We went on some phenomenal hikes while we were in Huaraz. The Cordillera Blanca mountain range looks amazing from all different angels and viewpoints. With blue skies, turquoise lakes and snowy peaks we felt like we hit the trekking jackpot!

Hike #1: Lago Wilcacocha

We rode in a public bus for 20 minutes to the trailhead. We hiked for two hours uphill and found ourselves with a marvelous view of several snowy peaks overlooking the valley below. Called an acclimatization hike, it was *only* 12,286 feet at the top of the trail. Yep, we were breathing pretty hard on the way up, but the views on top were totally worth it.

Hike #2: Lago 69 

We were picked up by a bus at 5:00 AM and traveled three hours, the last two on bumpy dirt roads, to access the trail. We hiked through a high-altitude meadow with smashing views of various snow-capped peaks. There were tons of happy cows, waterfalls, and bushes of Lupine, my favorite mountain flower.

Three hours later we arrived, breathless and with pounding heads, to the stunning turquoise Lago 69 at 15,000 feet. This was the highest hike either one of us had ever accomplished. We were feeling great and psyched to be there.

Hike #3: Lago Churup

Harry went on this hiking adventure with our volunteer friends, Olivia and Erik, whom we’d met at Hilo Rojo. I was in bed trying to convince the Evil Gut Monsters to leave me alone, so I missed out. They took a local bus for an hour and then hiked up a dry, rocky trail. After scrambling up the side of a waterfall they reached the lake.

On the way back down Harry made friends with a local boy named Alex… all it took was a package of cookies to win him over.

Huaraz is definitely one of our favorite places in Peru and we highly recommend visiting here someday.There’s nothing like trekking in majestic mountain landscapes to make you feel like you can do anything!