lady 2: Sometimes they go on Sundays, but if it hasn’t passed, it doesn’t pass today.
Driver: A van leaves tomorrow at four in the morning.
Me: My problem is this… You say it’s 4:00, someone else told me at 05:00 and the next one, at 03:00.
Driver answers, with an air of conviction: three-thirty!

I gave up, went to the inn discouraged for having wasted the afternoon with it, but at least the inn was good. What I decided to do? To wake up at two, hoping that this 3 am van is real.

Lucky for me, the van actually showed up at 3 am and we arrived in Charcana at 4:30 am, so I stayed in the square until the sun came up and I could see the views from the trail.

Unfortunately this day was cloudy, because the lookout that is about 5 km after Charcana is spectacular, but I couldn’t take good photos. During the day the weather improved a little, but even so it was not good for photographing distant landscapes.

Toyja Lookout.

The descent to the bottom of the canyon is long and steep, the accumulated descent was 2,000 meters (6,500 ft), the biggest I’ve had in decades hiking.

Descent to Quechualla.

In this region of the canyon, the colors of the mountains are very bright.

Quechualla looked like a ghost village, it was difficult to find someone who could tell me where there is accommodation. I ended up staying in a simple room, in the house of a very friendly family and I also ate with them while we had a good conversation about politics, Peru and Brazil.

Early in the morning I went to Ushua Waterfall, which is not outstanding for me, that live surrounded by waterfalls in Brazil, but as it was the only waterfall I saw where it is possible to take a bath, I enjoyed it, even with its freezing water.

Ushua Waterfall, close to Quechualla.

Ushua Waterfall, close to Quechualla.

Then I went to Judiopampa cactus grove, which I had read has cactus up to 15 meters (49 ft) tall, but none of them even come close.

Cotahuasi River.

Judiopampa cactus grove.

Judiopampa cactus grove.

At last I walked back a little and went up to Velinga, where I stayed at Mrs. Angelica house, in a very simple room and, again, I had dinner with the family of the residents. Just like yesterday, I was asked if I have a family, so the dialogue with Ms. Angelica went like this:
-Do you have family?
-I’m single.
-Do not have children?
-Not that I know of.
-If my daughters weren’t married, you would take one of them.
Silence on my part.
-But don’t worry, you’ll find a Peruvian woman to take to Brazil.

I woke up at 03:00 and watched movies until breakfast time.

On the way down to the bus stop, I helped a man carry the gas cylinder to the road and he told me about the region and its history.

View from the bus stop close to Velinga.

I got off the bus at Sipia Waterfall, which must be very beautiful, but you can only see the first fall, the other two, which are bigger, are hidden by the canyon.

Sipia Waterfall.

On the tedious walk back to Cotahuasi, I asked for a ride to the cars but only the third one stopped, when we were reasonably close to the village. Well, I say “only” because there are almost no cars, so the third was after a long time. I thought I was lucky, but the Hilux driver was the most psychopath I’ve ever seen, as we were on a road that only fits one car at a time, with the mountain on the left and a cliff on the right. Even in these conditions, he made all the curves screeching the tires, if a car came in front, it would not be possible to stop or swerve. Luckily for me, there was another person hitchhiking, so when he stopped, I got into the backseat with the excuse of being with my backpack.

When we arrived at the bus station, again I received conflicting information about the bus schedule to Pampamarca, but as one of the people told me that in half an hour it would leave, I decided to wait and, indeed, the bus appeared.

The road to Pampamarca is very beautiful, but the accommodation is very bad, luckily it was only for one night.

At 21:00, a band started playing and stayed until midnight playing the same 3 songs, I could only sleep after they stopped because they were right below my window.

After breakfast, I went to Bosque de Piedras Huito, which is at the top of a steep climb with 500 meters. The rock formations are very beautiful, and the view of the valley is one of the most beautiful in the entire canyon. In addition, I saw several condors, one of which flew very close to me.

Condor flying over the Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Condor flying over the Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Bosque de Piedras Huito.

Then I took the short trail to Uskune Waterfall lookout, which is quite far from the viewpoint, but it is very beautiful anyway.

Lookout to Uskune Waterfall.

Uskune Waterfall.

As I had time to spend, I sat on the bench in front of the bus stop and read. When the departure time arrived, more people began to appear and I saw that they would not respect each one’s arrival time. When the driver opened the door, people started pushing. When I was standing by the door to let a lady in, a man in his 20s tried to get in front of her, pushing both of us, so I got tired and pushed the guy away, I let the lady in and went up after her.

When I arrived in Cotahuasi, I went to Sumac Micuy restaurant for the third time and had chicken chicharrón, fried calamari rings, rice and potatoes.

I took the bus that goes to Quechualla and got off at Chaupo, as I wanted to take a photo of the canyon in a very beautiful place. I arrived at the viewpoint at 08:50 and spent 3 hours waiting for the right light, then walked back to Cotahuasi. After 11 km I got a ride, but when I got to the village the driver charged me 5 soles, so it wasn’t exactly a ride, but it was worth every penny.

Lookout in Chaupo.

Cotahuasi seen from the road.

Cotahuasi seen from the road.

To organize my trip to Puyca, I went to the Municipalidad de Cotahuasi and talked to the person responsible for transport, but he didn’t know the schedule too, so he called someone and, finally, I got the information.

At the end of the day, I took some photos of the church in Cotahuasi and ate a choripán at La Placita, which was good but came in a hamburger bun, I don’t know if it’s like that here or if they didn’t have the right bun.

Cotahuasi Church.

I took the bus to Tomepampa and, when I arrived, I looked for the trail to Locrahuanca Lookout. As I couldn’t find it, I asked everybody until I found a man who pointed me the beginning of the trail. It’s a 650 meter climb to the village of Locrahuanca, not as short as I read in a website. By the way, as there was no photo in the article, I imagine they wrote without ever hiking this trail. After taking some photos, I quickly returned to Tomepampa to take the bus to Alca, from where I had to take the bus to Puyca.

View from Locrahuanca.

Tomepampa.

Once again, I was given the wrong time and I stayed two more hours in Alca, time that I could have spent on the trail. I can’t understand how difficult it is to put a sign with the timetables. Even if it was something expensive and difficult to do, I would understand, but it’s easy and cheap, so I can only imagine it’s due to laziness.

While I was in the square, 5 Peruvians, around 20 years old, came to talk to me. They asked a lot of questions about Brazil and about me, and then they asked me to speak in English, to train a little. A bit bizarre situation, but at least it served to spend time.

Waiting for the bus in Alca.

The road to Puyca, especially the last ascent, is breathtaking, too bad I didn’t have a car to stop and take pictures.

In Puyca I stayed in a very simple accommodation again.

At 03:30 someone turned on a radio at high volume and, soon after, the noise of a machine began, stopping only at 05:00.

I went up to Maukallacta ruins, which are interesting, but the best was the canyon view. At one of the lookouts I met 4 Peruvians who were looking for condors to carry out the first condor census of the Cotahuasi Canyon.

Maukallacta ruins.

Maukallacta ruins.

Maukallacta ruins.

View from Maukallacta ruins.

View from Maukallacta ruins.

Arriving in Cotahuasi, I had dinner again at Sumac Micuy and, this time, I chose the chicharrón de cerdo, with fried onions, French fries and sweet potato fries as side dishes. Again it was delicious and cheap.

As soon as I woke up, I went to get my T-shirt and hat that I left drying the sweat on the clothesline of Los Andenes Hotel, but someone stole them. It’s amazing that they steal used and dirty clothes… My patience with people was getting smaller and then it got even smaller. That’s because, when I went to buy dehydrated fruit, I noticed that the saleswoman weighed the fruit and looked at me to see if I was checking the weight. I stayed quiet, but after she weighed the second package, I asked to put both on the scale and, as I thought, she was stealing from me. I scolded her out loud, for another customer who was in the store to hear, and I left even more tired with the trickery they have with tourists.

I had lunch for the fourth and last time at Sumac Micuy and went to the bus station to wait for the bus, I didn’t want to meet anyone else because my patience had run out.

As the Reyna bus company did not have a seat on the lower deck, I bought a ticket of Abraham and, to my surprise, there was no seat belt in my seat. When I complained to the driver, he said there was, went to look for it and, seeing that it didn’t have the buckle, said that some passenger took it off (as if the buckle wasn’t sewn very well), but that was no problem. I gave him a good scolding, but what could I do other than not miss the bus? Anyway, I got on board and I was hoping this psycho driver didn’t crash the bus.

Day 58 – 16/08/2022
The night passed slowly because I got scared with every sudden break the driver made, and there were many! Fortunately, I arrived in Arequipa in one piece and stayed from 3:00 am to 6:30 am at the bus station, when I went to Hostel Espinoza to leave my backpack and start walking in the city.

But before starting to walk, I went to the Municipal Market and, in front of the market, I ate two papas rellenas and a salteña that were delicious and very cheap, I spent only 3.90 soles on everything.

The andenerías in Carmen Alto neighborhood began in the 14th century and, fortunately, were maintained even as the city grew.

Dance performance during Arequipa’s anniversary celebration.

Dance performance during Arequipa’s anniversary celebration.

Then I walked to different neighborhoods and, at lunchtime, I went again to the Municipal Market, where I ate a tamal and a humita. For dessert, I had the first good queso helado, at Helados Artika, and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hostel.

Plaza de Armas and Misti Volcano.

Plaza de Armas.

Plaza de Armas.

At the end of the day, I went to Plaza de Armas again to take some pictures and ate once more at a Chinese restaurant, but this time the sweet and sour pork was terrible.

Day 59 – 17/08/2022
Again I had breakfast at the tent in front of the Market and then I went in search of a LAN House to back up the photos. As I got a good computer, I decided to backup everything, so I stayed there for more than 3 hours and, when I finished, I had to go to the bus station. Problem is, when I arrived at the bus station, they informed me that my bus was cancelled and that I would take another one, which would leave two hours later. When I complained to the clerk, we had this conversation:
-We didn’t have your phone to let you know.
-That’s not true, I just saw my phone on your screen.
-They tried to call you but they couldn’t reach you.
-First you say they didn’t have my phone number, then they couldn’t reach me… Bullshit!

Day 60 – 18/08/2022

After 17 hours on the bus, I arrived in Lima around noon, went to the Airbnb and then to Dulces Limeños Anita to taste their suspiro limeño. It’s very good, but not as good as Todo Dulce, so I decided to go to Pueblo Libre neighborhood the next day to buy them.

In the afternoon I walked in Miraflores and spent the rest of the time at the Airbnb, playing chess and playing with the cats.

Day 61 – 19/08/2022
I walked for two hours to Plaza San Martín to meet Christian, that friend I met in Ausangate, and we have lunch at Estadio restaurant, which has a nice football-themed atmosphere. I ordered a lomo saltado with tallarín a la huancaina and it was delicious, great tipo from Christian.

Lomo saltado with tallarín a la Huancaína from Estadio restaurant, one of the best meals of the trip.

Then we walked for an hour to Todo Dulce, where I ate a suspiro limeño and another sweet that I don’t remember the name, but it’s made with manioc and milk. This one isn’t very good, but the suspiro limeño was amazing again and I bought three more to go.

Suspiro limeño by Todo Dulce, the best dessert I ate during these two months.

To top it off, I walked to Airbnb, covering 21 km in total.

Day 62 – 20/08/2022
For breakfast, granola and, for dessert, suspiro limeño. What? I can’t have dessert in the breakfast? Oh, I can!

In the morning, I walk in the districts of Barranco and Chorillos until reaching Piedra del Fraile. Interesting to see that there were a lot of people running on the edge of the cliff and the vast majority were women. The path is beautiful and it must be nice to do it in the summer, with blue skies and sun, instead of having that fog blocking the view.

I need to go back to Lima in the summer, to see it with a better weather.

On the way back, I stopped for lunch at Canta Rana and ate tacu tacu with langoustines. Tacu Tacu is a tasty dish, but not so special for me, that ate beans a lot in Brazil, but the langoustines were delicious!

Tacu tacu with langoustines.

Before returning to the Airbnb, I went to Kennedy Park and then I spent the end of the day in my room, playing chess and reading.

Day 63 – 21/08/2022
On the last day of the trip, I couldn’t help but have trouble with dishonest people again. First was the taxi driver, when Cabify charged 36 soles before the ride, but when it was time to pay, the taxi driver said it would be 44 soles. It was the first time I used Cabify and I couldn’t find the price information in the app, so a policeman said that the car would have to leave and I gave up looking, paying the amount the taxi driver said, even though I knew it was wrong.

At the airport I had to spend the last remaining soles, so I went to a coffee shop and ordered some snacks and sweets. In the end, the bill was 20 cents more than I had, I asked if they could give this minimum discount, the attendant thought for a while and said no. If it was against the rules of the shop, she wouldn’t have thought about giving the 20 cents off, but no problem, I pulled out an empanada and then there were just over 7 soles left. Then I understood why she said no, since she asked me to put a tip in the jar… If I had used all the money, I wouldn’t have been able to tip. Of course I didn’t, and when I received the payment receipt, I saw that she had charged me 10 cents more, so the conversation went like this:
-You charged me 30.20, but the receipt is 30.10.
-It is the difference of the dollar exchange rate.
-It is the computer that does the conversion, the value is already right.
-It’s 30.20, that’s wrong.
-You didn’t let me buy the empanada for 20 cents off, and you want to charge 10 cents more than the computer says?
-Are you going to complain for 10 cents?
-Yes I do. How much do you make at the end of the day by charging each customer 10 cents more?

At that she gave me back the measly 10 cents, I left and handed the 7 soles I still had to the guy who cleans the bathroom, he wasn’t fooling anyone.

Lake Titicaca.