In terms of difficulty, this tour is easier than the Laguna 69 hike and more tiring than the Llanganuco Lakes tour. This is mainly due to the altitude and cold weather you become exposed to at almost 5000 meters above sea level. The tour min-bus leaves the Huaraz Plaza de Armas at 9 AM and heads south. After about an hour and a half, we arrive at a small town where you can buy some snacks and stretch your legs. The mini-bus then continues for another 45 minutes where we make another stop. At this stop, there is a small oasis of natural sparkling water and you can see the water fizzing with bubbles surfacing. It’s then a quick 10-minute drive to the next stop where the guide talks about the flora and fauna of the national park. There’s also a photo opportunity at a viewpoint over a small pond with the mountains in the background.
Following this, it’s back to the mini-bus for the final 45-minute journey to the Pastoruri Glacier. The road on this last leg is very bumpy along winding roads so make sure to put your seat belt on. We finally arrive at the car park were the guide gathers the group and gives an overview of the trek to the glacier. It’s also a chance to pop to the toilet which is a portable toilet and costs a couple of PEN1. On the way to the start of the trek, there’s a nice little marketplace with stalls selling food and souvenirs. Most of it was closed when we got there, but the guide suggested visiting them on the way back to maximize time spent at the glacier. It’s possible to rent horses to take you up to the glacier. Walking can be very tiring at almost 5000 meters, so quite a few people went by horse. If you do opt for the hike though, it’s about 30-45 minutes depending on your pace. The trail is mostly paved with a couple of dirt paths so it’s the altitude that makes it tiring rather than the terrain.
Approaching the glacier, the path splits into two. One path goes straight to the glacier and the other is a circuit that goes around and comes back to the glacier. We chose to go straight there and there are several viewpoints to stop at and take pictures. We also wandered halfway down the other circuit and you get a great view of the ‘Cordillera Blanca’ (White Mountain Range). The glacier also sits by a small lake. It’s possible to wander off to the shore of the lake where you get a better view of the glacier. Also, not many people go there so it’s great for taking unobstructed pictures with the glacier in the background.
We had about an hour to wander around before making our way back down to the mini-bus. Weather-wise it gets extremely cold so make sure you wear appropriate clothing. A hat and gloves are also a must. The way back also takes 30 to 45 minutes. Once back at the parking lot, you can check out the food stalls and souvenir shops. There wasn’t much open when we got back but enough to buy a couple of snacks for the way back. The mini-bus then took about 2-hours 15-minutes to get back to Huaraz at around 5 PM.
