{"id":16735,"date":"2024-10-03T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opreismetco.nl\/?p=16735"},"modified":"2025-12-15T17:58:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T16:58:55","slug":"laguna-wilcacocha-huaraz-peru-an-excellent-acclimatization-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opreismetco.nl\/en\/peru-en\/laguna-wilcacocha-huaraz-peru-an-excellent-acclimatization-hike\/","title":{"rendered":"Laguna Wilcacocha: the perfect acclimatization hike (Huaraz, Peru)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The hike to Laguna Wilcacocha is a perfect way to get used to the altitude if you are staying in the Peruvian city of Huaraz. This is what the hike looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Hiking in Huaraz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Located at an altitude of 3052 meters, the Peruvian city of Huaraz<\/a> is the ideal base for hiking in the Andes.\nTo get used to the altitude, it is best to do some short hikes to acclimatize and one of these is the hike to Laguna Wilcacocha, a beautiful mountain lake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laguna Wilcacocha is located just outside Huaraz, near Puenta Santa Cruz. This hamlet is at 3160 meters and the lake itself is at 3725 meters. The hike is 3.3 kilometers one way, so you’ll ascend just under 600 meters. That doesn’t seem like much, but at such an altitude it’s pretty tough. Since many hiking trails in the region go to even higher elevations, this is a perfect hike to start with. Then you can discover how your body deals with the altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hike to Laguna Wilcacocha<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Would you like to do the hike to Laguna Wilcacocha? Below I describe how to get to the starting point, what the hike looks like, and how I experienced it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Huaraz to the start of the hike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To get here, it is best to take a collectivo (a small van that is filled to capacity until no one else can get on).\nThere are two different ones you can take: bus E or bus 10.\nThey stop at the corner of Av.\nRaymondi and Jr Hualcan in Huaraz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ride costs 2 or 2.50 sol and if you tell them right away that you need to be at Puenta Santa Cruz or Laguna Wilcacocha, they will let you know where to get out.\nA ride takes between 15 and 30 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start of the walk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you get off the bus you see a bridge. You cross the beautiful Rio Santa River and follow the road until you see the path on the left. It immediately goes up steeply, but take it easy because it’s tough at this altitude (you’ll be out of breath in no time). The smaller your steps are, the easier it goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Santa<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Santa Cruz Village<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After about 45 minutes you’ll reach the little village of Santa Cruz. Here the roads split and it doesn’t matter much whether you go left or right. As long as you go up. You will also meet some locals around the village. It’s fun to strike up a conversation with them, although chances are you won’t understand anything. They speak Quechua here and not Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Santa<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Santa<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget to look back from time to time, as the views are quite spectacular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Locals<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"The<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"View<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After about an hour and fifteen minutes you will reach a staircase and at the top is Laguna Wilcacocha. The staircase is one of the toughest points of the hike because when you get there you are at an altitude of 3,700 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laguna Wilcacocha<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes, you are there! After a tough hike where you climb almost 600 meters, you have a great place to relax for a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Arrived<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The views are incredibly beautiful. You can see many snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca and you can also see Huaraz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Views<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Views<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lake is not very big, so if you feel like it, you can also walk around the lake.\nThis will take about fifteen to twenty minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Around<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Around<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Around<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then it is time to walk back again.\nThis is via the same path as the way there.\nThe advantage is that now you can enjoy the surroundings more (and take better pictures).\nYou will also notice that the more you descend, the more oxygen you get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Down<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I hiked this trail in July 2018. I had arrived in Huaraz two days earlier and after a day of doing nothing (aka acclimatizing), I felt well enough to do a short hike. Together with two people from my hostel, I set out and I was very happy not to be alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hike was much harder than I had expected. I (fortunately) had no symptoms of altitude sickness (you really have to be careful with that in Peru!), but I did notice that I ran out of breath faster with every step. So I took it easy and, thanks to the encouragement of my hostel mates, I made it to the top. This felt like a victory moment, as this was my very first hike at altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"I<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After this, it went a lot better and I was really glad I did this hike first to get used to the altitude. It has the perfect length in that respect, not too long and not too short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practical<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Huaraz is a true hiking paradise and a great first stop during a one-month backpacking trip in Northern Peru<\/a>. This hike to Laguna Wilcacocha is a perfect hike to start with if you plan to do longer treks at high altitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brief summary of the walk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n