why you should visit laguna 69

The Cordillera Blanca mountain range located near Huaraz, Peru has been the highlight of my trip so far.

The most popular day trip in the area is Laguna 69. If short on time in Huaraz, it’s a must do! And if you’re opting to do any longer hikes including Santa Cruz, it’s a great acclimatizing hike.

why visit laguna 69? because it looks like this!

the walk up – a meandering creek and baby cows:

when you’ve already done the Santa Cruz trek so you’re acclimatized, you race up, and you realize you have the lake for yourself for 45 minutes… you jump for joy:

things to know before you go to laguna 69:

getting there: I opted to do Laguna 69 with a “tour” which is really just transportation between Huaraz and the start of the hike, which leaves at 5am and arrives back around 6pm (it is about a 2 hour ride from town). Technically, you are provided with a guide, however they are really just there to round everyone up (ours also provided coca tea!) For S/.35, it is probably cheaper than getting there on your own, however, my group had some stragglers and we were waiting on the bus for a while waiting for them to come down (and with it starting to sleet and no heat… it wasn’t the most pleasant experience). Check out Along Dusty Roads for how get there on your own.

cost: if you opt for a tour, costs start as low as S/.35 ($10) and a single day park entrance is S/.10 ($3) (if doing other hikes within the park, make sure to get the 21 day park entrance ticket which costs S/.65 ($20) )

what to bring:

• clothing layers (the weather changes quickly!)
• water
• hat/gloves
• sunnies
• sunscreen
• snacks/lunch while at top

Please keep while Laguna 69 is advertised as a hike anyone can do, it is still located at 4550m/14930ft, which is higher than anywhere in the continental United States! So make sure you spend a day or two in Huaraz getting acclimatized and you’re in relatively decent shape!