The most popular multi-day hike in the Cordillera is the Santa Cruz trek. Not wishing to follow the crowds we spent a while deliberating over whether to seek an alternative, but eventually settled on it as the most attractive route option – over a pass and along a valley cutting through the heart of the Cordillera Blanca. An A4 sheet of instructions left by a previous person at the hostel turned out to be our most useful resource, given that mapping isn’t quite OS standard here. On this it recommended catching a bus out of town at 5.30am. A little early we thought, so on our way to the bus stop at 6am a combi (minibus) spots two gringos with large packs and we’re beckoned onboard. Thus follows long uncomfortable bus ride part 1 in which we’re squashed in the back, bags on our knees as the driver races to win all the passengers as first bus down the route that day. We made it to Yungay for our changeover in very good time! From here the bags are strapped to the roof of the next combi and part 2 of the journey takes us on a windy dirt road for 3 hours up and over a pass equivalent to scaling Mont Blanc. As with much of the following few days, the scenery to the start of the trek was stunning with turquoise lakes and valley walls with hundreds of metres of vertical granite.
The trek starts with a descent into the village of Colcabamba which sprawls along the valley bottom for several kilometres. Eventually we emerge into lush pasture, grazed by cows, horses and alpacas, before passing into stretches of forest composed of the native Quenual trees. The trees themselves beautifully twisted and ragged, supporting incredible communities of bryophytes and bromeliads. Whilst pausing for some peanuts (Peruvian grown, superior to any I’ve tasted before) a passing shepherd informs us it is 10 minutes to the first campsite, but that’s full of mosquitoes so we’re best walking another 20mins to the 2nd camp. Accepting the local knowledge we push on, and yet well over an hour later we’ve not seen another camp and seem to be half way over the pass to the next valley. Not wanting to sleep above 4000m, we’re glad to find a stream and flat patch of grass to stop for the night. With tent pitched and ready to cook dinner, conversation takes the lines of
“Have you seen the fire steel?”
“No, it was meant to go in your bag”
“Well I don’t have it …”
With no means of lighting a stove, and having scouted a fairway ahead and back along the path for a friendly person with a match, dinner consisted of cold stew and cereal bars – certainly not our finest backpacking meal to date.
Having walked further than intended on the first day, it wasn’t long until we were approaching the Punta Union pass the next morning. A large number of people who do the Santa Cruz trek join an organised group with donkeys and guides. We therefore found ourselves being raced over the pass by a herd of donkeys, all heavily loaded with bags, tents and large gas canisters. Sam determinedly kept ahead of the following people, who carried little more than a bottle of water each. Views over the pass into the next valley were stunning and the day became even better when we managed to buy a box of matches from a passing mule driver, cue celebratory soup for lunch.
In the afternoon we headed up a side valley hoping for views of the peak Alpamayo, said, by the German alpine club, to be the most beautiful mountain in the world and it’s pointy shape better known as the logo for Paramount Pictures. Clouds were lower than ideal but did not detract from the views and atmosphere at the high Laguna Arhuaycocha. Heading back to the main valley, the apparent mist we’d seen earlier had thickened and smelt very much of smoke. A wild fire, of unknown size and location, appeared to be further down our route. We didn’t fancy walking much further towards it so again skipped finding a main campsite and found a pleasant spot near the central river to pitch. Here we spent the evening chatting with an American guy, Kevin, who was camping alone nearby and also joined us walking the next day.
The remaining stretch of the trek was 18km downhill, so we set off in the morning with a semi-plan of finishing on the third day. A lake not far along provided an opportunity for a cold, refreshing swim. The path through the valley passed through an incredible transition of habitats, starting from desert-like sands created by a huge landslide, to high-altitude marshes, then increasingly diverse thin woodland and ending amongst cacti, succulent euphorbias and various wild potato relatives. All this surrounded by huge snowy peaks, so sights enough to keep both of us entertained as we walked back to civilisation.
isitanexpedition 
Nana says ……”rather you than me!”
Lovely to hear your news – thank you –
All our love,
Grandad
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