Llamacorral (Peru)

Heading for Huaraz when in Peru means the guarantee of some physical, outdoor activity on your trip. This is trekking territory, with something to offer for everyone from the most experienced hiker right through to the least experienced novice. The undoubted star when it comes to walks of more than one day is the Santa Cruz trek, which runs through the heart of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. You quickly understand why it's so popular when you do the walk yourself: clearly marked paths, a mountain pass at an altitude of almost 5,000 metres, extremely photogenic lakes, and to top it all, superb views of the giant peaks of the Cordillera Blanca, amongst which, in particular, that of Artesonraju, which should be familiar to everyone as the mountain on the Paramount Pictures logo.

There is also a variety of sites where you can pitch your tent, notably Llamacorral, which you'll reach on either the first or the third day of your hike depending on whether you begin at Cashapampa or Vaqueria. Each of the two starting points has its own advantages to offer (in terms of transport, amount of height to be climbed, shade, ease of entry to the park without a guide, traffic and so on). But whatever the case, and no matter which direction you choose to walk in, you'll be surrounded by stunning scenery whichever way you look. I really love the site that forms the subject of this review, particularly with its close proximity to the fork in the path that leads to the Alpamayo base camp, from where the views are absolutely amazing. It's somewhere absolutely not to be missed as well as a place you'll want to spend a fair bit of time at, mainly for the opportunity to climb up to see the turquoise-coloured lake of Huarhuaychocha. You might as well camp close by therefore. Another major advantage here is that the campsite is flat and surrounded by rock that protects it from the wind during the night. Happy hiking!