Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Official rates for guides are S90 to S150 per day for a trekking guide, S150 to S300 for a
climbing guide and S300 to S360 for a technical climbing guide.
Qualified guides and
arrieros
are issued with photo identification by the tourism au-
thority - ask for credentials. Even experienced mountaineers would do well to add a local
guide, who knows exactly what has been happening in the mountains, to their group.
Prices do not include food and you may have to provide your
arriero
with a tent and pay
for their return journey. It is customary that you provide food and shelter for any hired
staff - confirm what's included before you set off.
Equipment & Rentals
If you lack the experience or equipment required to mountain it, fear not, as dozens of 'sa-
voir faire' businesses offer guides, gear rental and organize entire adventures for you,
right down to the
burros
(donkeys). If you go on a tour, trekking agencies (
Click here
)
will supply everything from tents to ice axes. Some of them also rent out gear independ-
ently. Two reliable rental agencies for top-end climbing gear are
MountClimb
Offline map
Google map
( 42-4322;
www.mountclimb.com.pe
;
Uribe 732, Huaraz)
and
Monttrek
(
42-1124;
www.monttrek.com.pe
; Luzuriaga 646, 2nd fl, Huaraz)
.
It often freezes at night, so make sure you have an adequately warm sleeping bag, wet-
weather gear (needed year-round), and a brimmed hat and sunglasses. Strong sunblock
and good insect repellent are also a must and can be found easily in Huaraz if you've for-
gotten them at home.
Information
To get the lowdown on trekking and the latest conditions, your first port of call should be
Casa de Guías (
Click here
)
, which has information on weather, trail conditions, guides
and mule hire. Some IGN and Alpenvereinskarte topographic maps are sold here.
Trekking and equipment-rental agencies are also good sources of local knowledge and
can advise on day hikes. For more impartial advice, be sure to visit popular Huaraz haunts
such as Café Andino (
Click here
)
and California Café (
Click here
)
, whose foreign own-
ers keep abreast of local developments, sell hiking maps and guides, and freely dole out
advice alongside tasty treats.
