Laguna Wilcacocha is one of the best acclimatization hikes in Huaraz. Its max elevation is just over 12,000 feet with around 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It’s easy to get to on your own, and I’d recommend you skip a tour so you can take your time if you have issues with the elevation, as I did. There are a couple of ways to hike to the lake, but you won’t get lost since there are blue water faucet markers leading the way and you can also ask locals for directions.
Unfortunately, I started having altitude issues right at the beginning of the hike. I knew it would be tough since I hadn’t been hiking in a while, but I immediately started breathing as heavy as I ever had in my life and I just wanted to end the hike. I thought I was prepared enough because we spent several days in Huaraz to acclimatize, took Diamox to prevent altitude sickness, and we were chewing on cocoa leaves, but adjusting to the altitude was still challenging. I was so close to stopping and having Therese go by herself, but knowing that we had several hikes planned, stopping on our first hike would have been a disaster for the rest of the trip.
The hike up was nice, but for the most part, you’re walking through villages on a rocky dirt road so don’t expect solitude. The main attraction is definitely the snow-capped Cordillera Blanca mountain range in the distance. The lake at the top is more of a pond, but it was still a beautiful spot.
The entire hike was around 5 miles and took us 2 hours to get to the lake and 1:15 to get down. Aside from the altitude, it really wasn’t a difficult hike. We did several, technically harder hikes in Peru, but this was still the hardest hike for me despite being one of the shortest ones at the lowest elevation. I’m really glad I pushed through it since the other hikes we did in the country were amazing.
