South of the better-known Cordillera Blanca, the Cordillera Huayhuash is considered by many experienced trekkers to be one of the most spectacular and least touristy mountain ranges in all of South America. Here stands Mount Yerupajá, Peru's second-highest peak, alongside dozens of summits exceeding 6,000 metres.
A multi-day circuit far from the crowds
The classic Huayhuash circuit typically takes between eight and twelve days of walking, crossing high mountain passes, glacial lakes of intense colours and camps in pastoral communities that still live from alpaca and llama herding. Unlike the more famous trails to Machu Picchu, here you can walk for hours without meeting other groups of travellers.
The trek requires good physical preparation and adequate acclimatisation, since several passes exceed 4,700 metres in altitude, but the reward is an almost exclusive encounter with some of the most beautiful high-mountain landscapes in the Andes.
A fragile ecosystem to protect
The region, declared a Communal Reserve in 2002, requires the payment of transit fees to the local communities living along the route, a system that helps preserve both the natural environment and the economy of the Andean families in the area.