Santa Cruz Trek

The Santa Cruz Trek goes from Huaraz - which is a city that is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges. It is known for being a beautiful trek. We weren´t to be disappointned.

We had to start very early in the morning - 5.15am on the bus. However, we then got to sleep as we drove up into the mountains. It was gorgeous scenery, but very cold before the sun rose. On the way we got a chance to take some photos of a gorgeous lake - bright blue. This was to be one of many.

Once we had arrived at the start of the trail we waited for the donkeys (we were lucky enough not to have to carry all our things!) and then set off downhill. The first day was relatively easy. We started going down and only had a little bit of uphill. It was very warm as when the sun is shining it gets very hot. It´s just when the sun goes in that you have to make sure you wrap up warm!

Once we got to camp we all put up the tents. It probably took us a little longer than necessary but we did prove the point that boys aren´t necessarily good at putting up tents... We all sat in the communal tent and had tea. A common drink here is mate de coca which is just coca leaves and meant to be very good for altitude. It tastes ok, but I did add lots of sugar when drinking it.

That night was very cold. We had camped above 3000m and you needed lots of layers. It was colder than I expected and we all woke up a lot during the night. Although this may have been partly because of the altitude as well. Unfortunately one of our group had to go back to Huaraz in the morning because of altitude sickness. It was such a shame for her as she had been very excited about the trek.

Day 2 meant we were attempting the pass. This is the highest part of the trek at 4750m, after this we would descend before camping. In the morning, however, the last thing on my mind was altitude. It was freezing! There was frost on the ground and as we were camped in a valley the sun hadn´t reached us when we started walking. Even after walking for 15mintues I still couldn´t feel my toes. I have never seen so many adults get so excited about seeing the sunshine. And 2 minutes later we all were back in t-shirts.

Trekking in a group means you naturally walk at different speeds and so we all trudged up the slopes and across (a little bit of) flat at our own speeds. The scenery was, as always, gorgeous. We were walking in a valley to start with and could always see mountains. The most beautiful were the ones that we saw were just before we started the last climb up to the pass. Which was 500m up. This doesn´t sound like much but when going up to 4750m it is.

The path wasn´t hard. There were huge rocks making up the landscape and you zig-zagged your way between them on the path. It was a case of just keep on walking as once you have a pace going at that altitude you just keep walking up. And once we got over the pass it was definetely worth it. Apart from the feeling of satisfaction the view was amazing. You could see down the valley and straight down to the right there was a gorgeous lake. The mountains rose up from the shore of the lake right to the snowy peaks - my photos definetely don´t do it justice.

We all stumbled through the pass at different times. It was a climb that you do at your own pace. We then sat and had a well earned lunch and then began the walk to camp, at about 4200m. The walk down was nothing compared to the walk up - it was like walking in a park at sea level! We all looked absoutely exhausted when we reached camp and as we sat waiting for dinner we were almost asleep at the table. An early night was definetely needed.

The 3rd and 4th days of the trek were much easier. We walked up to see another lake (you can never get enough of them - sitting beside the shore is so peaceful) and then walked along the valley floor. This did get very hot, but you could see all the water coming down from the mountains on either side.

The 3rd night was also a good night´s sleep! The altitude was lower and we were used to the thinner air. Plus it was warmer. However, the first night we got back to Huaraz I don´t think I´ve ever slept so well in my life. Nor has a shower been more appreciated.