In August 2025, a Dutch-Canadian couple in their early 30s, booked to do the five-day Santa Cruz trek, which included a visit to Lake 69. Here are their comments:
“This Santa Cruz trek will remain a very special hike for my partner and I - we absolutely loved the rawness and stillness of it, with so few people on the paths and at the camping sites.
The Cordillera Blanca is a must see, and with PeruNorth everything was organized for us - we only had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other whilst admiring the views!”
Which warm up hikes did you do in the end?
Wilcacocha and Churup, in that order.
What were your favourite days / campsites / viewpoints during the trek?
The detour on Day 2 (Laguna Arhuaycocha), first & second nights locations, and all the views with the peaks & lakes.
Beautiful Lake Arhuaycocha.
Who was your guide and how did they perform?
Williams. He was extremely hard working! Up early to prepare food, hiked with us all day, and then continued preparing food the moment we arrived at camp.
He shared some interesting facts although he was not super confident in his English and sometimes neither of us could understand each other!
He was very attentative to us and we definitely felt safe with him. It was also nice to see his enthusiasm and passion for the mountains, as even during his free time he goes hiking.
How was the food during the trek? Did you have a favourite dish / drink?
Food exceeded our expectations, we had protein every lunch & dinner, as well as a great variety of fruits and vegetables. Williams' soups were delicious!
What transport did you use? Pros/cons?
We used the bus from Lima to Huaraz, it was comfortable for a bus but felt excruciatingly long (no real breaks to stretch your legs or use a public bathroom). In hindsight, we still think we would have chosen this to help with acclimation.
To leave Huaraz we flew to Lima with Latam.
How would you rate the trek in terms of difficulty - harder, easier than or about as expected?
It was challenging, definitely doable but the last day felt hard for me (after 4 nights of sleeping in the cold in altitude).
Afterwards we did the Salkantay trek, and in hindsight it was probably because it was a private trip that the Santa Cruz trek felt more challenging, as we went faster than with a bigger group.
Did you have any notable natural encounters during the trek?
Nice birds and vizcacha, as well as beautiful trees
Did you suffer much from the altitude or any other physical discomforts?
One of the trek donkeys. Or is it a mule? .
Small headaches here and there but nothing bad - we believe this was thanks to the following: taking 2 days before to do other hikes, keeping hydrated and well fed, and breathing through the nose as much as possible (last one a bit debatable from our research online though haha).
Did you have much interaction with locals?
Besides with Williams and our donkey driver, not really.
Did you feel your money was going to local businesses and people?
Yes. We didn't see Williams pay for the park fees for the first 3 days as there was no park guard at the hut when we passed them, but in any case it definitely felt like money was going to the right people.
NB. One thing you might want to add to your list of recommendations for pre/post trip location close to the airport is the accommodation Runaway Eco Hotel - it’s a fraction of the price of the boutique hotel, and is a little oasis outside of the busyness of Huaraz and the roughness of the wild camping!