Cordillera Blanca - around the Nevado Huascaran

The nevado Huascaran (6768m) is the highest mountain of Peru. This off the map leads you over two high and also hard passes in a loop around this impressive peak. In the back land of the Cordillera Blanca you will find an authentic and amazing face of Peru: Small villages with fantastic woodcarved houses and friendly people. This off the map will take you 4 - 6 days.

Roadbook

Km	Hm	Locality	Description
0	2500	Yungay	Village on the main road Chimbote - Canion del Pato - Huaraz. Several hostels, restaurants and shops. Singpost to Laguna Llanganuco.
0,5			Take the right branch to Llanganuco. End of the paved road.
9			Crossing with signpost to Llanganuco (right branch), you pass a few small villages.
18		Sign Parque Nacional	Last houses, take the right branch, after 600m you reach the sign of the Parque Nacional Huascaran, sector Llanganuco, 1km further the puesto the control. Wi didn't do the registration and so didn't pay any entrance fee. In the beginning the road follows a valley, then climbs up very steep to the first lagune.
26	3850	Laguna Chinancocha (Lgn. Llanganuco)	Official camping site to the right. The road continues on the left side of the lagunes. Parts are very sandy.
31	3860	Laguna Orgoncocha	Official camping site to the right. The real pass begins. At km 35 is a good possibility to camp just after the bridge.
47	4767	Portachuelo Llanganuco	Pass. Hard downhill, camping possible at km 51, 60 and 65.
67	3700	Vaqueria	Sign of the Parque Nacional, sector Huaripampa, a few houses. Short gradient.
72			Small village, the road takes a big loop and then descents to Yanama.
80	3400	Yanama	Hostal El Pino (the white house with the pine can be seen from the road, it's situated just on the beginning of the village, 10 soles pp, good menu). Several shops. At the end of the pretty village take the right lane which leads very steep up to the colegio and follow this way straight on (the crossing is difficult to find, ask for "Yacuyhuarmi").
83		Crossing	Both ways are fine, but take the right one, otherwise you have to push = very steep footpath. After 1,8km the footpath meets the road which is climbing up in serpentines to the pass.
90	4050	Pass	Take the right branch to the pass which you will reach after 300m. Steep downhill, after 2km crossing, go left (the right leads to a mine). Up and down, after passing two valleys you reach Yacuyhuarmi, a small village.
104		Sapcha	Another small village. Cross the plaza (field) and pass the church. The road becomes a lot better. After 10km downhill a branch leads to Cunja, but you have to follow the main road to Acochaca which you will reach after another 5km. Deepest point, the road starts to climb.
124		Jambon	Very small village with school (sleeping place). The road descends to a bridge and then climbs up to Chacas. 800m before the village take the left branch, it's the flatter one.
131		Chacas	Several hostels, good shops and restaurants. Cross the plaza to the right side, follow the small lane straigth on and you will meet the main road to Punta Olimpica.
140		Pompey	Small village, bridge, steep gradient to a higher valley.
145		Metal gate	Sign of the national park and metal gate, but no entrance fee is raised. Steep gradient, very bad road.
160	4500	Laguna Cancaraca	Camping posible, fantastic view to the pass and a glacier. The road becomes worse and steeper. A lot of pushing necessary.
164	4890	Punta Olimpica	The downhill is very, very hard and the road seems to be a riverbed, wet and dry... No camping possibilities.
184	3900	Bridge	Valley bottom
192			Puesto de Control of the national park
200			Small village, and the road finally becomes a little bit better.
207		Shilla	Village. Cross the paved center and head to the left for Carhuaz. The next km follow always the mainroad (crossings at km 211 and 216).
217		Carhuaz	Big village with hostels, restaurants, shops. Main road to Huaraz.

July 2007 by B. and I. Jost, Switzerland