South America 2025 – #14 – Peru – Huayhuash Trek #5

07.05.2025

Fifth day of our 8 day trek of Huayhuash. Start at 4480m elevation. The goal for this day was to hike around 19km to the fifth campsite at Huayllapa via the the fifth of 8 passes named San Antonio at 5000m of elevation.

Below is the Map from my GPS-Tracking for the whole Trek.

We woke up with a beautiful sunrise and clear skies. This was the first time we had no clouds in the sky. From campamento Elefante you can decide to get to the next destination Huayllapa via a mountain pass called San Antonio or along the valley. If you opt for the pass you have to conquer a very steep section until you reach 5000m elevation.

Kerstin still felt very sick but we decided to go the pass very slow. The way up the pass is very steep and icy at times. We were glad we decided to go via the pass. The views were amazing. Going down from the pass was also spectacular all the way down to the valley. From there we had to hike another 12km to the only small village of the trek.

This pass was another highlight of the trek. Especially with the clear conditions we had. The hike out of the valley was a long stretch. We arrived at 7PM at the village at 3490m.

Kerstins situation did not improve so we had to make a decision if we continue the trek for another 3 days or stop and take a collectivo to somewhere.

We decided to continue and opt for a horse transport if necessary. Plus she started to taking meds.

Using the horse to go up the pass next day seemed to be a necessary option because the pass next day was at 4770m, meaning an elevation gain of 1280m.