Cordillera Huayhuash - Wintery Hiking Trail in Peru

[Witten by Fran Siebrits, versions of this article have been published in Treasure Magazine and the British publication Roam Magazine, 2010]

Why go hiking in the northern part of the mountainous region in Peru? Well, apart from the interesting company you could meet while walking, the Cordillera Huayhuash hike, near the town Huaraz, has some of the most scenic beauty in the world.

(To view photographs of the hike click here)

Cordillera Huayhuash

Cordillera Huayhuash

My arms cannot bend due to the seven layers of clothing I am wearing on my top body. My lower half is clad in five layers. I am wearing four pairs of thermal socks and my toes are still aching. The only part of my body that is exposed is the horizontal strip of my face where my eyes are.

LAKE TITICACA, SOUTH AMERICA

Overlooking the vast expanse of Lake Titicaca's water, I have to remind myself that I am finally on Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun). It has been a lifelong dream of mine to travel this historically rich area where the ancient Inca civilization began. Said to have been born here, this southern island has been under the watchful eye of Pachamama, mother earth.

According to Inca mythology, The Sacred Rock at Challa'pampa, a village on the north of the island, was the first place the sun ever touched. To the east of this land mass, the northern Cordillera Real in Peru line the horizon with snow-capped peaks. To the west, the barren purple-brown hills of Bolivia greet the morning's sun.

At 3800 meters above sea level, what should have been a three to four hour walk, took us five and a half hours. Our party of three acclimatised rather well, when I compare us to the other gringos (tourists) who have suffered terrible headaches, dizziness, nauseousness, etc. for consecutive days.

Most people who visit the Isle del Sol, and its neighbouring Isle del Luna - Island of the Moon, catch a ferry from Copacubana on the mainland to the island's southern village, Yumani. But, as we preferred to take the road less travelled, we walked to the northern peninsular on the mainland and arranged to be rowed the short distance to the island's southern point. Here, there is an old Inca Palace, part of the ruins which are visited on the island.

Our bargaining skills as South Africans came in handy and we were soon in a small wooden boat used by local fisherman. The chilly wind being blown in from the Cordillera Real made the journey longer than expected.

We still had another hours walk up to the village on the old Inca trail. We passed terraced fields, typical of Inca cultivation, still used by locals today. It was early evening when we walked the trail along with shepard girls and boys bringing their stock home for the night. The many sheep, donkeys and llamas strewn between us added a rural charm which was most welcoming.

We dined on quinoa (local crop) soup and trout fresh from the lake. Our moonlit walk back to our humble accommodation overlooking the lights of Bolivia and Peru on either side respectively, was well worth the freezing air we suffered. Comfortable warm beds was all we required, a nice change from our previous nights accommodation.

After a hearty breakfast on top of the village's ridge, we set off for the day's walk to the north of the island. Over hills, along more Inca roads and through scenery blessed by Pachamama, we made our way to the ruins on the northern point of the island. We were saturated with awe by the time we came to the small fishing village.

Arranging transport back to mainland proved a challenge as we had done the island backwards, compared to the other gringos. There was only one boat leaving the following morning, three times as much for non-locals.

Our night proved to be as entertaining as any other. A cold, quick swim was followed by rum and coke on the beach, watching the cattle being herded back along the shore. And to heat up we made our way to a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant for more soup and trout. The daily set-menus where real value for money.

Once back on the mainland the following day after an hour-and-a-half boat ride, we said farewell to Bolivia over one last meal of fresh trout.

BUS TRAVEL IN PERU, SOUTH AMERICA; August '09

Bus Travel in Peru,
South America


From leaving the pavement, find something as soon as possible to grab onto once setting foot on a local bus. The drivers hardly stop the bus for you to get on anyway so you have to time your entry well. The next challenge once the bus starts accelerating is to walk to a vacant seat, if there is one, without falling over. Once there, before sitting down, challenge number three involves taking your bag off your back, alternating arms to hold on for dear life then aiming your bum onto the seat as the bus continues at speed around corners, through potholes and over speed bumps. Unfortunately, shocks and graceful driving do not feature in Peru.

A further note to those who are brave enough to attempt a bus entrance is to avoid sitting at the back of the bus as every bump sends you flying into the air, no guaranteeing you will land back on the same seat. Many a bruise can be avoided if you follow this instruction.

And becasue I feel it is so important, here is a final tip for travel in Peru. If you are in a hurry and do not want to spend uneccesary time on public transport, just get a taxi. You will pay a bit more but will go directly to your destination instead of driving every street in the village, stopping every ten meters for someone to dis/embark. However, this is a great way to tour an area. You will definItly see the place, if you do not mind the bruises and potential people sitting on your lap as they pile in.

PERU, A BIT OF HISTORY, CHAN CHAN; August `09

I hitch-hiked to the ruins of Chan Chan, between Trujillo and Huanchaco ... my lift to the site was on the ice cream man's bicycle, on top of the ice cream!

The Chimu civilization made many references to fish and birds in their architecture.

The Recinto Funerario (above right) was the important burial place of senor Chimo.

Left: On a local collectivo to the coastal town of Huanchaco, my base for visiting the ruins.

Local fishermen and their hand-made boats.

I managed to get a pair of green leather shoes made by this talented cobbler. His workshop is on top of the roof of his house.

When you are tired of walking, hop in a toktok to get around the streets.

Local and tourist surfers alike roam the many coastal villages, spending many an hour in the good swell which hits the mainland year round.

August `09

PERU, A BIT OF HISTORY

The history of Peru has much to do with it´s geographical orientation. There are three major regions running in parallel north-south strips: desert, mountain and jungle. The history here in Peru is rich and stretches far back. Civilizations inhabited the areas most fit for agriculture e.g. lush river valleys in the desert areas.

Most people visit Peru in search of discovering more of the Inca civilization. But there is more to the country's history, with the Incas only at the tip of the ice-berg. In the north of the country, around 1000 BC, the Chavin people existed. Then there came the Paracas who mummified their dead in meticulously woven fabric. The Moche civilization followed in their footsteps while in the south the Nazca Indians were making ground around 500 AD. In roughly 1000 AD the mysterious culture of the Tiahuanaco people arrived.

The photographs above are from the time of the Chimu culture. These are the ruins of their capital city, Chan Chan, founded by the hero Taycanamo. It lies close to the metropolis of Trujillo, and tourists base themselves here or at the nearby coastal village of Huanchaco while visiting the many sites in the area. The most important enclosure in the palace of Chan Chan was the Recinto Funerario with the tomb of senor Chimo. The tomb was placed in the centre of a great funerary platform and surrounded by 44 other tombs of importance. The other secondary tombs included concubines, officials and many other items meant to accompany the Chimu lord in the next life. Ceremonies were carried out with colourful pageantory here and in the plaza.

The Incas absorbed Chimu achievements in technology and the arts into their own empire. This extended beyond modern Peru mainly north into Ecuador and east into Bolivia, but also south into Argentina and a bit of Chile. In the 15th century, however, the Incas extinguished earlier traditions as mercilessly as the Spaniards crushed theirs the century to follow. A civil war over succession to the thrown led to rapid disintegration of the Inca empire. It was already crumbling when the Spaniards arrived. In less than three years, the Incas were subjugated. The Spanish therefore inherited more than a single civilisation becasue the Incas were already an empire of conquest, made up of many different societies. The native artistry was of no interest to the invading Spanish. The impressively large amounts of goldwork were melted down and cast into ingots for sale at the market value of metal. Sadly, only a fraction of the total artefacts which once existed, survive today.

PACASMAYO, PERU; August `09

Fishing ...

The market ...

Hmmm ... cebiche (raw marinated seafood)

Hola, Pedro!

Rum and fresh lime, yes please! Interesting chess game thereafter ...

Our pad! Sweet!

August `09

PACASMAYO, PERU

After two months at uncomfortably high altitude levels in the northern Andeas, I was only too happy to be back down at sea level on the west coast of the continent. Pacasmayo was the first stop! The first swim was AWESOME! Nick and I arrived in the samll fishing village after a nine hour overnight bus followed by another two hour trip. Something funky happened on our first night and, unfortunately, he was man-down for a few days. It was great, though, having time to catch up on some writing and chilling. This area of coastline has good swell and is visited by many a surfer in and out of season.