Huayhuash

January 2026

After having done the Choquequirao trek, the second part of holiday in Peru had as it’s main aim a trek in the Huayhuash range. This world famous range is one of Peru’s most classic trekking areas. With good reason, even though the mountains might need be the highest that can be found, their steepness and density together with the many lakes and hiking opportunities, make this area very suitable for long distance hikes.

Season

The best season for hiking the Huayhuash is generally accepted to be the Andes dry season, May to September. We visited the range in January and indeed got quite a few downpours. One day was completely wet, but most other days enjoyed good weather till around noon after which the weather become more unstable.

Despite the rain and resulting muddy trails hiking is still very much possible and views can still be had. The up side of the rainy season is that there is quite literally no one else on the trail, whereas in peak season I can imagine the trail to get quite a busy.

We understood that the rains had only just started, so as ideal season that compromises between weather and crowds one could maybe consider December as a good time to go. The rains are likely to not yet swoop in under full force but you are nonetheless likely to find the trails empty.