When reading about Huascaran before my travel, I learnt three important things:

1. Those mountains look incredibly beautiful.

2. They can be visited on multi-day treks or day hikes.

3. January and February are the rainy season.

Points 1 and 2 made me plan for six days in this mountain paradise as I am an outdoors enthusiast and an avid hiker. However, as I was there by the end of February and the beginning of March, point 3 made me choose for day hikes rather than treks. I don't really care about getting caught by the rain on day hikes, but spending four or five days on the Santa Cruz trek, doing camping and being constantly soaked didn't seem like an enjoyable experience. Like everyone else, I based myself in Huaraz and booked almost all tours with an operator in town. I booked everything from a single operator and bargained a bundle with him to get a better price. However, they share clients in between companies, so I ended up with a different one each day. The only activity I've done by myself was Laguna Churup on my last day.

I spent my first full day acclimatizing at the altitude. Every travel blog online keep urging you to do it, so I followed their advice and didn't have any syndrome of altitude sickness. I visited Huaraz, where the last day of the Carnival was going on, bought food and stuff for my week there and had an unfortunate visit to the local medical center. I used my second day to visit Chavin. This site is at low altitude and does not require physical effort. It was thus in line with my acclimatization strategy. The guide took us first to Laguna Querococha before heading to Chavin. This landscape is very beautiful but cannot be compared with what was going to follow. It was, however, a cool introduction.

I reached my highest altitude on my third day at Pastoruri Glacier at 5,200 meters above sea level. However, it was still an effortless activity, as the bus drop visitors at about two kilometres from the glacier on a paved path. The first stop on that day was at a carbonated water spring and then at a Puya raimondii population. Seeing this gigantic plant was a must do for as it is the largest species of bromeliad, measures up to 15 m in height and is endemic to the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia. Its reproductive cycle can last 100 years and leads to the production of between 8,000 and 12,000 flowers on a single gigantic inflorescence. It is considered endangered by the IUCN. This first highlight of Huascaran was quickly followed by a second: the Pastoruri Glacier itself. It's not the most beautiful landscape of the park, but it was nice to get so close to a high altitude glacier. It is probably the most easily accessible glacier among the very few remaining ones in the tropical regions of South America. However, this might not be true for long as, like mentioned by Watkinstravel, it is very frightening to see the speed at which it is melting.

My next tour started by a quick photo stop to shot the Huascaran Mountain from the side of the road and an unnecessary stop in the town of Carhuaz. The long journey then took my friend and me to la Laguna Parón. Even though this lake, the biggest in the national park, is highly picturesque, this tour was slightly disappointing. As the bus drops your right on the shore of the lake, it is not really gratifying and the road is very long only for this view. We walked to the mirador on the right of the lake to enjoy the breathtaking view and then took the short path on the northern shore. It was a fun day as I was with my friend and this lake is the most beautiful I've seen in the park, but it makes a very long day only to see a lake. Note that visiting this part of the park does not requires to buy the national park ticket, as it is locally managed. You will only be asked to pay five soles at the entrance.

My penultimate day was the best one and I'm actually very surprised that no reviewers mentioned this place yet as it appears to be the most popular one among backpackers and day hikers. I'm talking about Laguna 69 (Sesenta nueve), which requires to be picked up at about 5 am to reach the trail head on time. We stopped en route for breakfast and to see the Lagunas de Llanganuco. Indeed, you shouldn't book a tour for these lakes if you plan on doing Laguna 69 as they are included. You will only see them quickly though instead of spending the day there. The rules of the park stipulate that you must start your hike between 7 and 9 am and be back before 4 pm. The trail is 7 km long one way and takes you to 4,600 meters above sea level. Our guide allocates us 3 hours to hike up, 1 hour by the lake and 2 hours to hike down. The trail can be divided in six segments, respectively a long flat start in the valley, a steep ascend, another short flat part followed by a second ascend, a last long, flat segment and the final endless steep ascend. The first segment is very beautiful. The weather was perfect when I was there, with a clear blue sky. It therefore allowed a good view on glaciers and peaks all around. I was particularly in awe when I looked behind me and saw the Huascaran. The view was much more impressive than the previous day en route for Parón. The first valley is highly picturesque, as the path leads to waterfalls going down cliffs on each side. Grazing is allowed in this part of the park, and hikers are sharing the trail with many peaceful cows. Many high altitude bird species are also flying around. The second flat part includes a great point of view over the Huascaran and the valley you just walked through. The lake itself is beautiful, with his turquoise color and its surrounding glaciers and mountain peaks. However, it is underwhelming compared to the landscape on the rest of the trail. I walked back to the bus just in time to avoid the pouring rain.

On my last day, I hiked to la Laguna Churup. This lake is really close to Huaraz, can easily be done independently and is rather a half-day hike. Combis to Pitec, where the trail starts, leave the corner of Avenida Agustin Gamarra and Antonio Raymondi frequently to the lake. However, I understood that the 7 am one is dedicated to hikers and reaches the trail head. I shared it with two other tourists and many Peruvians going to the farms in between the town and the lake. The driver waited for me and the two other tourists at the parking lot until we went back at about 1 pm. Most hikers say that 69 is the most difficult day hike offered in Huacasran, but this one was much harder for me. It is much shorter than 69, but starts with a steep ascent and doesn't really give you a break until the lake. Moreover, chains have been fixed to rocks by the end of the trail to facilitate rock climbing and pass over the last cliff. Nevertheless, it makes reaching the lake highly gratifying. Its green color reflecting the surrounding mountains offer a unique scenery compared to lakes I previously visited.

Overall, this national park is amazingly beautiful and lives up to its promise. The diversity of landscape and plants is incredible. The fauna of the park is similarly rich, but is hard to see. This is not a safari destination. Laguna 69 was my favorite hike. If you are looking for an easier day-trip, I suggest Pastoruri and the Puya raimondii. Also, even though it was the end of the rainy season, I mostly encountered rain in the evening. The weather was actually better every day, to reach clear blue sky and warm temperatures at Churup.

The National Park ticket is mandatory for Pastoruri, 69 and Churup, but not for Paron which is locally managed. Multiday access can be bought if you spend many days around Huascaran. Logistically, I came and left on colectivos. Those shared taxis wait and leave as soon as they have four passengers. I arrived from Casma, which is close from Chankillo and Sechin. Six days later, I left for Barranca to visit Caral. My colectivo driver accepted to take me to Caral and then back to Barranca.