Peru: Mountaineering Course expedition Cordillera Blanca

All participants and your mountain guide will meet at the latest at breakfast. We leave the capital on the Panamericana, first always along the coast, heading north. Stop in Barranca for a small snack. Then we leave the coast and quickly gain altitude. After about 8 hours drive we reach Huaraz (410 km/ 8 hours). The “Chamonix of the Andes” lies spectacularly between the peaks of the Cordillara Negra and the ice peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.

Overnight 
Hotel
Drive
8 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
1 Hour approx.
Meals
B/-/-

Free day set aside for altitude adjustment. Located in the Santa Valley at an altitude of around 3000 m, the area is ideal for acclimatization hikes. Overnight at hotel.

Overnight 
Hotel
Drive
4 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
 5 Hour approx.
Meals
B/L/-

Bus ride through the Rio Santa into the Ishinca Valley past the Hacienda Collon, 3350 m, to Pashpa, 3600 m, where the road ends. We spend the night here for better acclimatization.

Overnight 
Camping
Drive
2 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
 5 Hour approx.
Meals
B/L/D

The luggage is loaded onto the mules. Along the creek you approach steep granite walls. Then through light forest and finally over alpine meadows you reach the end of the valley, where the base camp is set up at 4350. For the next few days, your home will be framed by the ice walls of the Tocllaraju and Palcaraju.

Overnight 
Camping
Hiking/Tour
 5 Hour approx.
Meals
B/L/D

Acclimatization and preparation are the order of the day. You will be systematically prepared for the upcoming tours in theory and practice. Fixed rope training, high camp construction, high-altitude tactics, material science are just a few of the many interesting topics. A short acclimatization hike rounds off the day.

Overnight 
Camping
Hiking/Tour
 1 Hour approx.
Meals
B/L/D

First you set your sights on the Nevado Urus, 5420 m. Over moraines, boulders and glacial striations you come to the glacier tongue in a long traverse. Over sloping firn slopes and past large rock gendarmes you climb the tiny point to the top in 5.5 hours. The next destination is the Nevado Ishinca, 5530 m. If the conditions are favourable, the worthwhile crossing of the mountain can be tackled from the north-east, a dream tour. First it goes through a well-developed climbing system and then over scree to the glacier. In a left-hand loop through large fracture zones you reach the summit structure after around 6.5 hours, finally over a steep summit flank (approx. 50 degrees). The descent is via the tamer south-west side, which takes you back to the camp in 3 hours. “King” of the round is the Nevado Tocllaraju, a veritable six-thousander, for the ascent of which a high camp can be set up at 5050 m or 5200 m, walking time 4 to 5 hours. The next day you have to set off very early to climb the Tocllarajus, because there are a few hurdles to overcome. The route leads through heavily split glaciers and over several steep steps to the base of the summit flank and the ridge shoulder. Finally, the solitary summit is reached via an exposed ridge after 7.5 hours of ascent. Via the high camp you descend back to the base camp, 4.5 hours, where you can end the train expedition with some “Cervezas”. For all mountain destinations, the steepest sections must be secured with fixed ropes. Two days are available between the mountain climbs for further training and regeneration.
Urus Hm ↑↓1070 Gz ↑5.5 h ↓2.5 h,
Ishinca Hm ↑↓1250 Gz ↑6.5 h ↓3 h,
Tocllaraju Hm ↑750+900 Gz ↑4+7.5 h Hm ↓1650 Gz ↓4.5h
Overnight 
Camping
Hiking/Tour
 5 Hour approx.
Climbing
12 Hours approx.
Meals
B/L/D

Descent and return to Huaraz, afternoon stroll through the city before the farewell dinner and a revival of the summit celebrations.
Hm ↓850 Gz ↓3 h

Hm ↑↓ approx. 850 Gz approx. 3 h
Overnight 
Hotel
Drive
2 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
 5 Hour approx.
Meals
B/L/-

We return to the capital on the same route as on the outward journey.

Driving time: 410 km / 8 hours

Overnight 
Hotel
Flight
Go back home by plane.
Drive
8 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
 1 Hour approx.
Meals
B/-/-

If you have booked the long-haul flight through the Peru Expeditions Tours, you will be transferred to Lima Airport today. Depending on the departure, there may still be time to explore the capital of Peru on your own. Start at the Plaza de Armas and stroll to the bishop’s palace with its famous wooden balconies, visit the cathedral and come across evidence of Peru’s colonial past at every turn.
Arrival in Germany the following day.

Overnight 
Hotel
Flight
Arrival to Lima.
Drive
1 Hours approx
Hiking/Tour
 0 Hour approx.
Meals
B/-/-