The bus ride from Lima to Huaraz was both literally and metaphorically breath taking. From going to sea level to over 10,000 feet, the changes of scenery and weather was amazing to see from a window seat of a Cruz del Sur bus.

The bus was amazing, for 20$ through bus bud, you get a recliner seat and a tv, which was necessary for a 9 hour bus ride through the curvy roads of Ancash.

I highly recommend taking the Cruz Del Sur bus through Bus Bud, I took both the day and night bus and the day bus was a perfect way to get adapted to the new environment of the Andes.

​Note: There is recently an airport opened outside of Hauraz with direct flights from Lima. It is worth checking out if a long bus ride isnt for you.

​Tips: 

1. Definitely take food, there is no food served on the bus. 

2. Pack warm clothes, the change of weather is very real and that AC gets cold

3. Bring a camera, there were so many perfect opportunites for photography.

Huaraz has a wide variety of different hotels for your budget range, and while Huaraz is a nice city, the real magic of the area is in it’s nature and especially Hauscaran national park outlying the city. So keep this in mind when you book

Budget Range: Huaraz is extremely affordable and perfect for the budget backpacker. Alojamiento Picsha Expeditions for 2$ a night was great for the price but a little far out from the city center.

Mid Range: Hostel Naña was the favorite hotel I stayed at throughout my trip. It was 10$ a night for a single room with a private bathroom. The owner is a retired tour guide who is knowledgable about pricing for tours and stopped me from getting scammed. The hotel is also close to the city center and the night market. 10/10

​High End:  The Lazy Dog Inn is a wonderful and famous luxury hotel outside of Huaraz. I actually spent time near the area hiking and it was absolutely stunning. At 150+ a night it is costly but the rooms, food, and spectacular views are the perfect way to enjoy this wonderful area. 

Huaraz is a city with about 100,000 people and the capital of the Ancash region. While Huaraz is most famous for its famous landmarks outside the city limits, the city itself has some cool sights and it’s the city where I spent the most time in. 

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Mercado Central was one of my favorite memories of my entire trip throughout Peru. This was my first foreign Latin market experience and it was an attack of the senses, the sights and smells of foods and goods I could not have imagined ever seeing put a smile on my face. It is a massive market with exotic foods, linens, and everything in between located in a massive warehouse. I highly recommend this place for the best kind of  cultural immersion

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Regional museum of Ancash was a nice way to gain insight and knowledge about the ancient history of this region, of the ancient civilizations of Chavin that dated even the Incas. While the signs were in Spanish, it was cool to look at the ancient artifacts and to relax in their beautiful back garden. Price: 7 soles

​ Huaraz Plaza de Armas was where I spent most of my time in the city. It was a fantastic place and had an awesome vibe. The weather was great during my stay and there were tons of families outside. Huaraz also felt very safe, allowing me to walk at night with no concerns. Huaraz is a mountain town, so it has a Himalayan vibe with countless tour companies and trekking gear stores.

The plaza de armas has a great selection of restaurants, stores, and cafes for you to explore. My favorite restuarant that I continued to return to was Encuentro found in the main square. While fairly expensive for Huaraz standards, it had fantastic Cuy or guinea pig and great mixed drinks. Also make sure to check out the local feria for quality alpaca clothing often cheaper then Lima.

​The bus ride from Huaraz to Pastoruri glacier was like entering another planet. Located about 2 1/2 hours south of Huaraz and at about 17,000 feet it was the highest I have ever been and it was breathtaking both literally and physically. 
Although, Pastoruri is a beautiful place and is a bucket list day trip for anyone visiting Hauraz, it is even more important to visit because of the heartbreaking melting occuring on the glacier. Global Warming is something that was very obvious on my trip here, as I could see the glacier melting into the lake.  It has lost over 22% of its size over the past 30 years. 

While it was sad to see this places inevitable destruction, it is very important to visit this place before it is gone in some years.

Top Tips:
1. Being over 17,000 feet, the weather is gnarly. It was very windy and rainy, definitely bring appropriate clothing .
2. The building before the trail is relatively basic, use the bathroom before as the paved “trail” does not have any. There is a woman who sells lunch at base camp
3. Workers have horses to ride up to the glacier if you want too. The trail is paved and relatively easy but there were plenty of tourists who struggled due to not being acclimatized. 

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Laguna 69 is one of those bucket list adventures for any backpacker. It’s an amazingly bright blue lake nestled between massive mountain ranges, it looks unreal. I booked with a local travel agency, but I overpaid. Use my mistake as a lesson to find better deals among locals in town, like the Hostel Naña owner , which is why I recommend them. 

Although I overpaid, It was every bit worth it. It was a very early morning, 4:30 and it was quite a journey to reach the entrance of the park, then you begin your trek.  This is NOT an easy hike like I found Pastoruri. From trailhead to the lake and back your looking at about a 9 mile hike with a 3,000 foot elevation gain. In reality, most tour groups will limit you to about 3 hours to hike up and back with time to enjoy the view, you have to keep moving or you wont make it up with time to spare.


I highly recommend doing this trip after you have done easier hikes like Pastoruri to get your body acclimatized, and please invest in quality hiking boots. The amount of tourists who did not make it because of lack of training or quality equipment was sad to see. Don’t waste your money. 

With proper gear and training this hike will be one of the best hikes you will ever be on, seeing the lake in real life was so amazing. This is why people come to this region. 

Laguna Radian and the other 3 lagunas in Huaraz is popular but difficult near the WilkaLodge homestay where I was staying.

​This trek was a perfect way to get immersed into the Andean landscape and local culture of the outskirts of Huaraz, but even as an experienced hiker it was especially challenging due to the elevation and my lack of acclimatization. 

​While the whole 4 laguna trek takes multiple days, I only did the first lake, Laguna Radian. It was only about 4 miles but I took longer than usual to take many breaks and create conversation with the mostly female local Quechuan Farmers.

​Tips: 

1: Properly acclimatize before you do any trekking in Huaraz, I quickly got humbled and had to take many breaks. I recommend at least 2 days of full acclimatization before any hiking

2:  Keep in mind of the unpredictable weather, especially in the rainy season. The weather can go from hot and sunny to cold and pouring rain in a matter of seconds. Weather is unpredictable at 12,000 feet. 

Knowing I was coming to Huaraz during the rainy season was a worry of mine before arriving, but I was pleasantly surprised. The weather was beautiful and it only rained a handful of times, and when it did it was quite fun running down mountains with people I had met.

I think I must have just gotten lucky, but Huaraz can be enjoyed throughout the year. When I went during the rainy season, I saw almost no tourists and the weather was perfect.