Day 371 – Huaraz
Hike to Lake Wilcacocha
Today we woke up early as we needed to move from the private room into the dormitory. We checked out and made a basic breakfast at Akilpo Hostel.
Getting to Lake Wilcacocha from Huaraz
The collectivo to Lake Wilcacocha (aka Laguna Wilcacocha) is just across the road from Akilpo Hostel. We waited at the stop for less than 5 minutes. A partially full collectivo van arrived.
From the first turn we knew it would be a bumpy ride. Our collectivo driver was driving crazy through the streets of Huaraz. The journey took 24 minutes and only cost 1 PEN ($0.44 AUD) per person (p/p).
We were dropped off close to a bridge that is the start of the trail. The hike is through some fields and local houses and unfortunately uphill. The trail is 2.9km long and has a change in elevation of ~570m. The lake itself is around 3700m above sea level.
Lake Wilcacocha
The hike is super challenging due to the lack of shelter from the sun and the high elevation. It took us just over 2 hours to reach the top. The lake is a little disappointing after such a long hike, but the surrounding mountains are spectacular.
After celebrating with some snacks we walked around the lake before heading back down. Personally the way down is so much easier taking less than 1.5 hours.
Getting to Huaraz from Lake Wilcacocha
As we waited on the road where we were dropped off in the morning, a collectivo drove past. Thankfully, this driver was a lot safer than our previous driver. The return trip also cost 1 PEN ($0.44 AUD) p/p.
Back in Huaraz, we were dropped off near the market, which is just one block away from Hostel Akilpo.
Overall, Lake Wilcacocha was excellent for acclimating to the altitude and was very cheap and easy to do by ourselves.
Back at the hostel, we were able to move into the 6 bed dorm. It was nice and there were plenty of common bathrooms around. The beds also had curtains, which is a nice touch.
