Cordillera Blanca - The first five thousand meters with revealing insights

03.11.2018

For us, it's straight into customs. This time without a long line. 10 minutes and a short but friendly conversation later, we have our stamps for exiting and entering the country. Back on the bus, we try to sleep. It's still a long way to Chiclayo.

In the morning, it's unbearably hot on the bus. The air conditioning was running at full throttle at night, so we had to bundle up. Now it's turned off with an outside temperature of over 30°. A look outside. Nothing but desert and countless plastic graveyards.

We arrive in Chiclayo at 10 o'clock. Off to the hostel. Shower and then quickly organize a bus for the next journey. Chiclayo, with its almost 640,000 inhabitants, is not small and not pretty either. The surroundings promise ancient ruins and pyramids, but we want to continue to Huaraz as quickly as possible. We stock up on food and have our ticket to Trujillo. A short stop. Hopefully.

The evening is fun. Together with Massimo, our comrade, we watch a movie and eat chips.

04.11.2018

We spend the following morning organizing the next part of our journey. Our bus to Trujillo leaves at 4:00 p.m. The journey takes 4 hours and is marked by sand and heat. Note: do not book a seat next to the toilet! Puhhhh.....

Once we arrive, we get a ride to the South Bus Terminal, which none of the taxi drivers seem to know. In the huge waiting hall, people crowd around the ticket counters. We are looking for a night bus to Huaraz.... everything is sold out. At each counter, we are told to come back the next day. Excitedly, we split up to ask everywhere again. After 20 counters, we finally get lucky. Where everything seemed fully booked before, there are now exactly 3 seats available. Puh (for the 2nd time)! So, we don't have to spend another night in a big desert city. We take our seats in the double-decker battleship, lean back, put on our headphones, and sleep.

05.11.2018

We grab our stuff at 5 o'clock in the morning and set off on foot to find our hostel in Huaraz. The city is asleep but looks picturesque with its mountain panorama.

At the hostel, we receive the key to our room and sleep in for a while. Shortly after, we are woken up by a nice lady who opens our room to sell it to a German couple. The door is quickly closed, and we go back to sleep. At 12 o'clock, we slowly explore the city, get tickets for trips to the 'Pastoruri' glacier and the 'Laguna 69', and invite our friend to dinner.

06.11.2018

Just after 8 o'clock, we are punctual at the tourism office. We wait in the bus for 30 minutes, then we are transferred to another bus to pick up all the other passengers for the excursion at the hostel, and we wait again at the same bus station at 9:30. Conclusion: well-organized!

A stop on the way to Huascarán National Park takes us to a restaurant where we enjoy the first mate tea of our lives. Super sweet and delicious! And it's supposed to be good against altitude sickness as well. In preparation for the ascent to the glacier, which is at 5100m, we also buy some coca candies. The drive on unpaved roads is picturesque. Green valleys flanked by the high mountain ranges of the 'Cordillera Blanca'. Wild horses, cows, and sheep roam freely here and enjoy themselves.

Since we're already here, we also visit the 7-colored lagoon and the 'Puyas'. This bromeliad species only thrives here in Peru and can live up to 100 years and grow up to 15m high before they wither away after their first blossoming. In the first decades of their lives, they form green, outwardly pointing spines before shooting up rapidly in a few months.

The view of 'Pasoruri' is breathtaking. The ice block shines in icy blue next to the mountain range and the glacier lake.

After taking many pictures, our guide signals us to retreat and we take the bus back home. Tonight, we are invited to dinner at Massimo's. After a huge portion of polenta, we curl up by the fireplace and put our feet up.

07.11.2018

As a trio, we tackle the ascent to the 'Churup' lagoon. We plan the trip ourselves. By car, we can only get to the first checkpoint. 'Construction site here.' Start of the hike at 3500m. We walk along the stream, always uphill.

Massimo was already there the day before. So we manage to save the park fee of 30 soles (about 9 euros) per person by taking a back way. A nice taxi driver gives us a ride FOR FREE!!!

The first ascent is difficult. Big stone steps make us tired and require many breaks. The middle part is flatter and allows for a view of the beautiful mountain panorama.

After that, we continue with ropes towards the goal. The path is unprotected and promises excitement. Parts of it are only 30 cm away from the edge.

After an hour, we start our way back. The sunshine now illuminates the entire scenery in a completely different light, which is why we need more time for the descent than for the ascent. It's impossible not to constantly stop and enjoy the view - and of course, take countless photos.