The Most Dangerous Trek from Huaraz | Laguna Churup | Ancash | Peru

The trailhead to Laguna Churup was a mere 45 minutes from Huaraz, enabling a later-than-usual-daytrip pick up time of 0815 hrs. It is also a relatively short (distance-wise) trek of 3 kilometres one way.

Starting at 3384m altitude, the trail is wide and easy to follow, past rest shelters, and a short section involving chains, to a campsite at 4373m. From here, it is a steep scramble next to a waterfall (which you cannot see or hear) and with some chains to haul yourself up.

Churup Lake is at 4450m, where everyone takes a long, lunch break before heading down by the alternate route. I made my way down earlier, not knowing the condition of the alternate route, and the steep sections were dicey to say the least.

I took my time going down as my main objective was to acclimatize, and I was down by the pick up time of 1430-1500h. Going back, the driver (Dio, the owner of Antikuna Travel) picked up 2 pax who had gone to the nearby Laguna Llaca. I had not heard of it before, and maybe it could have been the better choice for acclimatization.

Having been to Laguna Paron the day before, Laguna Churup was the second of three acclimatization hikes - I would go a higher elevation each day - I was doing in preparation for the Huayhuash Circuit.

00:00 Rio Llullán
03:19 Mirador
05:30 Paron Lakeside
07:13 Caraz

The main purpose of this trip was a 10-day trek of the Huayhuash Cordillera, largely above 4000 metres altitude and over a couple of 5000-metre passes. I would spend 4 nights in Huaraz, going on day trips over 3 days to acclimatize (and take in the views the region - Ancash and Huanuco - has to offer).