Santa Cruz 4-Day Trek: Vaqueria to Cashapampa

Your Experience

Trek the Santa Cruz Trek from Vaqueria to Cashapampa with a Spanish-speaking trekking guide, camping setup, and meals over 4 days.

Getting started

Begin your Santa Cruz Trek in Huaraz with your round-trip transfers arranged for travel between Huaraz and the trailhead. Your included round-trip transfer operates from Huaraz to Huaraz for the trek. Meet your expert Spanish-speaking trekking guide and the team before you set off from Vaqueria toward the Cordillera Blanca. Once your bags are loaded with the donkey drivers and pack donkeys, you start walking into the valley on the first leg of the circuit.

What to expect

Santa Cruz Trek, Cordillera Blanca

This 4-day Santa Cruz Trek runs between Vaqueria and Cashapampa in the Cordillera Blanca, one of Peru's most well-known trekking regions. Across the circuit, you cross high Andean valleys surrounded by snow-capped mountains, blue sparkling lakes, and cascades.

Features

• Landscapes on the Santa Cruz Trek include views of the Cordillera Blanca, snow-capped mountains, blue sparkling lakes, and cascades that line the route between Vaqueria and Cashapampa. The circuit is described as one of the most beautiful circuits in the world and is especially suited to adventure and outdoor enthusiasts.
• The Santa Cruz Trek with a visit to Arhueycocha Lake is included, so you leave the main trail to reach Arhueycocha, a lake located at the base of Alpamayo mountain. From this side valley, you can appreciate Alpamayo and its surroundings reflected in the lake.
• An expert Spanish-speaking trekking guide leads the route, sets the trekking pace, and manages the daily plan between campsites. For larger departures, assistants for large groups support the guide so the group can move efficiently.
• A cook for the trekking group prepares food during the trek, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner included on trekking days. Only lunch on the first day is excluded, so you must bring a box lunch or your own food for that meal.
• Donkey drivers and pack donkeys are provided to carry camping gear and bags, reducing the load you need to carry while hiking. This support allows you to focus on walking and the mountain scenery instead of transporting heavy equipment.
• Camping gear for overnights consists of sleeping tents and a sleeping mattress for each guest, already transported and set up along the route. This camping setup means you arrive at camp with your shelter and basic sleeping equipment ready for the night.

Arhueycocha Lake

Arhueycocha Lake sits in a high valley beneath Alpamayo mountain, which is one of the notable peaks in the Cordillera Blanca. You visit the lake as part of a dedicated side trip included in the Santa Cruz Trek itinerary.

Features

• The visit to Arhueycocha Lake brings you to a basin at the base of Alpamayo mountain, where you can view its slopes rising above the water. Around the lake, you also see more of the Cordillera Blanca skyline and the surrounding glaciated terrain.
• Visual highlights at Arhueycocha include the color of the lake, nearby snow-capped mountains, and cascades that feed into the valley. This section of the trek adds a different perspective to the main Santa Cruz valley and complements the rest of the circuit’s landscapes.

Highlights

• Hike Peru's Cordillera Blanca on the Santa Cruz circuit, combining mountain passes with river valleys over a four-day trek with camp nights along the way.
• Begin in Huaraz with round-trip transfers to the trailhead, meet your Spanish-speaking guide, then start the ascent after a briefing on the route and pacing.
• Trek the Santa Cruz route with Arhueycocha Lake, while guides, cooks, assistants, and pack donkeys handle camping gear, tents, mattresses, and meals throughout the trek.
• Cross passes between peaks, lakes, and cascades in the Cordillera Blanca, suited to trekkers who like long days out in the mountains with camp evenings to rest.