Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trail Guidebooks & Maps
Lonely Planet's Trekking in the Central Andes covers the best hikes in the Cordillera
Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash. A great resource for the Huayhuash region is the
detailed Climbs and Treks of the Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru (2005) by Jeremy Frimer,
though it's sold out and only available for consultation in Huaraz. The best overview of
climbing in the Cordillera Blanca is Brad Johnson's Classic Climbs of the Cordillera
Blanca Peru (2003), which got the reprint treatment in 2009.
Felipe Díaz's 1:300,000 Cordilleras Blanca & Huayhuash is a popular and excellent
map for an overview of the land, with towns, major trails and town plans, though it's not
detailed enough for remote treks. He has recently given the same treatment to the Cuzco
region. The Alpenvereinskarte (German Alpine Club) produces the most detailed and ac-
curate maps of the region; look for the regularly updated 1:100,000 Cordillera Blanca
Nord (sheet 0/3a) and Cordillera Blanca Sur (sheet 0/3b) maps. For the Cordillera Huay-
huash, search for the Alpine Mapping Guild's 1:50,000 Cordillera Huayhuash topograph-
ic map (though it's sold-out and won't be reprinted). These maps are available in Caraz,
Huaraz and at South American Explorers' clubhouses. Also look for Cordillera Blanca
and Cordillera Huayhuash topo maps distributed by Skyline Adventures ( Click here ) ,
available at Café Andino ( Click here ) and other fine establishments.
IGN produces six 1:100,000 scale maps covering the Cordilleras, although they're
somewhat dated and often use atypical place names.
Tours & Guides
The Casa de Guías and agencies in Huaraz ( Click here ) , and Pony Expeditions in Caraz (
Click here ) , are good places to start your search for qualified mountain guides, arrieros
(mule drivers) and cooks. If you wish to put together a support team for your own expedi-
tion, trekking agencies can also arrange individual guides, cooks or pack animals.
If your Spanish is up to it and you're not in a great hurry, you can hire arrieros (mule
drivers) and mules in trailhead villages, particularly Cashapampa, Colcabamba and
Vaqueria, among others. Horses, donkeys and mules are used as pack animals, and while
llamas are occasionally provided, they cannot carry as much weight. Try to get a reference
for a good arriero and establish your trekking goals (ie pace, routes) before you depart.
Check the state of the pack animals before you hire them - some arrieros overwork their
beasts of burden or use sick or injured animals.
The Dirección de Turismo and the guides' union generally set prices. Expect to pay
around S30 per day for a horse, S20 for a donkey or mule and S40 per day for an arriero.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search