Santa Cruz Trek and Punta Union Pass 5-day hike
The Santa Cruz Trek is a short and very popular hike of the Cordillera Blanca with spectacular views of lakes and mountains. Let a local certified mountain guide, show you around in this 5-day hike!
Cordillère Blanche
5 Days
Apr - Dec
Description
Come with me along the Santa Cruz Trek, one of the most famous trails in the Cordillera Blanca**.**
This 5-day hike will take place around a subtropical environment, passing through stunning landscapes. On the way you will enjoy uncommonly beautiful peaks as well as deep blue lakes and huge glaciers.
As for the campsites where we'll spend the night, let me tell you that they are some of the most spectacular in the world thanks to their background scenery.
In order to get well acclimatized we will start walking to the Laguna Churup, a lake at 4450 meters of height. The highest point of this trek will be in the Punta Union Pass, a demanding mountain pass 4750 meters high.
I will lead a group between 2 and 15 people. You can join an already open group if you are on your own. On the contrary, if you are a group of friends I can open a new one for you!
Finally, remember that all participants must have a basic hiking knowledge and of course, an excellent fitness level. The best season to do the Santa Cruz Trek through the Punta Union Pass is between April and December, during the dry season.
An if you have some extra days in the region, I strongly recommend you to live at least once an ascension to some of the most important peaks of the Cordillera Blanca. Therefore, I invite you to check out these two programs in the Diablo Mudo and the Nevado Pisco.
So, if you want to make your reservations please fill out the form and get in touch with me. It will be my pleasure to be your guide during this 5-day trip!
Price includes
- Guiding fee
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Transport during the trip
- Porters
Itinerary
Day 1: Hike to Laguna Churup (4450 m)
The trail to Laguna Churup is one of the classic hikes of the Cordillera Blanca and works perfectly as an acclimatization route. We will drive to the village of Llupa, our trailhead. We’ll walk on an ancient Inca trail to Laguna Churup. The Churup Peak rises above the lake. Here we can continue ascending and do a loop to the Churup summit trail before returning to the trailhead and back to Huaraz for the night. Overnight Hotel (-/-/-)
Day 2: Huaraz - Transfer to the village of Cashapampa (2900 m) - Trekking to Llamacorral (3800 m)
Today we will move to the starting point of the Santa Cruz trek. A private transfer will take us across the Santa River and then, along a narrow route towards the Santa Cruz Valley. We’ll arrive at Cashapampa (2900 m) where our trek begins and our local team is waiting: the donkey drivers will carry our baggage from now on. Starting in the lush vegetation of the valley, we’ll continue walking deeper into this unique mountain landscape. After around 4:30 hours, we will finally arrive at our campsite in Llamacorral. Overnight Camp (-/L/D).
Day 3: Llamacorral – Trekking to Taullipampa (4250 m)
Today we’ll climb via the Santa Cruz Gorge and pass alongside the lakes of Ichiccocha y Jatuncocha. At the edge of the trees, the lupines enchant us with all colors of blue. Then we will go to the Arhueycocha Lake (4450m), which is also the departure point for climbing the Alpamayo. We will enjoy a fantastic view of the peaks of Alpamayo, Quitaraju, Artesonraju. Finally, camping night at Taullipampa (B/L/D).
Day 4: Taullipampa – Punta Union Pass (4750 m) – Paria – Refugio Huaripampa (3600 m)
It will be an easy climb at first but the trail soon becomes dry, rocky and steep. This trail was used from pre-Inca times to get to Punta Unión, an imposing mountain. It will take us about 2 hours.
The descent is also steep and passes through the beautiful high mountain landscape of the Morococha Lake. We will finally get to the Huaripampa Valley, where we camp for the night (B/L/D).
Day 5: Huaripampa - Vaquería. Transfer to Huaraz (3100 m)
After descending through the forests of the Huaripampa Valley, we will pass through a typical village of the high Andes, called Vaquería. From here we’ll climb to Portachuelo de Llanganuco Pass. A transfer will be waiting us to cross the pass and take us to the hotel, where we’ll spend the night (B/L/-).
Details
More info
Not included in the price:
- International flights to Lima / Peru round trip
- Transfer from the airport for bookings of individual flights with different times of arrival / departure
- Exit tax at the airport in Lima
- Travel accident and health insurance
- Luggage insurance and trip cancellation
- Meals in restaurants in Lima and Huaraz
- Pick up at the airport in Lima to the Hotel
- Transfer from the Hotel to the airport and bus station
- Transport public bus or Domestic flight Airline LC-Peru
- Hotel Casa Andina 2 nights in Lima or other hotel
- Hotel San Sebastián 4 nights in Huaraz or other hotel
- Entrance fees to the Huascaran National Park
- Personal expenses
- Personal equipment (such as boots, ice ax, crampons, harness, sleeping bag, mat, Goretex, etc.)
- Tips
Meeting point
FAQs
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
About the guide
Peru
4.8
(12)
Guide Agency
Peru Expeditions is a Guide Agency and Tour Operator based in Huaraz, Peru.
It's a family-owned travel agency, which was founded more than 35 years ago, and is now managed by IFMGA-guide Juventino and his son, Eric.
We organize trekkings and mountain expeditions in Cordillera Blanca, and all around Peru.
Languages
| English
Certificates
AGMP | IFMGA
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
5
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
5
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
5
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Joshua
5
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
5
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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