Message Stick

The flight out of the jungle took us directly to Lima and the next day we were on a bus to Huaraz in the north of Peru. Set in a valley between the Cordillera Blanca and Negra, Huaraz is the Peru’s trekking capital and where people come to take on the highest mountain range in the world outside of the Himalayas. Due to the amount of snow in Patagonia we’d managed to dodge any serious treks in South America so far, but with perfect conditions in Peru the 4 day Santa Cruz trek through the Huscaran national park was a must.

We looked a rag-tag pair in our knackered trainers and worn-out clothes compared with the rest of our group but we covered the 58km between 2900 and 4750m above sea level without a hitch. With small day bags for water, snacks and waterproofs our camping gear was sped off by donkey express and erected for our arrival. The nights were freezing cold and we piled on the thermals despite having cosy down sleeping bags. The wonderful cook woke us each morning with a cup of coca tea to help with the altitude which we chased down with an enormous breakfast to set us up for the day.

Our guide Abel was really great and helped make the trip one of the highlights of our honeymoon. The scenery throughout was absolutely incredible and words don’t really do it justice, so check out the pictures and see if you recognise Artesonraju, the peak used at the start of a Paramount Pictures film.