Laguna Churup is another hike that’s easy to get to from Huaraz. It’s only a 45-minute colectivo ride so you can do it without a tour. The hike is ~5 miles round-trip with ~2,000 feet elevation gain and the lake sits at 14,600 feet. It took us 2.5 hours up, 1.5 hours down, and we stayed at the lake for 2 hours. I was nervous about this hike after the altitude at Laguna Wilcacocha kicked my ass, but we just took it slow, and I had no issues. The lake was stunning with several shades of blue, green, and yellow, and it had a snow-covered peak as its backdrop. It’s a popular place for tourists and locals but it’s big enough for you to find some solitude.
There are two ways to get to the lake with the trail splitting at 1.5 miles in. Most people go to the left since it seems to be the main trail. Going to the right requires scrambling up rocks with the use of ropes, and although not bad at all, it depends on your comfort level, mobility, and the weather. Earlier in the hike, there’s a rope section that everyone needs to do; if you have trouble with this then go to the left. But, going to the right also brings you to a waterfall, and it seemed shorter with less elevation gain than the main route. We took the longer way back, and it offered a great view of the lake.
It’s best to do the hike as early as possible so you don’t miss your ride back to town, so leave around 7 AM. There’s conflicting information online on when the colectivos stop running. We finished at 2 PM and there were plenty of rides back, but we had to wait ~30 minutes for the van to fill up. We wanted to extend our hike to a smaller lake, Laguna Churupita, but we were worried that we would miss the last ride. If you do miss it, you can supposedly walk ~1 hour to Llupa village to catch a colectivo back to Huaraz.
