Peru Alpinist

Peru Alpinist · Alpamayo & Quitaraju · Cordillera Blanca, Peru · 16 Days · Maximum Four Climbers

16 Days Group: Maximum 4 climbers $8,500 per person

The Climb

Peru Alpinist · Alpamayo & Quitaraju · Cordillera Blanca, Peru · 16 Days · Maximum Four Climbers

Alpamayo is often called the most beautiful mountain in the world. One look at that fluted ice face and you understand why. It is not a scramble or a trekking peak. It is a serious alpine objective: steep, technical and earned.

6,040mQuitaraju · 19,816 ft

16Days, Lima to Lima

3Summits: Mateo, Alpamayo, Quitaraju

4Climbers, maximum

2:1Clients per guide on climbing days

55–70°Alpamayo southwest face, 8 to 10 pitches

This expedition pairs Alpamayo with its neighbor Quitaraju, both climbed from the same High Camp on the col between them. Before either, the team climbs Nevado Mateo, a real glaciated summit that does the early acclimatization work. Over 16 days you build from sea level in Lima to two technical summits near 6,000 meters.

The Mountains

The Cordillera Blanca is the highest tropical mountain range on earth. It is compact, steep, glaciated and easy to reach: with daily flights from Lima to Anta, you can be in the range the day after you land.

Nevado Mateo16,900 ft / 5,150 m. Our acclimatization climb on Day 4.

Alpamayo19,511 ft / 5,947 m. The headline objective.

Quitaraju19,816 ft / 6,040 m. The second summit, climbed from the same col.

Alpamayo is a fluted snow and ice pyramid. We climb the southwest face: 8 to 10 pitches of 55- to 70-degree snow and ice to the summit ridge, with the descent by rappel. Whether the team can step onto the true summit depends on the cornice, which changes every season. Your guide makes that call on the day.

Quitaraju earns its place. The route from the col is less steep than Alpamayo but much longer, around 12 pitches of snow and ice. It is a long, sustained day at altitude, and it comes after Alpamayo.

Why the Cordillera Blanca: Skills First, Altitude Second

Kilimanjaro introduces you to altitude. Ecuador and Mexico take you higher and start building glacier skills. Aconcagua teaches you what happens to your body near 7,000 meters.

Peru asks something different. Here the altitude is real but not extreme. What the range demands instead is technical competence under pressure: steep ice, exposed ground and route decisions that matter.

You approach on foot through the Santa Cruz Valley, establish Base Camp, carry to Moraine Camp, then move to High Camp on the col. From there you climb faces, not slopes. The Cordillera Blanca packs steep, glaciated peaks into a compact range with short approaches, so you are on snow and ice within days of landing in Lima.

Porters carry group loads all the way to High Camp at 17,400 ft. You carry your personal gear. That is a deliberate decision about where your energy should go: into the climbing.

Peru is not the mountain you climb to find out whether you like mountaineering. It is the mountain you climb once you already know.

The BBE difference

The Carhuaz and Mateo Strategy

Huaraz is the climbing hub of the Cordillera Blanca, and it is where we run the gear check and briefing on Day 2. After that first night we base in Carhuaz instead.

Carhuaz sits lower than Huaraz, at 8,700 ft / 2,650 m. It is quieter, with less traffic and noise, and it is closer to Punta Olímpica and Nevado Mateo. Sleeping lower between acclimatization days means better rest. On an expedition where acclimatization decides how you climb at 17,400 feet, that is not a small detail.

We also fly from Lima to Anta instead of driving the full distance. LATAM flies the route daily, and the flight replaces about eight hours on the road. If a flight is disrupted, the road is the backup, and the itinerary has room to absorb it. The round-trip flight is included and booked by BBE.

Before we enter the Santa Cruz Valley, the team climbs Nevado Mateo. It is a working climb, not a tourist summit. It lets us see how each climber is sleeping, eating, recovering and moving on technical ground before we commit to the approach.

By the time we reach Alpamayo Base Camp, we already know how the team is responding.

Acclimatization: Climb High, Sleep Low

The body adapts during rest, not effort. The itinerary builds that in:

A first night in Huaraz at 10,000 ft / 3,050 m, then an acclimatization hike before dropping to sleep in Carhuaz
Nevado Mateo on Day 4: a full day on snow and glacier above 5,000 meters, then back down to sleep in Carhuaz
A two-day approach through the Santa Cruz Valley to Alpamayo Base Camp at 13,950 ft / 4,250 m
A load carry to Moraine Camp at 15,750 ft / 4,800 m, back down to sleep at Base Camp, then a full rest day
A move to Moraine Camp, then High Camp at 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, with a weather day between the two summit days

The full sequence is on Day by Day.

Why Four Climbers

Every scheduled departure is capped at four climbers, with a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on climbing days.

That is not about exclusivity. On steep ice at altitude, the ratio decides how quickly a rope team moves, how much terrain a guide can watch, and whether a change of plan is possible when conditions shift.

Your guide knows how you are adapting, day by day: pace, appetite, sleep and hydration.
Technique gets coached on the rope, not shouted across a slope.
Summit, cornice and turnaround decisions are made with full knowledge of each climber.

Porters, cooks and camp staff support the expedition. We do not count them as climbing guides. You will never disappear into the group.

The Guide Team

Every departure is led by an IFMGA-certified guide. IFMGA certification is the international standard for professional mountain guides.

Every guide on our Peru team has climbed in this range and knows it well, so the judgment on your rope does not depend on one person. Your guides coach and refine your technique throughout the expedition. They cannot build your foundation on the mountain, but they will sharpen it.

Peru expeditions can also be personally led by Willie or Damian Benegas on request, confirmed in writing in the trip terms. See Private & Custom Expeditions.

We Started Working in Peru in 1996

We started working in Peru in 1996, guiding in the Cordillera Blanca: a compact range of steep ice and 6,000-meter faces, working with Peruvian arrieros, porters and cooks.

Willie and Damian had been climbing for years by then. In 1996 that experience brought them to Peru. Thirty years later, we still run the same valleys.

1996

We start working in Peru, guiding in the Cordillera Blanca.

20 ascents of Alpamayo

Willie has climbed Alpamayo 20 times.

Since the early 2000s

Some of the arrieros, porters and cooks on our Peru expeditions have worked with BBE since the early 2000s. They know our systems and we know them. That continuity shows in how the camp runs and how the team moves.

Today

Peru expeditions are delivered by a professional guide team working within the systems built over those seasons. The history started with the brothers. The experience now belongs to the team.

What came out of those seasons is not a summit count. It is a working system: how we acclimatize, where we base, who carries what, which local crews we trust, and how we decide when to move and when to wait. The history matters only if it changes how your expedition is run. In the Blanca, it does.

Safety and Communications

Safety on a real mountain is a system, not a slogan. Every BBE Peru expedition runs with:

An IFMGA-certified lead guide
Satellite and radio communications within the team
A comprehensive group medical kit on all climbing days
Daily checks on every climber’s pace, hydration, appetite and recovery
Starlink in camp: a limited connection, enough to message home and pull current weather. There is no cell service on the mountain.

Turning around is sometimes the right call. When it is, your guide makes it early and clearly. It is a professional decision, not a failure.

Who This Climb Suits

Alpinists ready for advanced terrain. You should already be comfortable on crampons and ice tools on steep snow and ice, travel roped on glaciers, and understand crevasse rescue and rope systems. If you have climbed a 5,000-meter peak or completed a structured mountaineering course and are moving toward harder objectives, this is a logical next step.

For the full requirements and an honest look at how hard this is, read Is This for Me?

Where Peru Can Lead

Maybe Alpamayo is the climb you have been working toward for years. That is a complete objective on its own.

There is no single correct path here, and no fixed ladder. Climbers arrive from Ecuador or Mexico with glacier experience, from ice and alpine routes closer to home, or after Aconcagua, looking for terrain that asks more of their hands and feet than their lungs. Plenty come to Peru before Aconcagua, because the two mountains test different things. From here, some go on to the Himalaya or Alaska.

The useful question after Peru is not: what is the next highest mountain?

It is: what did Peru teach you about how you climb?

Ready for Alpamayo & Quitaraju?

We don’t simply guide expeditions. We help people build a lifetime in the mountains.

Tell us about your climbing

Tell us what you have climbed, how you train, what technical terrain you are comfortable on, and what you want Peru to be for you. If this is the right objective, we will say so. If something else should come first, we will say that too. See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Day by Day

Peru Alpinist · Alpamayo & Quitaraju · 16 Days · Lima to Lima

This expedition builds from sea level to two technical summits near 6,000 meters through deliberate acclimatization. That means a real glaciated peak before the Santa Cruz Valley, a working load carry, and rest days that are part of the plan, not a luxury. The schedule is a plan; the mountain is the reality.

Duration16 days, Lima to Lima

SummitsNevado Mateo 16,900 ft / 5,150 m, Alpamayo 19,511 ft / 5,947 m, Quitaraju 19,816 ft / 6,040 m

Highest campHigh Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m

Nights5 in hotels, 10 in mountain camps

Mealsall included

Arrival and AcclimatizationDays 1–3 Mateo and the ApproachDays 4–5 Base Camp and the Load CarryDays 6–8 The High Mountain PhaseDays 9–12 Quitaraju and the ReturnDays 13–16

Times are estimates and change with the team and the conditions. The shape of the progression matters more than the numbers.

The 16 Days at a Glance

Each bar shows where you sleep that night. ▲ marks the day’s high point. Tap a day to open it.

Phase 1Arrival and acclimatizationDays 1–3

1Arrive in LimaLima 2Fly to Anta, transfer to Huaraz3,050 m · 10,000 ft 3Acclimatization hike, transfer to Carhuaz2,650 m · 8,700 ft

Phase 2Mateo and the approachDays 4–5

4Nevado Mateo~~▲ Summit 5,150 m / 16,900 ft~~2,650 m · 8,700 ft5Cashapampa to Llamacorral3,750 m · 12,300 ft

Phase 3Base Camp and the load carryDays 6–8

6Alpamayo Base Camp4,250 m · 13,950 ft 7Load carry to Moraine Camp~~▲ Carry to 4,800 m / 15,750 ft~~4,250 m · 13,950 ft8Rest day at Base Camp4,250 m · 13,950 ft

Phase 4The high mountain phaseDays 9–12

9Move to Moraine Camp4,800 m · 15,750 ft 10Move to High Camp5,300 m · 17,400 ft 11Alpamayo summit~~▲ Summit 5,947 m / 19,511 ft~~5,300 m · 17,400 ft12Rest or weather day5,300 m · 17,400 ft

Phase 5Quitaraju and the returnDays 13–16

13Quitaraju summit~~▲ Summit 6,040 m / 19,816 ft~~5,300 m · 17,400 ft14Descend to Base Camp4,250 m · 13,950 ft 15Hike out, drive to Carhuaz2,650 m · 8,700 ft 16Fly to Lima and homeFly home

In each day below, altitude reads start → high point → where you sleep. Distances and hiking times are estimates.

Climb high, sleep low

Some days climb well above where you sleep. The gap between the day’s high point and the night’s camp is how your body adapts.

Times are estimates

Hiking times change with the team and the conditions. A slow, steady pace is the plan, not a problem.

The plan can flex

Weather, how the team is acclimatizing and your guides’ judgment can change the daily plan. That flexibility is part of the plan.

Good to know

Each day lists its altitudes and where you sleep, plus climbing and timing details where we have reliable figures. Times are estimates and change with the team and the conditions. The shape of the progression matters more than the numbers.

Weather, how the team is acclimatizing and your guides’ judgment can all change the daily plan. That flexibility is part of the plan, not a departure from it.

Meals

All meals are included throughout the expedition: Lima, Huaraz, Carhuaz and the mountain phase. You pay only for alcohol and personal drinks.

Altitude: sea level · Hiking: none

Arrive at Jorge Chávez International Airport and take the hotel shuttle to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, the airport hotel, where a room is reserved in your name. Your BBE guide meets you there. The day is for recovering from international travel and getting organized for the morning flight. Rest and hydrate.

Sleep: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport

Altitude: sea level → 10,000 ft / 3,050 m · Travel: flight Lima to Anta, then a short transfer to Huaraz

A morning flight takes you to Anta Airport, which serves the Huaraz region. The flight replaces a full day in a vehicle, so you arrive with the day still ahead of you.

In the afternoon your guides run the expedition briefing and check your equipment. Huaraz is the climbing hub of the Cordillera Blanca, so anything missing from your kit gets sorted here, where the outfitters are. It is also the place to draw cash: there are no ATMs past Carhuaz.

Sleep: Hotel Suizo, Huaraz, 10,000 ft / 3,050 m

Altitude: hike above Huaraz, then sleep at 8,700 ft / 2,650 m · Hiking: moderate

A moderate day of movement at altitude above Huaraz: hours on your feet without building fatigue before Mateo. In the afternoon we drive to Carhuaz, lower and quieter than Huaraz and closer to Punta Olímpica for tomorrow.

Sleep: Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m

Altitude: 8,700 ft → 16,900 ft / 5,150 m → 8,700 ft · High point: Nevado Mateo summit

An early departure toward Punta Olímpica for the first day on snow and glacier. Mateo is a genuine summit and the best acclimatization asset on the program: time above 5,000 meters, crampons and rope systems under real conditions, and an honest read on how each climber is moving before the expedition commits to the Santa Cruz Valley. Then back down to sleep low.

Sleep: Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m

Altitude: drive to Cashapampa, then hike to 12,300 ft / 3,750 m

Drive to Cashapampa, the traditional entrance to the Santa Cruz Valley, and meet the arrieros and pack animals who carry loads on the approach. Your second duffel stays in Carhuaz. Then begin the hike up the Santa Cruz River through one of the finest valleys in the range.

Sleep: Llamacorral tent camp, 12,300 ft / 3,750 m

Altitude: 12,300 ft → 13,950 ft / 4,250 m

Continue up-valley past the lakes of Ichiccocha and Jatuncocha, then leave the main valley and climb toward Base Camp beneath Alpamayo, Quitaraju and their neighbors. First full views of the objective. The cook team runs Base Camp from here: dining tent, sleeping tents and a toilet tent.

Sleep: Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m

Altitude: 13,950 ft → 15,750 ft / 4,800 m → 13,950 ft

The team carries equipment up to Moraine Camp and establishes a cache, then descends to sleep at Base Camp. Porters carry the group loads; you carry your personal gear only. The point is to gain altitude without sleeping high yet. The body adapts through the work.

Sleep: Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m · High point: Moraine Camp, 15,750 ft / 4,800 m

Altitude: 13,950 ft / 4,250 m · Hiking: none

Full rest. Recover, hydrate, eat and organize equipment. The guides review rope systems, glacier travel and technical procedures as needed. This day matters. Do not rush it.

Sleep: Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m

Altitude: 13,950 ft → 15,750 ft / 4,800 m

Move up for good. Because equipment went up on Day 7, the move is manageable. The terrain turns properly alpine as the route approaches the glacier.

Sleep: Moraine Camp, 15,750 ft / 4,800 m

Altitude: 15,750 ft → 17,400 ft / 5,300 m

Onto the glacier and up toward the col between Alpamayo and Quitaraju. Depending on conditions, the day involves crevassed terrain, steep snow and technical glacier travel. High Camp sits on the col with access to both objectives.

Sleep: High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m

Altitude: 17,400 ft → 19,511 ft / 5,947 m → 17,400 ft · Start: before 3:00 AM · Climbing: 8 to 10 pitches, 55- to 70-degree snow and ice · Summit day: about 10–14 hrs

A very early start. Cross beneath Alpamayo to the southwest face and climb sustained steep snow and ice to the summit ridge. Whether the team can step onto the true summit depends on the cornice, which changes from season to season; your guide decides on the day. Descend by rappel and glacier travel back to High Camp.

This is the day the expedition is built around.

Sleep: High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m · High point: Alpamayo, 19,511 ft / 5,947 m

Altitude: 17,400 ft / 5,300 m

Recovery at High Camp, and the expedition’s built-in contingency. If weather or conditions stopped the Alpamayo attempt on Day 11, this is the second attempt. If they did not, it is rest and preparation for Quitaraju.

Sleep: High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m

Altitude: 17,400 ft → 19,816 ft / 6,040 m → 17,400 ft · Climbing: around 12 pitches of snow and ice · Summit day: about 10–14 hrs

Another alpine start. The route from the col is less steep than Alpamayo but much longer, so expect a long, sustained day at altitude. Return to High Camp.

Sleep: High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m · High point: Quitaraju, 19,816 ft / 6,040 m

Altitude: 17,400 ft → 13,950 ft / 4,250 m

Break High Camp and descend from the col, retracing the glacier and moraine to Base Camp. A proper meal and the first night below 15,000 feet in five nights. Your body will notice.

Sleep: Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m

Altitude: 13,950 ft → Cashapampa → 8,700 ft / 2,650 m

Descend through the Alpamayo and Santa Cruz valleys to Cashapampa, where vehicles meet the team. Drive to Carhuaz, where your second duffel is waiting, for a shower, a celebration dinner and a last night in the mountains.

Sleep: Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m

A morning transfer to Anta Airport and the flight to Lima, connecting with your international flight home. No return night in Lima is needed. The expedition ends in Lima.

Good to Know

Weather and Flexibility

The itinerary carries its buffer where it matters most. Day 12 at High Camp is both a recovery day and a second chance at Alpamayo.

That cuts both ways. If Alpamayo takes Day 12, Quitaraju on Day 13 comes straight off a summit push rather than a rest day, and your guides will make that call based on how the team is actually moving.

The order of the two summits can change too. Alpamayo is a popular ice line, and on good-weather days it can be crowded. Waiting in a queue on steep ice burns daylight and safety margin. If Alpamayo looks crowded, your guides may climb Quitaraju first and go to Alpamayo once the line clears.

If the Lima–Anta flight is disrupted, the road is the backup, at about eight hours, and the schedule has room to absorb it.

High-altitude weather shifts, and summit days can move. No one can promise a summit. Our responsibility is to give the team the strongest responsible opportunity.

For how hard each part feels, read Is This for Me? For hotels and camps, see Where You’ll Stay.

The Team Behind the Team

No one climbs Alpamayo alone. On the approach, arrieros and their burros carry the loads up the Santa Cruz Valley. Porters carry group loads all the way to High Camp, so your energy goes into the climbing. The cook team runs Base Camp and has hot food waiting at the end of the day.

Some of the arrieros, porters and cooks on our Peru expeditions have worked with BBE since the early 2000s. They know our systems, and we know them. They are professionals, and we treat them that way.

Keep Planning

Is This for Me? · Life on the Mountain · Where You’ll Stay · Flights & Getting to Lima · Dates & Prices

Questions about the itinerary? Ask a guide · See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Is This for Me?

Peru Alpinist · Alpamayo & Quitaraju · An Honest Answer, Not a Sales Pitch

This is an advanced mountaineering expedition. The outdoor industry uses that word loosely. Here it means you will climb steep snow and ice above 17,000 feet, start in the dark, manage technical systems while you are tired and cold, and make decisions that matter.

If that excites you and you have the base to build on, this is the right trip. If you are still building that base, there are better starting points, and we can help you find them. This page tells you honestly where the line is.

Alpamayo & Quitaraju at a Glance

Technical skillrequired. Crampons on 45-degree-plus terrain, ice tools at WI2/WI3, glacier travel and rope systems

SummitsNevado Mateo 16,900 ft / 5,150 m; Alpamayo 19,511 ft / 5,947 m; Quitaraju 19,816 ft / 6,040 m

Longest daysthe two summit days, about 10–14 hours each

Coldest conditions14°F to 0°F / −10°C to −18°C at High Camp at night, colder in the wind

Training time4–6 months, structured

FamiliesWelcome

Team sizemaximum four climbers, 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on climbing days

Technical Difficulty vs. What Actually Makes It Hard

On most first big mountains, the difficulty is altitude, not technique. Here it is both.

The technical part. Alpamayo’s southwest face is 8 to 10 pitches of 55- to 70-degree snow and ice, with the descent by rappel. Quitaraju is less steep but much longer, around 12 pitches. You need to arrive able to front-point efficiently, move on technical tools, and travel roped on glaciers.

Everything around it. Altitude, cold and duration. High Camp sits at 17,400 feet, and you spend four nights there. By the time the technical climbing starts, you have climbed Nevado Mateo and walked two days into the Santa Cruz Valley. Then there are two summit days, not one.

Fitness helps you cope. It does not guarantee how your body will acclimatize. Altitude affects fit and unfit people unpredictably.

Experience: What’s Required

You should be able to honestly say yes to each of these before applying:

Comfortable on crampons on steep terrain, 45 degrees and above
Comfortable swinging ice tools on steep ice: WI2/WI3 is the right foundation
Experience with glacier travel, rope teams and crevasse-rescue basics
Have climbed to at least 15,000 ft / 4,600 m
Understand belay systems, rappelling and anchor building
Have spent at least one night at altitude above 13,000 ft

Helpful on top of that: multi-pitch alpine routes, a previous 5,000-meter peak, or a structured mountaineering course.

You do not need to be an elite climber. But you need to have done the work. Your guides will refine your technique; they cannot build your foundation on the mountain.

Fitness: Can You Do These?

This is not about athletic talent. It is about whether your body keeps working, day after day, when it is tired. Use this as an honest self-check, not a pass/fail test.

Hike 10 miles on mountain terrain with a pack, without significant discomfort. If you cannot yet, build toward it before you book.
Climb 2,000 to 4,000 feet in a training day. Test it on regular hikes with real elevation gain.
Move for 6 to 8 hours at altitude, then do it again the next day. Carry and move days on the mountain look like this.
Stay on task for 10 to 14 hours on technical ground. That is a summit day, and there are two of them.

The last one matters most. You will not be rested when the hardest climbing begins. Train for that.

What You Carry

You carry your personal gear only. Arrieros and burros carry loads on the approach, porters carry group loads all the way to High Camp, and a cook team runs Base Camp.

That does not make the carrying easy. A personal pack on uneven glacier terrain above 15,000 feet is real work, and it is demoralizing if you are undertrained.

Camping, Cold and Recovery

Ten nights are spent in tents. Base Camp is well run: a cook team, a dining tent and a toilet tent. Above it, camps are simpler, and High Camp has nothing beyond what the team brings up. Nights at High Camp drop well below freezing, sleep is lighter at altitude, and appetite drops above 13,100 ft / 4,000 m.

Recovering well between days is a skill: eating when you don’t feel like it, drinking 3 to 4 liters a day, keeping your gear dry, and resting when the schedule allows. Life on the Mountain explains how.

What Will Feel Hard

No sugarcoating. These are the parts that challenge even experienced climbers.

The summit push. Alpamayo starts before 3:00 AM. You will be tired and cold, and you will need to perform on steep technical terrain anyway.
Two summit days, not one. Quitaraju comes after Alpamayo. You need the reserves for a second big day.
High altitude. At 17,400 feet every movement takes more effort. Sleeping, eating and packing are all harder.
Cold. High Camp temperatures drop well below freezing at night. Wet gear at altitude creates real risk, so managing your systems carefully matters.
The long approach. Mateo, then two days into the valley and one long day out. You will have been working for a week before the technical climbing starts.
Weather uncertainty. Summit windows can be short and unpredictable. Some teams wait. Some turn around.

The Summit Days in Brief

Alpamayo, Day 11. You leave High Camp before 3:00 AM, cross beneath the mountain to the southwest face and climb 8 to 10 pitches of sustained snow and ice to the summit ridge. Then you rappel the face and travel the glacier back to High Camp. The day runs about 10 to 14 hours.

Day 12. Rest, or a second chance at Alpamayo if weather stopped the first attempt.

Quitaraju, Day 13. Another alpine start for around 12 pitches of snow and ice. Less steep, much longer, and on legs that already climbed Alpamayo. If Alpamayo took Day 12, you climb Quitaraju without a rest day in between.

The climbers who do well on these days are not the ones who find them easy. They are the ones who knew exactly what was coming and arrived ready for it.

Patience and Following Guide Decisions

Your guides make the calls that shape the climb: whether the cornice allows a step onto Alpamayo’s true summit, whether to wait for weather, whether to climb Quitaraju first if Alpamayo is crowded, and when to turn around.

When a turnaround is the right call, it is made early and clearly, with your safety first. It is a professional decision, not a failure. This expedition only works if you are willing to accept it.

Is This the Right Climb for You?

This climb is a good fit if:

You can say yes to every experience requirement above.
You’ll commit to 4 to 6 months of structured training.
You’re comfortable being uncomfortable: cold, early starts, broken sleep.
You’re coachable and patient with acclimatization.
You understand the summit is the goal, not the guarantee.
You want two technical summits near 6,000 meters with a small team.

It’s probably not the right fit if:

This would be your first time on crampons, tools or a glacier.
You’re hoping to learn the technical skills on the trip.
You won’t accept a guide’s pace, cornice or turnaround call.
You need a summit to feel it was worth it.
You want the shortest, lowest-cost route to a high summit.

Two more things to be clear about before you book:

Health. If you have a heart, lung or other medical condition, talk to your physician about high altitude before you commit, and talk to your physician about altitude medication. Every climber completes a registration form that includes medical history.
Age. The minimum age is set by Peru’s regulations and by insurance: climbers under 18 climb with a parent or guardian, and each climber’s insurance must cover their age. Families are welcome: younger climbers can join a scheduled team with a parent or guardian, or come on a private family expedition built around your family, and if a special permit is needed, we’ll help you apply.

How to Prepare

Plan on at least four to six months of structured training from a solid base. Consistency matters more than intensity.

Early months: build the base. Regular aerobic training and hikes with real elevation gain.
Middle months: add load and vertical. Longer hikes with a pack, building progressively, and keep your crampon and ice-tool skills current.
Final phase before departure: the program below.

In the final phase, your training should include:

Sustained aerobic training 4 to 5 days a week: running, cycling or hiking
Loaded pack carries 2 to 3 times a week, building progressively
Regular training hikes with 2,000 to 4,000 feet of elevation gain
At least one multi-day trip above 12,000 feet in the six months before the expedition

Not Ready Yet? Better Starting Points

If this trip is a stretch right now, that is honest information, not a rejection. It is a sequence.

Ecuador Mountaineering SchoolGlacier travel, crampons and rope work on the high volcanoes of Ecuador, with instruction built in BoliviaMore altitude and more glacier days, on peaks like Huayna Potosí AconcaguaIf what you need is experience at high altitude rather than technical terrain

Come back to Alpamayo ready, and the experience will be completely different.

Still Deciding?

Talk to a guide

With a maximum of four climbers per departure, we have time for a real conversation before you book. Tell us what you have climbed, how you train and what technical terrain you are comfortable on. We will give you an honest assessment. If something else should come first, we will tell you that too. See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Before You Go

Peru Alpinist: Alpamayo & Quitaraju · Before You Go

Preparing for Alpamayo & Quitaraju: Start Here

The climbers who arrive in Huaraz relaxed aren’t always the ones with the most experience. They’re the ones who sorted their insurance, tested their boots with their crampons and planned their cash months ago. This page puts your preparation in order: what to do, when, and where to find the details. Handle it early, and your energy in the final weeks goes into training, not logistics.

Three Things to Know Now

This is a technical expedition. Arrive competent.Technical

Alpamayo is 8–10 pitches of 55–70° snow and ice with a rappel descent, and Quitaraju is longer still. We refine your skills on Nevado Mateo and at Base Camp; we don’t teach them from scratch. Is This for Me? sets out exactly what you need.

Rescue and evacuation coverage is required.Required

It must cover helicopter rescue and high-altitude mountaineering to 19,816 ft / 6,040 m. We recommend Global Rescue (add its High-Altitude Evacuation Package) or Ripcord.

Tips are cash, and there are no ATMs past Carhuaz.$1,000–1,500

Plan on roughly $1,000–1,500 in cash across the trip, and draw what you need in Huaraz on Day 2.

Your Seven Preparation Guides

1. Your Expedition ChecklistEvery form, document and health step, in order, from the registration form at booking to what you carry on arrival day.2. Trip Insurance & Evacuation CoverageThe rescue coverage this expedition requires, why trip insurance matters, and what evacuation in the Cordillera Blanca really involves.3. Flights & Getting to LimaFlying into Lima on Day 1 and home on Day 16, the included Lima–Anta flight, entering Peru, baggage, money, and what to do if travel goes wrong.4. Where You’ll StayNight by night: five hotel nights in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz, and ten nights in our camps, four of them at High Camp.5. Life on the MountainThe daily rhythm, carry, rest and summit days, pacing, water, eating at altitude, sleep, hygiene, Starlink, weather and the symptoms to report.6. Peru Alpinist Gear ListHow to build and test your technical and clothing systems, renting in Huaraz, the Day 2 gear check, and the full downloadable list.7. What to Budget ForEvery cost outside the expedition price, from required rescue coverage to crew tips, plus how much cash to carry and where to get it.

Your Preparation Timeline

When you book

Through the registration link we email you, complete the reservation form and pay your deposit by the invoice we send; then complete the Registration Form (profile, emergency contacts, medical history, climbing experience), passport copy, Terms & Conditions and Release
Check your passport: valid at least six months beyond your entry date, with a blank page for the entry stamp
Buy rescue and evacuation coverage, and trip insurance, soon after your deposit. Pre-existing-condition waivers usually depend on it
Start structured training: four to six months from a solid base. See Is This for Me?
Read the gear list now, and give boots, crampons, tools and harness time to be tested together
Renting boots? Tell us now

120 days before departure

Your balance is due. (If you book within 120 days, full payment is due at booking.)

Once you’ve paid in full

Send us your proposed flights to Lima, then book them, and email your final itinerary to climbing@benegasbrothers.com. We book your Lima–Anta flights
Email your rescue and evacuation certificate, if you haven’t already
Talk to your physician about altitude, altitude medication and any medical conditions

4–8 weeks before

Visit a travel clinic: routine vaccinations, plus hepatitis A and typhoid, which are commonly recommended. Allow four to six weeks before you fly
Check entry rules if you don’t hold a US, Canadian, UK or EU passport

At least 3 weeks before

Tell us about any gear you plan to rent in Huaraz

The final 2 weeks

Do a full pack-out using the gear list: two duffels, each under 23 kg
Plan your cash for tips and incidentals
Save copies of your passport, insurance and itinerary to your phone and the cloud
Ease off your training. Arrive rested, not worn out

Arrival day

Take the hotel shuttle from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, the airport hotel, where a room is reserved in your name. Your BBE guide meets you there. The next morning the team flies to Anta and drives to Huaraz, where your gear check and briefing happen that afternoon. From then on, logistics are our job. Yours is climbing.

Still Deciding?

This section assumes you’re going. If you’re still working out whether Alpamayo and Quitaraju are right for you this season, whether your ice and rope skills are where they need to be, or how you’ll handle four nights at 17,400 ft, start with Is This for Me? and Your Questions. If Peru isn’t the right fit yet, the Ecuador Mountaineering School, Bolivia and Aconcagua are worth a look. For different dates or your own team, see Private & Custom Expeditions.

Questions While You Prepare?

Gear choices, training doubts, insurance fine print, flight timing: ask early. Small questions are easiest to solve months out. See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Your Expedition Checklist

The climbers who arrive in Huaraz relaxed are the ones who handled the paperwork months ago, not weeks. None of it is complicated, but a few pieces take time, and one or two can’t be fixed once you’ve landed in Lima. This page lists everything BBE needs from you, what you need to arrange yourself, and when.

Your Paperwork at a Glance

Everything BBE needs from you, in the order you’ll do it. Tick items off as you go; your ticks are saved on this device. The details for each item are below.

Step 1At booking, in the registration formDone together with your deposit

Reservation formName, email, date of birth and addressAt bookingDeposit — 20%Includes the $350 non-refundable booking fee. Your place is confirmed when we receive it.At bookingRegistration formProfile, emergency contacts, medical history and climbing experienceAt bookingPassport copyPhoto page, valid well beyond your return, with blank pagesAt bookingTerms & Conditions and ReleaseRead both carefully before you signAt booking

Step 2Buy, then send to BBEEmail climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Rescue & evacuation insuranceRequired. Send your certificate and your insurer’s 24-hour emergency number.Soon after bookingFlight itinerarySend it before you buy. We use it to arrange your arrival.Before you buy flightsBalanceDue 120 days before departure; inside 120 days, pay in full at booking120 days before departureEntry requirementsVisa or entry rules for your passport, covered in the flights section belowWell before you fly

Step 3Arrange and carryNeeded on the trip

Travel clinic visitVaccinations and health advice for your exact routing4–8 weeks beforeGear checkWork through the gear list and break in your bootsMonths beforeCash for the tripFor tips and spending; amounts are in What to Budget ForFinal two weeksPrinted documentsPassport, insurance certificate, flight itinerary and emergency contactsCarry with you

At Booking

How booking works. When you ask about the expedition, we reply by email with the trip details and a link to our online registration form. Everything in this section is done there.

Reservation form. Your full name, email, date of birth and address, plus any notes for our program staff about your reservation.

Deposit. The reservation form includes a link to pay your deposit. Your place is confirmed once BBE receives it. Amounts and deadlines are on Dates & Prices.

Complete at Booking

Registration Form. Your personal profile, emergency contacts, medical history and climbing experience. Medical information stays within the guiding team and is used to plan for your safety. Be thorough and honest about both your health and your climbing background. It protects you, and it tells your guide what they need to know before you tie in together.

Passport. A copy of your passport photo page. We use it to register you for your Huascarán National Park permit and to book your Lima–Anta flights.

Terms & Conditions. BBE’s booking, payment and cancellation terms. Read them before you sign.

Release. A liability release acknowledging the inherent risks of technical, high-altitude climbing. Read it carefully. It means what it says.

When: complete these in the registration form at booking, with your deposit.

Send us later. As soon as you have them, email climbing@benegasbrothers.com your international flight itinerary (we use it to plan your arrival and to line up your Lima–Anta flight, so it isn’t optional) and your rescue and evacuation insurance certificate. The certificate is required before departure.

Balance payment. Due 120 days before departure. If you book within 120 days of departure, full payment is due at booking.

Park Fees and Permits: Who Does What

BBE arranges them, and they’re included. Alpamayo and Quitaraju lie inside Huascarán National Park. BBE handles the park permit and park fees for every climber, and they’re included in your expedition price. You don’t pay anything at the park entrance.

What we need from you: your passport details and signed forms, on file in time to register you.

Entry to Peru

US, Canadian, UK and EU citizens don’t need a visa for a tourist stay, and Peru has no digital pre-arrival form. You do need a physical entry stamp in your passport. If you hold another passport, check your requirements before you book flights. The full details are on Flights & Getting to Lima.

Health Preparation

See your physician. If you have any condition that altitude, cold or sustained exertion could affect, discuss this expedition with your physician before you book, and be open about it on your Registration Form. Conditions that are well managed at sea level can behave differently at High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m.

Altitude medication. If you are considering medication to help with altitude, talk to your physician well before departure. It is a decision for you and your doctor, not for us.

Prescription medications. Bring everything you take, for the full trip plus a few extra days, in your carry-on with copies of your prescriptions.

Travel clinic, 4–8 weeks before departure. No vaccinations are required to enter Peru, but your routine immunizations should be current. Your clinic will advise based on your health history and itinerary. Topics to raise:

Routine vaccinations
Hepatitis A and typhoid, commonly recommended for travel in Peru
How long any vaccine needs before you fly: allow four to six weeks

First aid. Bring a small personal kit for blisters, minor aches and an upset stomach. The guide team carries a comprehensive medical kit on every climbing day.

Gear and Rentals

Read the gear list early. Boots, crampons, tools and harness need to be tested together at home, and that takes time. Nothing should be used for the first time above High Camp.

Rentals in Huaraz. Crampons, ice tools, harnesses and sleeping bags can be rented in Huaraz. Tell us at least three weeks before departure so we can confirm availability and reserve them.

Renting boots? Tell us when you book, so we can plan a proper fitting. Never wear rental boots for the first time on the mountain.

Travel

Passport. Valid at least six months beyond your entry date, with at least one blank page for the entry stamp. There’s no fix for an expired passport once flights are booked.

Flights. Book your international flights to Lima once your place is confirmed and you’ve paid in full, and send us your proposed itinerary before you buy. Favor changeable fares. Your Lima–Anta flights are booked by BBE and included.

The Final Two Weeks

Do a full pack-out using the gear list: two duffels, each under 23 kg, packed the way they will travel
Plan your cash. Tips are cash only, and there are no ATMs past Carhuaz, so you’ll draw what you need in Huaraz on Day 2 (see What to Budget For)
Check that your crampons still fit your boots, and that your tools and crampons are packed in checked luggage
Ease off your training. Arrive rested, not worn out
Save copies of your passport, insurance certificate and itinerary to your phone and a cloud account, and carry paper copies separate from the originals

Bring With You to Peru

Passport, with a blank page for the entry stamp
Printed international flight itinerary, and our contact and emergency numbers
Rescue and evacuation insurance certificate and your insurer’s 24-hour emergency number
Written list of emergency contacts and relevant medical information
Prescription medications and copies of prescriptions
A credit or debit card that works abroad, with your bank told you’re traveling

Arrival Day

Take the hotel shuttle from Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, the airport hotel, where a room is reserved in your name. Your BBE guide meets you there. The next morning the team flies to Anta and drives to Huaraz, where your gear check and expedition briefing happen that afternoon, with the outfitters still on hand if anything is missing. From then on, logistics are our job. Yours is climbing.

Questions?

Paperwork is the least interesting and most fixable part of expedition preparation. Ask early. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Trip Insurance & Evacuation Coverage

Quitaraju reaches 19,816 ft / 6,040 m, and every climbing day on this expedition is on glaciated, technical terrain. Many travel-insurance policies exclude mountaineering, glacier travel or anything above a set elevation, and the exclusion is usually buried in the fine print. This page explains the two kinds of cover, which one is required, and how to confirm yours before you pay.

Required by BBERescue and evacuation coverage

Required on every BBE international expedition. It pays to get you off the mountain and to proper medical care. The coverage it must include for this trip is listed below.

Strongly recommendedTrip insurance

Protects the money you’ve spent if illness, a family emergency or a travel disruption stops or cuts short your trip.

Rescue and Evacuation Coverage: Required

Every climber on this expedition must carry rescue and medical evacuation coverage, with proof on file with BBE before departure. It pays for rescue, emergency treatment and transport to medical care if you’re injured or ill in the mountains. Without it, you are responsible for every cost of your own evacuation and treatment, and your standard health insurance almost certainly won’t cover international mountain rescue.

Your policy must cover all of the following:

Altitude: high-altitude mountaineering up to at least 19,816 ft / 6,040 m, the summit of Quitaraju.
Helicopter rescue, stated explicitly in the policy.
Activity: technical mountaineering and glacier travel with rope, crampons, ice tools and harness, with no activity exclusion.
Field rescue: evacuation from remote mountain terrain, including Alpamayo Base Camp at 13,950 ft / 4,250 m and the camps above it.
Destination: Peru, for your full travel dates.
Medical transport: to an appropriate medical facility, including international medical transport and repatriation if needed.
24-hour emergency assistance.

Providers we recommend:

Global Rescue, with the High-Altitude Evacuation Package added. Standard Global Rescue membership doesn’t include field rescue above 15,000 ft / 4,600 m. Moraine Camp, High Camp and both summits are above that line, so on this expedition the package isn’t optional.
Ripcord Rescue Travel.

You may use any provider whose policy meets every point above.

Trip Insurance: Strongly Recommended

Comprehensive trip insurance covers trip cancellation, interruption, flight delays and missed connections, lost or delayed baggage, and medical costs while traveling. Baggage cover matters more than usual on this trip: you’re flying with two duffels of technical gear.

BBE’s cancellation terms are based on how much notice you give, and refunds are not given for illness, injury, missed flights, weather delays or leaving the expedition early (see Dates & Prices). In many of those situations, trip insurance is the only way to recover your costs.

Rescue cover and trip insurance are often sold separately, and buying one doesn’t give you the other.

Buy Early

Buy your coverage soon after your deposit. Some benefits, such as pre-existing-condition waivers and Cancel for Any Reason options, are only available for a limited time after your first trip payment, often 10 to 21 days. Check your provider’s rule.

What to Confirm With Your Insurer

Before you buy, give the provider this description:

“I will take part in a professionally guided mountaineering expedition in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru. The itinerary includes glacier travel, crampons, ice tools, harness, rope-team climbing and rappelling on snow and ice up to 70 degrees, four nights at a tented high camp at 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, and summit attempts reaching 19,511 ft / 5,947 m and 19,816 ft / 6,040 m.”

Then ask them to confirm in writing:

The maximum altitude covered, and that it is at least 6,040 m
That helicopter rescue is included
That technical mountaineering and glacier travel are not excluded
If you use Global Rescue, that the High-Altitude Evacuation Package is on your membership for your travel dates
The coverage limits for evacuation and for medical treatment
How to reach their emergency assistance line from Peru, and whether you must call before an evacuation
Whether pre-existing conditions are covered, and what the purchase deadline is

If they won’t clearly confirm those points, choose another policy.

What to Send BBE

Email your rescue and evacuation certificate to climbing@benegasbrothers.com as soon as you buy it. It should show the provider, policy or membership number, coverage dates and the 24-hour emergency number. Your guide carries these details on the mountain. Keep a copy on your phone and a paper copy in your pack.

BBE doesn’t sell insurance and can’t interpret or guarantee an individual policy.

What Evacuation Actually Involves

Mountain rescue in the Cordillera Blanca isn’t like calling emergency services at home. The camps are remote, the terrain is glaciated, and above Base Camp everything moves on foot or on a rope.

If a climber becomes sick or injured, the guide team assesses the situation and decides on the safest practical response. That can include first aid and stabilization, stopping the climb, an assisted descent with a guide, contacting rescue services and your insurer’s assistance line, and arranging transport to medical care in Huaraz or beyond. Descent is the treatment for altitude illness, and a climber who needs to go down always goes with a guide.

Helicopter rescue exists in the Cordillera Blanca, but it is never guaranteed. Weather, wind, cloud, altitude, landing sites and aircraft availability all limit when a helicopter can fly. Often the first part of an evacuation happens on foot: down from the col, across the glacier and back to Base Camp, or out along the valley. Your policy must cover a helicopter for the times one can reach you. Don’t plan around it.

BBE doesn’t control rescue services, aircraft, hospitals or insurance decisions, and a policy doesn’t guarantee that a rescue can happen or that every cost will be paid. What good coverage does is take cost out of the decision and get you to proper care quickly once you’re off the mountain.

Your financial responsibility. Rescue teams, transport providers and hospitals may ask for payment before they act, even when you’re insured. Travel with a credit card with real available credit, and save your policy number, emergency number and claim instructions offline. Any cost your insurance doesn’t pay remains yours.

Questions About Your Policy?

Send us what your insurer told you, and we’ll tell you if anything looks missing. We can’t approve a policy for you, but we can point out the gaps we see most often. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Flights & Getting to Lima

Getting to the Cordillera Blanca is simpler than it looks on a map. You fly to Lima; we take it from there, including the flight to Anta that puts you in the mountains on Day 2 instead of eight hours up the road. The expedition runs on a tight first two days, though, and a missed connection or a delayed bag can follow you into the climb. The guidance below heads most of that off.

Before You Book

A departure is confirmed when we tell you so in writing. Please buy nonrefundable flights only after your departure is confirmed. Book your flights once your place is confirmed and you’ve paid in full. Send us your proposed itinerary before you buy, so we can check that your arrival and departure line up with the team’s Lima–Anta flights. Favor refundable or changeable fares, and book with your full legal name exactly as it appears in your passport.

Flying to Lima

Every climber flies into Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, airport code LIM. It is your arrival and departure airport for the expedition.

Common routings:

From North America: LATAM, American, Delta, United and Copa, direct to Lima from some cities or connecting through Bogotá, Panama City or Miami
From Europe: LATAM, Air France, KLM, Iberia and British Airways, with one connection

Schedules change by season, so check current flights for your dates. Avoid tight connections.

When to Arrive

Land in Lima on Day 1, by evening at the latest. The team flies to Anta the next morning, and a missed Day 1 arrival means missing that flight.

We strongly recommend a buffer day. Arriving a day early gives you a cushion against delays, a night to adjust to the time zone, and a calmer start. Contact us and we’ll help arrange the extra hotel night in Lima, at your cost.

Booking Your Flight Home

On Day 16 the team drives from Carhuaz to Anta and flies to Lima, and you connect to your international flight the same day. Book your departure from Lima for the evening of Day 16 or later, not the afternoon. A domestic flight from the mountains connecting to an international one leaves no room if weather moves the Anta flight.

If your routing is inflexible or expensive to change, consider a night in Lima and flying home the next day. Tell us before you book and we’ll help with the extra night, at your cost.

The Lima–Anta Flight: Included

Anta Airport serves the Huaraz region. LATAM flies the route daily, and BBE books your round-trip seats; you don’t arrange them yourself. The fare is included in your expedition price, with two checked bags of up to 23 kg (50 lb) each. Any third bag, or weight over 23 kg on either bag, is paid directly to the airline at the airport.

If the flight is disrupted, the road from Lima to Huaraz is in good condition and the drive takes about eight hours by private vehicle. The itinerary has enough flexibility to absorb it.

Transfers in Peru: Included

On Day 1, take the hotel shuttle from Jorge Chávez to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, the airport hotel, where a room is reserved in your name. Your BBE guide meets you there. From there, BBE handles every transfer through to your arrival back at Lima airport on Day 16: Lima to Anta, Anta to Huaraz, Huaraz to Carhuaz, the trailhead and back, and Carhuaz to Anta.

Transfers on other days, such as an early arrival, an extra night in Lima or a later flight home, are additional arrangements. Ask us and we’ll set them up.

Your Passport

Valid at least six months beyond your entry date into Peru, with at least one blank page for the entry stamp. A passport card is not accepted for international air travel.

Entering Peru

No visa for US, Canadian, UK and EU citizens on a tourist stay. Immigration sets your permitted length of stay at the border, typically 90 days, which is far longer than this expedition. If you hold another passport, check your requirements with the nearest Peruvian consulate before you book flights.

No digital pre-arrival form. Unlike Ecuador or Mexico, Peru has no online customs or immigration form to complete before you fly.

Get your physical entry stamp. Immigration stamps your passport at the airport. Make sure you get it, and keep your passport where you can reach it. A missing entry record can cause real problems when you leave, including fines or delays.

Your technical gear. Ropes, crampons, ice tools, harnesses, helmets and technical clothing count as personal sporting equipment. No special permit or advance declaration is needed for standard climbing gear.

Arriving at Jorge Chávez

Lima opened a fully rebuilt terminal in 2025, much larger than the old one. It’s still settling in: expect long walks between the gate and immigration (allow 15 to 20 minutes) and few moving walkways. Leave yourself time, especially on the way home.

The area right around the airport isn’t safe for walking with luggage. For anywhere other than the airport hotel, use only official transport: Airport Express Lima, a hotel shuttle or a confirmed app ride. Don’t accept rides from unsolicited drivers inside the terminal.

If you want a local SIM, Claro and Movistar have kiosks after customs. Claro generally has the best national coverage.

Baggage

Travel with two duffels, not one. Both fly with you to the mountains:

Your main duffel carries everything that goes up the Santa Cruz Valley. It travels with the pack animals on the approach.
Your second duffel holds city clothes and a clean change. It stays at the hotel in Carhuaz while you’re on the mountain, waiting for you on Day 15 with a shower and a real dinner.

Keep each duffel under 23 kg so both fit the included Lima–Anta allowance. On your international flights, the checked-bag allowance and any extra-bag fees are set by your airline, not by us. Check them before you buy.

Crampons and ice tools must be checked on every leg. They can’t travel in your carry-on. Pack them in a hard-sided case or securely inside a checked duffel, with points and picks covered.

What goes in your carry-on:

Passport, flight itinerary, and our contact and emergency numbers
Your rescue and evacuation insurance certificate
Prescription medications
One full set of climbing layers
Your mountaineering boots, if you can manage them

BBE tip

If a checked bag is delayed, boots and layers in your carry-on mean you can still start the expedition. Crampons, tools, harnesses and sleeping bags can be rented in Huaraz. Boots that fit you can’t be counted on. Put a tracking tag in each duffel.

Money on Arrival

Peru’s currency is the sol (PEN, S/). Pay in soles; businesses that accept US dollars use poor exchange rates. Change money at a casa de cambio in Lima or Huaraz rather than at the airport counter.

ATMs are widely available in Lima and Huaraz. Use machines inside banks or shopping centers, always choose to be charged in soles rather than dollars, and tell your bank you’re traveling. Visa and Mastercard work at hotels and restaurants in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz.

There are no ATMs past Carhuaz, and crew tips are cash only. You’ll draw what you need in Huaraz on Day 2. What to Budget For covers how much.

If Something Goes Wrong

Flight delayed, cancelled or connection missed. Contact us right away at climbing@benegasbrothers.com, before you rebook if you can. If you miss the Day 2 flight to Anta, we’ll work out the fastest way to get you to the team, which may mean the road to Huaraz. Extra hotel nights, transfers and flight changes caused by travel disruption are your cost. This is where trip insurance earns its price.

Bag delayed. Report it to the airline before you leave the airport, then tell us. We can help you rent what you need in Huaraz.

Travel problems are solvable. Late information is what makes them expensive.

Questions Before You Book?

A quick email now saves rebooking fees later. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Where You'll Stay

Recovery happens where you sleep. Warmth, food and rest between hard days are what add up to strong summit days. On this expedition you spend five nights in hotels in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz, and ten nights in our camps in the Santa Cruz Valley and on the glacier, four of them at High Camp.

Night by Night

Night 1 (Day 1) — Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport, Lima, sea level
Night 2 (Day 2) — Hotel Suizo, Huaraz, 10,000 ft / 3,050 m
Night 3 (Day 3) — Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m
Night 4 (Day 4) — Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m, after Nevado Mateo
Night 5 (Day 5) — Llamacorral, 12,300 ft / 3,750 m
Night 6 (Day 6) — Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m
Night 7 (Day 7) — Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m, after the carry
Night 8 (Day 8) — Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m, rest day
Night 9 (Day 9) — Moraine Camp, 15,750 ft / 4,800 m
Night 10 (Day 10) — High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m
Night 11 (Day 11) — High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, after Alpamayo
Night 12 (Day 12) — High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, rest or weather day
Night 13 (Day 13) — High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, after Quitaraju
Night 14 (Day 14) — Alpamayo Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m
Night 15 (Day 15) — Cuesta Serena, Carhuaz, 8,700 ft / 2,650 m
Day 16 — Carhuaz to Anta to Lima, and your flight home

Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz

Lima: Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport · one night, Day 1. The hotel sits right at Jorge Chávez International Airport, not in Miraflores or downtown, and that’s by design. You arrive in the evening and take the hotel shuttle over (your room is reserved in your name, and your BBE guide meets you there), and you’re back at the terminal for the morning flight to Anta without crossing Lima traffic once. On Day 16 you fly in from Anta and connect straight to your international flight, so no return night is needed.

Huaraz: Hotel Suizo · one night, Day 2. Huaraz is the climbing hub of the Cordillera Blanca and your last stop with real infrastructure: gear shops, pharmacies, good local food and a strong mountaineering community. Your gear check and expedition briefing happen here, where anything missing can still be bought or rented. It’s also where you draw your cash for the trip.

Carhuaz: Cuesta Serena · three nights, Days 3, 4 and 15. Carhuaz sits lower than Huaraz, at 8,700 ft / 2,650 m. It’s quieter, and closer to Punta Olímpica and Nevado Mateo. Your second duffel waits here while you’re in the mountains, so there are clean clothes, a hot shower and a celebration dinner at the end of Day 15.

At all three hotels:

Full bathrooms with hot showers
Reliable Wi-Fi and power for charging
All meals included, as on the rest of the expedition; alcohol and personal drinks are your own
Laundry service for a fee

Room sharing. Hotel rooms are shared by two climbers as standard. If you’re traveling alone, we pair you with a same-gender teammate wherever possible.

Single rooms. Single rooms in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz are available on request; we’ll quote the cost when you ask. Single tents are not available on the mountain.

If you want an extra night in Lima or Carhuaz before or after the expedition, tell us and we’ll arrange it at your cost.

On the Mountain: Our Camp System

From Cashapampa on Day 5, you move into our expedition camps. On the approach, arrieros and burros carry the loads. Above Base Camp, porters carry group loads all the way to High Camp, so you carry only your personal gear.

Base Camp is the center of the expedition, with a cook team, a dining tent and a dedicated toilet tent. Above it, Moraine Camp and High Camp are simpler, lighter camps with no amenities beyond what the team carries up. BBE staff cook for the team at both.

On the mountain you’ll have:

Two-person sleeping tents at every camp, two clients per tent
Hot meals at every camp, cooked by BBE staff
Treated drinking water
A dining tent and a toilet tent at Base Camp
Starlink in camp for essential contact

You bring your own sleeping bag, an inflatable sleeping pad and a closed-cell foam pad (see the Peru Alpinist Gear List). There are no showers from Base Camp up.

The Camps

Llamacorral · 12,300 ft / 3,750 m · Night 5. Your first night in the Santa Cruz Valley, after the hike up from Cashapampa. A tent camp run by the BBE team, with the cook team on site for dinner and breakfast.

Alpamayo Base Camp · 13,950 ft / 4,250 m · Nights 6–8 and 14. The operational center of the expedition: a well-established camp on protected flat ground below the glacier, with full views of the objective. Full cook team, dining tent, sleeping tents and a dedicated toilet tent. Day 7 is a carry up to Moraine Camp and back, so you sleep here that night, not on the moraine. Expect cold nights.

Moraine Camp · 15,750 ft / 4,800 m · Night 9. A smaller camp on the glacier moraine, with food carried up from Base Camp and cooked by BBE staff. One night here is an important acclimatization step before High Camp.

High Camp · 17,400 ft / 5,300 m · Nights 10–13. Two-person tents in a sheltered position on the col between Alpamayo and Quitaraju. Both summit climbs leave from here. Expect real cold at night, from 14°F to 0°F / −10 to −18°C, colder with wind, and no amenities beyond what the team carries, though BBE staff still cook for the team. This is where the expedition becomes fully real.

Charging and Wi-Fi

In town. Reliable Wi-Fi and power at the Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz hotels.

On the mountain. There’s no reliable power, so charge everything fully before you leave Carhuaz and bring a power bank of 20,000 mAh or more. There’s no Wi-Fi and no cell service. The team’s Starlink unit in camp is a limited connection for essential contact, not for streaming or work. Plan on eight to ten days of minimal connectivity.

Questions About Where You’ll Stay?

Ask us anything about the hotels and camps. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

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Life on the Mountain

“Take care of the mountain, and the mountain will take care of you.” It is the Benegas Brothers’ motto, and the rule we climb by.

The summit is one day. The expedition is sixteen.

Climbers on a snow ridge in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

What separates climbers who thrive from those who merely get through is not fitness or technical skill alone. It is how they handle the daily realities: eating when appetite fades, sleeping poorly at altitude, keeping their gear organized at High Camp, and waiting patiently for the weather and the snow to come right.

Here is what life in the Cordillera Blanca actually looks like—and how to prepare for it.

The Daily Rhythm

The schedule is driven by altitude and weather, not convenience. Below High Camp, most days follow a similar pattern:

Breakfast and hot drinks, then a short briefing from your guide on the day’s plan and how everyone is feeling
Moving at a controlled, deliberate pace, with regular stops for water and food
Arrival at camp, then rest through the afternoon. Sleep if you can
A hot dinner in the dining tent at Base Camp, an evening check-in with your guide, and an early night

With a maximum of four climbers and two guides on climbing days, camp is quiet and focused, and your guide knows exactly how you’re doing.

The Three Kinds of Days

Moving and carry days. The acclimatization hike on Day 3, the approach on Days 5 and 6, the carry to Moraine Camp on Day 7, the moves up on Days 9 and 10, and the descent on Days 14 and 15. Carry and move days mean six to eight hours of movement with your personal pack; porters carry the group loads. Day 4 on Nevado Mateo is the first full day on snow and glacier, and the guides use it to see how each climber is moving.

Rest days (Day 8 at Base Camp, Day 12 at High Camp). Recover, hydrate, eat and organize your gear. On Day 8 the guides may review rope systems, glacier travel and technical procedures. Day 12 is also the weather day and the second chance at Alpamayo. The body adapts during rest, not effort, so don’t treat these days as wasted.

Summit days (Day 11, Alpamayo; Day 13, Quitaraju). Starts between 2:00 and 3:00 AM, to climb while the snow and ice are firm and finish the technical climbing before the afternoon warms the slopes. Alpamayo is 8–10 pitches of 55–70° snow and ice, with descent by rappel. Quitaraju is less steep but much longer, around 12 pitches, and it comes after Alpamayo. The evening before is for an early dinner, packing your summit pack, checking your technical kit and sleeping.

Pacing: The Most Important Skill

On every mountain we guide, slow is fast. Climbers who push hard early struggle later; climbers who move steadily and save energy do better on summit days and enjoy the climb more.

From the first hike above Huaraz, your guide is watching how you move at altitude and helping you find a rhythm you can hold for hours. On the glacier, you climb on a rope with your guide, two climbers to one guide, and the rope team moves at a pace everyone on it can sustain.

BBE tip

When your guide tells you to slow down, slow down. It’s a decision based on watching how you and your teammates are adapting.

What Your Guide Is Watching

Your guide watches every climber every day: pace, breathing, appetite, energy, sleep, mood and how cleanly you’re moving on technical ground. Those observations drive every decision on the mountain, including whether you go for a summit.

Headache, a reduced appetite, broken sleep and mild fatigue are normal above 11,500 ft / 3,500 m. Tell your guide right away, without waiting to see if it gets better, if you have:

A headache that doesn’t ease with water and rest
Nausea or vomiting
Dizziness, confusion or loss of coordination
Shortness of breath at rest
Unusual tiredness
Chest tightness or a persistent cough

Catching altitude illness early is what keeps it manageable. Descent is the treatment, and a climber who needs to go down always goes with a guide. Turning around is a professional decision, not a failure.

Water: Three to Four Liters a Day

Dehydration accelerates altitude symptoms faster than almost anything else, and it’s one of the most preventable reasons climbers struggle.

Water comes from glacial streams and snowmelt and is treated in camp.
Drink at least three to four liters a day on mountain days.
Carry two 1-liter wide-mouth bottles in insulated covers, and a thermos of something hot on summit days.
Don’t rely on a hydration bladder: the hose freezes.
Electrolyte packets help you drink more.

BBE tip

Start drinking before you feel thirsty. At altitude, by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already behind.

Eating When You Don’t Feel Like It

Appetite drops above 13,100 ft / 4,000 m, and food tastes different. That’s normal. Eat anyway, little and often. Your body needs fuel to acclimatize, recover and climb.

The kitchen. All meals are included, from Lima through the mountain phase. At Llamacorral and Base Camp, our Peruvian cook team serves hot food in the dining tent: soups, rice, pasta, quinoa dishes, protein and hot drinks. Above Base Camp, meals are simpler, built from food carried up from Base Camp, and BBE staff cook for the team at Moraine Camp and High Camp too.

Dietary needs. We can accommodate dietary restrictions. Tell us before departure.

The night before a summit. Favor carbohydrates and calorie-dense food, and skip a heavy meal.

Your own snacks. Bring 3–4 lb of snacks you already know you like for carry and summit days: bars, gels, nuts, dried fruit. You can top up in Huaraz. Familiar flavors cut through a poor appetite.

Sleeping at Altitude

Light sleep, vivid dreams and waking in the night are common above 13,100 ft / 4,000 m. That’s normal. Four nights at High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, are the most demanding part of the expedition, and they’re why the days below it aren’t rushed.

What helps:

Sleep on both pads: the inflatable on top of the closed-cell foam pad.
Put tomorrow’s layers and boot liners inside your sleeping bag so they’re warm in the morning.
Sleep with your water bottles in your bag so they don’t freeze.
Keep your headlamp and gloves within reach.
Bring earplugs.
Use a pee bottle rather than going out into the cold at night.
Skip alcohol in town before the mountain. It disrupts sleep and dehydrates you.

Hygiene and Toilets

Take your hot showers in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz. From Base Camp up there are none; biodegradable wet wipes and a quick-dry towel cover the rest until Carhuaz on Day 15.

Base Camp has a dedicated toilet tent. Above Base Camp, the guides brief the team on human-waste protocols. Follow them exactly, and bring a small stash of toilet paper and waste bags.

Two things matter more than anything else:

Wash or sanitize your hands before every meal. A stomach bug spreads quickly through a small team and can end a climb.
Protect yourself from the sun from Day 1. Equatorial sun plus glacier reflection burns fast, even on overcast days. Put on high-SPF sunscreen before you leave camp and reapply on long days. Glacier glasses with side shields are mandatory.

Keeping Yourself Organized

Arrieros, burros and porters carry the group loads, and the team builds the camps. Your job is your own system:

Pack your duffel and have it ready for the arrieros or porters when camp moves
Pack your own pack each morning on carry, move and summit days
Keep your harness, crampons, tools, personal anchor and belay device together and ready, so an alpine start doesn’t begin with a search
Know where your headlamp, gloves and summit layers are
Keep batteries, electronics and water bottles warm at night

Climbers who stay organized save energy every day, and at High Camp at 2:00 AM that matters.

Staying in Touch and Charging

There’s no cell service on the mountain and no Wi-Fi. Our camps have Starlink, a limited connection for essential contact: enough for a short message home and for the guides to check the forecast, not enough to work remotely. The guide team also carries satellite and radio communications for safety and coordination on the mountain. Plan on eight to ten days of minimal connectivity.

There’s no reliable power on the mountain. Charge everything in Carhuaz, bring a power bank of 20,000 mAh or more, and keep it warm at night; cold drains batteries quickly. We set up a WhatsApp group for each expedition. Tell your family before you leave that a quiet day or two, especially around summit days, is normal and not a sign of a problem.

Downtime

Afternoons at Base Camp and rest days at High Camp are long. A book, a journal, cards or downloaded podcasts make them pass easily, and rest is doing real work.

Weather and Changes to the Plan

BBE runs this expedition in June and July, the heart of the Cordillera Blanca dry season: stable high pressure, cold clear days and little precipitation. Even so, mornings are usually clear and afternoons can build cloud above 15,000 ft, which is why summit days start so early.

Typical temperatures:

Huaraz and Carhuaz: 40–60°F / 4–15°C by day; 30–40°F / −1 to 4°C at night
Base Camp: 35–55°F / 2–13°C by day; 20–32°F / −7 to 0°C at night
High Camp: 14°F to 0°F / −10 to −18°C at night, colder with wind
Summit days: wind chill is highly variable, from calm to extreme

Day 12 at High Camp is the built-in buffer. If weather or conditions stop the Alpamayo attempt on Day 11, Day 12 is the second chance. If Alpamayo takes Day 12, Quitaraju on Day 13 comes straight after a summit day rather than a rest day, and the guides decide based on how the team is actually moving. If Alpamayo is crowded, the guides may climb Quitaraju first.

On Alpamayo, whether the team can step onto the true summit depends on the cornice, which changes every season. Your guide decides on the day. If conditions are unsafe, the guides adjust the plan or turn the team around. Safety comes before the schedule, and no one can promise a summit.

Andean Culture

The Cordillera Blanca sits in the Ancash region, one of Peru’s most culturally rich areas, with Andean heritage that predates the Inca. The communities around Cashapampa and the Santa Cruz Valley live and work in these mountains.

Greet the people you meet on the trail; “buenos días” or “buenas tardes” is always right. BBE works with local arrieros, cooks and porters throughout the expedition, and some of them have worked with BBE since the early 2000s. Engaging with them respectfully is part of being a good guest in their mountains.

Leave No Trace

Pack it in, pack it out. All waste is managed and carried out. Leave every campsite as you found it or better. The high environment of the Cordillera Blanca is fragile and shared, and how we travel through it matters.

Questions About What the Days Actually Feel Like?

Ask a guide who has lived them. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

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Peru Alpinist Gear List

This expedition takes you from sea level in Lima to High Camp at 17,400 ft / 5,300 m, with two technical summits on sustained snow and ice. On Alpamayo and Quitaraju your equipment is part of the safety margin, not a comfort question. This page explains how to build and test your systems. The full list, every item with recommended models, is a download you can print and take shopping.

Request the Peru Alpinist Gear List (PDF)

What the Weather Does

June and July are the heart of the Cordillera Blanca dry season: cold, clear days and little precipitation. Your clothing has to work across all of this:

Huaraz and Carhuaz, 8,700–10,000 ft / 2,650–3,050 m: 40–60°F / 4–15°C by day with strong sun; 30–40°F / −1 to 4°C at night
Base Camp, 13,950 ft / 4,250 m: 35–55°F / 2–13°C by day; 20–32°F / −7 to 0°C at night
Moraine Camp, 15,750 ft / 4,800 m: 32–46°F / 0–8°C by day; 14–23°F / −10 to −5°C at night
High Camp, 17,400 ft / 5,300 m: 23–41°F / −5 to 5°C by day; 14°F to 0°F / −10 to −18°C at night, colder with wind
Summits, 19,511–19,816 ft / 5,947–6,040 m: 5–23°F / −15 to −5°C on 2–3 AM starts, with wind chill anywhere from calm to extreme

How to Think About Your Gear

Alpamayo and Quitaraju are technical alpine objectives, not high-altitude walk-ups. Above High Camp you’ll be on rope, on ice tools and on rappels, and everything you wear and carry has to work in the cold while your hands are busy climbing. Technical terrain exposes gear gaps immediately: a boot that flexes wrong on 60° ice, a glove system that fails at a belay, a harness you haven’t adjusted over your layers. There is no shop above Huaraz to fix any of them.

Most climbers at this level already own their technical kit. Bring what you know and trust. Every item on the list is required unless it’s marked optional or recommended; for most items many brands work, so use our recommendations as a starting point.

Layering is the rule for clothing. Several thin layers control warmth and moisture better than one bulky piece. No cotton, anywhere.

The Three Items Worth Investing In

Mountaineering boots. Insulated double or hybrid boots, rigid-soled and fully compatible with technical crampons, worn in on real terrain. They have to stay warm through a 2:00 AM start at 17,400 ft / 5,300 m and stay precise on 55–70° ice. Fit your crampons to them before you fly. This is the one item you can’t count on renting at the last minute.

Sleeping bag. Expedition-quality goose down rated to −10°F / −23°C. You spend four nights at High Camp, where nights reach 14°F to 0°F / −10 to −18°C, colder with wind. Good sleep there is part of summit performance.

Your glove system. Liners, midweight gloves, insulated technical gloves you can swing a tool and handle a rope in, heavyweight mittens for belays and the hours before sunrise, and a spare pair. Test them with your tools at home. Cold, clumsy hands on a steep face are a safety problem, not just a comfort one.

Your Systems

Technical. Helmet that fits over a hat or balaclava; harness with adjustable leg loops; steel technical crampons with anti-balling plates; a pair of technical ice tools (your only axes on this trip) with leashes that clip them to your harness; belay/rappel device; mechanical ascender for fixed lines; three locking and three non-locking carabiners; 5 m of 6 mm accessory cord; an adjustable personal anchor; a 120 cm sling; and adjustable trekking poles with snow baskets, essential on the Santa Cruz approach and descents.

Feet. Mountaineering boots, approach or hiking shoes for the Santa Cruz Valley, liner socks (optional), four pairs of hiking socks, three pairs of warm socks (a fresh, dry pair for each summit day) and camp shoes.

Sleep. Your sleeping bag, a full-length insulated inflatable pad (required) with its repair kit, a closed-cell foam pad to go underneath on snow, and a compression sack.

Layers: upper body. A sun hoody, a base-layer top, a midweight fleece, a light puffy jacket, a softshell jacket, a waterproof hard shell with a helmet-compatible hood, and an expedition down parka for High Camp nights and belays. Carry the parka on both summit days.

Layers: lower body. Non-cotton underwear, lightweight and midweight base-layer bottoms, trekking pants for the approach, softshell pants for climbing days, hard-shell pants with full side zips, insulated pants (recommended) and shorts (optional).

Head and eyes. Sun hat, warm beanie (one must fit under your helmet), buff and balaclava. Glacier glasses with side shields and category 4 lenses are mandatory. Add goggles for wind, and clear glasses for alpine starts in the dark.

Packs and bags. A 90–120 L expedition duffel, a 40–70 L second duffel, a 45–55 L alpine pack that does everything from the carry to both summits, and an optional small daypack for town.

Water and camp. Two 1 L wide-mouth bottles with insulated covers, a thermos, a pee bottle (female climbers: a pee funnel is highly recommended), a bowl, mug and spoon, electrolyte packets, 3–4 lb of snacks and six sets of hand and toe warmers. No hydration bladders; the hoses freeze.

Power and electronics. A headlamp of 300+ lumens with spare lithium batteries, a power bank of 20,000 mAh or more, and cables and an adapter. Peru uses Type A and C plugs at 220 V.

Health and hygiene. SPF 50+ sunscreen, SPF lip balm, hand sanitizer, biodegradable wet wipes, a small toilet-paper stash and waste bags, a blister kit, a small personal first aid kit, earplugs, a quick-dry towel and your personal medications. Talk to your physician about altitude medication. The PDF lists the full kit.

How Your Gear Travels

Pack in two duffels, not your pack; baggage handling damages straps. Keep each duffel under 23 kg, the limit for each of the two bags included on the Lima–Anta flight.

Main duffel: everything for the mountain. It goes up the Santa Cruz Valley with the arrieros and burros. Above Base Camp, porters carry group loads to High Camp.
Second duffel: city clothes and a clean change. It waits at the hotel in Carhuaz until Day 15.
Your alpine pack: you carry your personal gear only, on carry, move and summit days.

Crampons and ice tools must be checked on every flight, never carried on. Keep medications and one set of climbing layers in your carry-on. Flights & Getting to Lima has the full baggage guidance.

Test Everything Before You Go

Nothing should be used for the first time on the ice above High Camp. Test your full system together at home:

Boots with your crampons, on real terrain
Gloves with your tools, including clipping and unclipping carabiners
Harness over your full layering, with your personal anchor and belay device set up
Your helmet over a beanie or balaclava
A night in your sleeping bag on both pads

Problems found at home are easy to fix. Problems found at High Camp are not.

What BBE Provides

You don’t bring any group equipment. BBE provides:

Ropes, pickets, ice screws and fixed-line hardware
Group rescue equipment
Sleeping tents at every camp, and a dining tent and toilet tent at Base Camp
The cook team and all meals, cities included
Treated water on the mountain
Burros, arrieros and porters
A comprehensive medical kit on all climbing days
Starlink in camp for essential contact

Renting Gear in Huaraz

Huaraz is a well-established mountaineering hub with reliable outfitters. Crampons, ice tools, harnesses and sleeping bags can all be rented there. Tell us at least three weeks before departure so we can confirm availability and reserve what you need. Rentals aren’t included in the expedition price.

Boots are the exception. Fit matters too much to leave to chance. If you plan to rent boots, tell us when you book so we can plan a proper fitting. Never wear rental boots for the first time on the mountain.

The Gear Check

You don’t have to get this perfect on your own. On the afternoon of Day 2 in Huaraz, your guides go through your full kit: technical hardware, layering system and boots. Anything missing, doubtful or worn out is found while the outfitters are still on hand to rent or sell it. Send us questions about specific items at any point before the trip.

Request the Peru Alpinist Gear List (PDF)

Questions About Gear?

Gear questions are exactly what Ask a Guide is for. Back to Before You Go · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

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What to Budget For

The expedition price is one number, and it’s on Dates & Prices with departures and booking terms. The real cost of the trip is another. This page lays out every cost beyond the price: what you must pay, what we strongly recommend, what’s optional and what to hold in reserve. Then you arrive in Lima with nothing left to figure out.

Beyond the price, most climbers spend$1,800–2,400

On the items in this guide.

Cash to carry$1,000–1,500

Within that budget. Tips are cash only.

Emergency reserve$500–1,000

On top.

Your Budget at a Glance

RequiredCosts every climber pays

Rescue & evacuation coverageRequired by BBE · to 6,040 m and helicopter rescue$850–900
Flights to LimaYou book these · extra baggage is yoursVaries
Personal gearDepends on what you already ownVaries
Crew tipsGuides, cooks, porters and arrieros · details below$655–940

Tips: How They Work

A small team runs this expedition: your IFMGA-certified lead guide and guide team, the Peruvian cook team, porters above Base Camp, and the arrieros who bring the loads up the Santa Cruz Valley with their burros. Some of them have worked with BBE since the early 2000s.

Guidelines per climber:

Guide team: 7–10% of the expedition price, shared across the full guide team
Cook team: $25–35 for the full expedition
Porters: $20–30 for the carry days
Arrieros: $15–25 for the approach and descent

Total per climber: about $655–940 at the current expedition price. You’re always free to give more for great service.

How it works. Tips are given in cash at the end of the expedition. US dollars and Peruvian soles are both welcome. The team collects tips as a group and hands them to the lead guide, who distributes them fairly. This is standard practice on Andean expeditions.

Cash and Cards

Plan on roughly $1,000–1,500 in cash across the trip. That covers the full tip budget, snacks and town incidentals. Tips are cash only.

Where to get it. ATMs are widely available in Lima and Huaraz. There are none past Carhuaz, so draw what you need in Huaraz on Day 2, or bring it from home.
Which currency. A mix of soles and small US bills works well. Pay for things in soles; businesses that take dollars use poor rates.
Which bills. Bring clean, undamaged US bills. Torn or marked notes can be hard to exchange.
Cards. Visa and Mastercard work at hotels and restaurants in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz. On the mountain, it’s cash only. Tell your bank you’re traveling.

Carry your cash in a money belt while you travel. Your emergency reserve can sit on a credit card.

Contingency

Emergency reserve: $500–1,000. On a credit card or in cash, beyond your planned spending. It covers an extra night after a flight delay, a medical cost your insurance doesn’t, or anything unexpected. It usually goes home with you.

Disruption costs. If a flight is delayed or cancelled, or you need to leave the expedition early, extra hotel nights, transfers, meals and flight changes are your cost, and unused expedition services are not refunded. Trip insurance is what usually covers these. Leaving-early and cancellation terms are on Dates & Prices.

More cost details for this trip

What the Expedition Price Covers

In short: Certified guide leadership (IFMGA, AMGA or equivalent national certification), round-trip Lima–Anta flights with two 23 kg checked bags, all transfers in Peru, five hotel nights in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz, all meals from Lima through the mountain phase, the cook team, burros, arrieros and porters, group technical and camp equipment, the Huascarán National Park permit and park fees, and a comprehensive group medical kit. The controlling list of inclusions and exclusions is on Dates & Prices.

Strongly Recommended

Trip insurance: varies. Cancellation, interruption, delays, baggage and travel medical. The cost depends on your trip cost, age and the coverage you choose, so it isn’t in the totals below. It’s a different product from rescue coverage; you need both.

Personal Spending

Snacks and summit food: $40–80. 3–4 lb of bars, gels, nuts and dried fruit you already like. You can top up in Huaraz.

Personal medications: $20–60.

Drinks, shopping and town incidentals: $200–400. All meals are included, so this covers alcohol and personal drinks, souvenirs, laundry and small purchases in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz.

Optional Costs

Extra hotel nights in Lima or Carhuaz: about $60–180 a night. If you add a buffer day before the expedition, or a night in Lima before flying home after Day 16.

Gear rentals in Huaraz. Crampons, ice tools, harnesses and sleeping bags. Tell us at least three weeks ahead.

Single room in town. Available on request; we’ll quote the cost when you ask. See Where You’ll Stay.

Private and custom extensions. Extra objectives or more time in the range are quoted individually. See Private & Custom Expeditions.

Budget Summary

Beyond the expedition price, typical ranges in US dollars:

Rescue and evacuation coverage$850–900 · required

Crew tips$655–940

Snacks and summit food$40–80

Personal medications$20–60

Drinks, shopping and incidentals$200–400

Most climbers spend about $1,800–2,400 on these items. That total does not include international flights, personal gear, rentals, trip insurance, extra nights or your emergency reserve.

Cash to carry: roughly $1,000–1,500, within that budget. Emergency reserve: $500–1,000, on top.

Questions About Costs?

If you’d like a breakdown for your own situation, ask. We’d rather you plan it right than guess. See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Private & Custom Expeditions

Peru Alpinist: Alpamayo & Quitaraju · Your Dates, Your Team, Your Objective

Our scheduled Alpamayo & Quitaraju expedition gives motivated alpinists a proven structure, a small team and experienced leadership. Not every climber fits a fixed departure. If you have a specific goal, your own partner or group, a different timeline or an objective beyond the standard program, we build the expedition around you, with the same guide standards, camp system and local crews as every BBE departure in the Cordillera Blanca.

Private does not mean easier, and it does not mean more advanced. It means the expedition is designed around your team.

Who Private Climbs Suit

Solo climbers who want one-to-one guiding, with a guide’s full attention on their pace, technique and safety
Partners and small groups who want to climb only with each other
Climbers who need dates outside the scheduled departures
Climbers using Peru as preparation for a bigger objective, such as Denali or an 8,000-meter peak
Climbers whose main goal is skill: steep ice, crevasse rescue or moving efficiently at altitude
Climbers who want another Cordillera Blanca objective instead of, or as well as, Alpamayo and Quitaraju

What You Can Customize

Dates. Our scheduled departures run in June and July, the heart of the Cordillera Blanca dry season. Private expeditions run on dates you request; we confirm feasibility for the season and conditions. We’ll tell you honestly how the range looks for the dates you have in mind.

Team size and staffing. From one climber with one guide to a private team of your own. Guides, porters, arrieros and the cook team are planned for your team size and objective, and that shapes the proposal.

Route and objectives. You can climb Alpamayo and Quitaraju with your own team, or build a program around another objective in the range: Chopicalqui (20,846 ft / 6,354 m), Artesonraju or others, depending on your goals and experience. We’ll tell you plainly what each objective asks of you and how it fits your background.

Pace and acclimatization. A private climb lets the daily pace fit your team, and your previous high-altitude experience is part of how we plan it. It doesn’t shorten what your body needs. We won’t build a private itinerary with less acclimatization than these mountains require, and a private climb doesn’t change the fact that no one can promise a summit.

Extensions and skills-focused programs. More time in the range before the technical peaks means better preparation, and we build extended acclimatization programs for climbers heading toward Himalayan objectives. If your main goal is steep ice technique, crevasse rescue or high-altitude movement systems rather than a particular summit, we design the program around that.

Led by Willie or Damian

Willie or Damian Benegas can personally lead a private Peru expedition on request. We started working in Peru in 1996, and a founder-led climb puts that experience on the rope with you, subject to their schedules.

A founder’s participation applies only when it is confirmed in writing in your trip terms, never assumed.

How a Proposal Comes Together

Every private expedition is quoted individually. The price depends on the objective, the number of days, your team size, staffing and the level of support from porters, arrieros and the cook team.

Private expeditions need lead time for domestic flights, park permits, guide scheduling and the local crew. The earlier you reach out, the more options we can offer.

How to Start

Tell us what you have in mind

Tell us your goals, your group, your timeline and your technical experience, and whether you’d like Willie or Damian to lead. We’ll tell you honestly what’s possible, and if something else should come first, we’ll say that too. We answer every inquiry personally. See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

Ask a guide

Dates & Prices

Peru Alpinist: Alpamayo & Quitaraju · 16 Days · Cordillera Blanca, Peru · Maximum Four Climbers

Everything you need to book: departures, the price, what it covers and the terms. If you’re still deciding, start with Is This for Me? or talk to a guide first. Every climber speaks with us before booking.

Expedition price$8,500

USD per person.

Deposit to book20%

Of the expedition price. Includes a $350 non-refundable booking fee.

Balance120 days

Due 120 days before departure. Inside 120 days, you pay in full at booking.

2027 Departures

June 13–28, 2027Scheduled departure

July 1–16, 2027Scheduled departure

Each departure takes a maximum of four climbers, with a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on climbing days. A departure is confirmed when we tell you so in writing. Please buy nonrefundable flights only after your departure is confirmed. When it’s full, it closes.

Day 1 is arrival in Lima, by evening at the latest, and Day 16 is the flight home from Lima. The full itinerary is on Day by Day.

When to Climb

We run this expedition in June and July, the heart of the Cordillera Blanca dry season. Stable high pressure, cold clear days and low precipitation define this window. Even in the dry season, afternoons can build cloud above 15,000 feet, which is one reason summit days start before dawn. No month guarantees good weather, and the itinerary carries a weather day at High Camp.

What’s Included — and What Isn’t

Included in the price

Before you go

Preparation guidance and training recommendations from our guide team
An equipment consultation and the Peru Alpinist gear list

In Peru

Your room at the Lima airport hotel on Day 1, reached by the hotel shuttle from Jorge Chávez, where your BBE guide meets you; then every transfer from Day 2 through your departure on Day 16
Round-trip flights between Lima and Anta, with two checked bags of up to 23 kg each. We book these for you.
All ground transportation on the itinerary, between Anta, Huaraz, Carhuaz and the trailhead
Five hotel nights on a shared room basis: one in Lima at the Wyndham Costa del Sol Lima Airport, one in Huaraz at Hotel Suizo, and three in Carhuaz at Cuesta Serena
All meals for the full expedition: Lima, Huaraz, Carhuaz and the mountain phase
Huascarán National Park permit and park fees

On the mountain

An IFMGA-certified lead guide on every departure, and a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on all climbing days
Porters carrying group loads all the way to High Camp, so you carry personal gear only
Burros and arrieros carrying loads on the approach and the walk out
BBE cook staff at every camp, including Moraine Camp and High Camp, with hot meals in the dining tent at Base Camp
Group technical gear: ropes, snow pickets, ice screws, and fixed-line and group rescue equipment
Group camp systems: sleeping tents at every camp, plus a dining tent and toilet tent at Base Camp
A comprehensive group medical kit on all climbing days, and satellite and radio communication within the team
Starlink in camp: a limited connection, enough to message home and pull current weather. There is no cell service on the mountain.

Not included

International flights to and from Lima
Excess or extra baggage on any flight, including a third bag or overweight bag on the Lima–Anta flights, paid to the airline
Rescue and medical evacuation insurance (required) and trip insurance (strongly recommended)
Personal gear and clothing, and any rentals in Huaraz
Tips for the guide team, cook team, porters and arrieros
Alcoholic beverages and personal drink purchases
Personal snacks and summit-day food
A single room in Lima, Huaraz or Carhuaz (available on request; we’ll quote the cost when you ask)
Extra hotel nights outside the itinerary, including a Lima night on Day 16 if you choose one
Costs of leaving the expedition early, and costs from delays or circumstances beyond the expedition’s control
Personal expenses

What each of these typically costs is on What to Budget For.

Your Total Trip Cost

The expedition price is the biggest number, not the only one. Typical ranges per climber, in U.S. dollars:

Expedition price$8,500

Typical costs beyond the price$1,800–2,400

Typical total, before flights and gearabout $10,300–10,900

Not included in that total: international flights, personal gear, rentals, trip insurance, extra nights or your emergency reserve. The full breakdown is on What to Budget For.

Payment & Cancellation

Deposit: $1,700 (20% of the trip price), due at booking. $350 of it is a nonrefundable booking fee.

Balance: $6,800, due 120 days before the start date. Booking within 120 days? Full payment is due at booking.

How to pay: bank transfer/ACH (no fee), wire transfer (you pay the bank fees) or credit card (3% surcharge). All prices are in U.S. dollars.

If you cancel:

121 days or more before the start date: full refund, less the $350 booking fee
90 to 120 days: 50% refund, after the $350 booking fee
89 days or fewer: no refund

Can’t make it? Send a qualified climber in your place at no BBE fee.

Insurance: medical and rescue/evacuation coverage required. Trip cancellation insurance strongly recommended.

Once the trip begins, payments are nonrefundable.

Read the full Payment & Cancellation Policy →

Insurance

Rescue and medical evacuation coverage is required. Your policy must cover helicopter rescue, high-altitude mountaineering up to 19,816 ft / 6,040 m on Quitaraju, and international medical transport. If you use Global Rescue, that means its High-Altitude Evacuation Package, which it requires above 15,000 ft / 4,600 m. Email your insurance certificate to climbing@benegasbrothers.com before departure.

Coverage pays for a rescue; it can’t guarantee one. Evacuation from the mountain always depends on weather and conditions.

Trip insurance is strongly recommended. In many situations it’s the only way to recover costs from disruptions outside anyone’s control. See Trip Insurance & Evacuation Coverage.

Private Departures

A private expedition runs on your dates, with your own team or one-to-one with a guide. It can follow this program or build in other objectives in the range, such as Chopicalqui or Artesonraju.

Led by Willie or Damian Benegas: on request, priced individually. A founder’s participation applies only when it is confirmed in writing in your trip terms.

Every private expedition is priced individually, based on objective, length, team size and level of support. See Private & Custom Expeditions.

Why Book Early

The main reason is preparation time. This expedition asks for four to six months of structured training from a solid base, and the climbers who arrive most ready had that time to build fitness, sharpen their skills on steep snow and ice, and test their gear as a system.

Each departure also takes no more than four climbers. Once you’ve paid in full, you can book your international flights to Lima and arrange insurance without rushing either.

Ready to Book?

Your Questions

Peru Alpinist: Alpamayo & Quitaraju · Answered by the Guides

Straight answers to the questions climbers ask most before committing to Alpamayo and Quitaraju. Each answer is short and points you to the page with the full detail. If your question isn’t here, ask us. We answer every inquiry personally.

Still have a question? Ask a guide · See dates and prices · climbing@benegasbrothers.com

This is an advanced alpine expedition, not an introduction to mountaineering. Alpamayo’s southwest face runs 8 to 10 pitches of 55- to 70-degree snow and ice, with the descent by rappel. Quitaraju is less steep but much longer, around 12 pitches, and it comes after Alpamayo. You should arrive comfortable on crampons at 45 degrees and above, swinging ice tools at WI2/WI3, travelling roped on glaciers with crevasse-rescue basics, and belaying, rappelling and building anchors. You should also have been above 15,000 ft before. See Is This for Me?

Very hard. Summit days start around 2 to 3 AM and run 10 to 14 hours on limited sleep, on technical terrain at altitude. Porters carry the group loads, but by the time the hard climbing starts you’ll have climbed Nevado Mateo and hiked two days into the valley. Plan on four to six months of structured training from a solid base. Arriving fit is the single most important thing you can do. See Is This for Me?

Tell us what you’ve climbed, how you train and what terrain you’re comfortable on. If Peru is the right objective, we’ll say so. If something should come first, that’s not a rejection. It’s a sequence. The Ecuador Mountaineering School builds glacier and steep-snow skills with instruction built in, Bolivia adds technical peaks at altitude, and Aconcagua teaches you how your body handles real altitude. Come back to Alpamayo ready, and the experience will be completely different.

The minimum age is set by Peru’s regulations and by insurance: climbers under 18 climb with a parent or guardian, and each climber’s insurance must cover their age. Families are welcome: younger climbers can join a scheduled team with a parent or guardian, or come on a private family expedition built around your family, and if a special permit is needed, we’ll help you apply. Fitness, skills and health matter far more than age, and every climber completes a medical history in the Registration Form.

No vaccines are required for Peru for most travelers. Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly recommended, so see a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go. Talk to your physician about altitude medication well before departure. See Your Expedition Checklist.

Sixteen days, airport to airport in Lima. You fly to Anta on Day 2, climb Nevado Mateo on Day 4, hike into the Santa Cruz Valley on Day 5, and are at High Camp on Day 10. Alpamayo is planned for Day 11 and Quitaraju for Day 13, with a weather day between them. See Day by Day.

In June and July, the heart of the Cordillera Blanca dry season. Current 2027 departures are on Dates & Prices. If you need different dates or have your own team, ask about a private expedition.

It depends on the cornice, and the cornice changes every season. Some years the true summit is reachable; in others the safe top-out is the summit ridge just below it. Your guide makes that call on the day, based on what the mountain looks like that season.

Alpamayo is a popular ice line, and on good-weather days its fixed lines can be crowded. Waiting in a queue on 55- to 70-degree ice burns daylight and safety margin. Our guides read the traffic before committing. If Alpamayo looks crowded, we may climb Quitaraju first and go for Alpamayo once it clears. Your guide will walk you through the decision as it happens.

Carhuaz sits lower than Huaraz, at 8,700 ft / 2,650 m. It’s quieter and closer to Punta Olímpica and Nevado Mateo, so you sleep lower and rest better between acclimatization days. You still spend your first night in Huaraz, where the gear check and briefing happen. See Where You’ll Stay.

One night at an airport hotel in Lima, one in Huaraz and three in Carhuaz, all shared rooms. On the mountain you sleep in our tent camps at Llamacorral, Alpamayo Base Camp, Moraine Camp and High Camp on the col at 17,400 ft / 5,300 m. See Where You’ll Stay.

We don’t publish a success rate. Results depend on the season, the weather window and how the team is climbing, and a single number would hide all of that. What moves the odds: arriving trained and skilled, a weather day that doubles as a second chance at Alpamayo, a 2:1 ratio, and guides who read the route and the team every day. Whether the team goes on to Quitaraju depends on how everyone is holding up after Alpamayo. Ask a guide and we’ll talk you through recent seasons.

The summit is the goal, not the contract. Altitude, weather, route conditions and how the team is moving all play a part, and no one can promise a summit. What we can promise is that you’ll be coached and supported throughout, and that every call is made with your safety first. Turning around at the right moment is a professional decision, not a failure.

Altitude illness is real and unpredictable, and fitness doesn’t prevent it. The itinerary builds gradually: Huaraz at 10,000 ft, Nevado Mateo at 16,900 ft with a return to sleep low in Carhuaz, then nearly a week working up through Base Camp (13,950 ft) and Moraine Camp (15,750 ft) before High Camp at 17,400 ft. Guides check every climber daily and call for descent if symptoms require it. See Life on the Mountain.

Tell your guide early. Small problems managed quickly rarely become big ones. The team carries a comprehensive medical kit and satellite and radio communication, and descent is the first treatment for altitude illness. Evacuation depends on weather and conditions and is never guaranteed, which is why rescue and evacuation coverage is required. See Trip Insurance & Evacuation Coverage.

The itinerary carries a dedicated weather day at High Camp on Day 12, which doubles as a second attempt at Alpamayo. If a window closes, we wait. If it reopens, we move. If it never comes, we make the call that’s right for the team. We won’t push a team into dangerous conditions to keep a schedule.

No. Porters carry the group loads all the way to High Camp, and burros carry loads on the approach. You carry your personal gear. Moving even a personal pack between 15,000 and 17,400 feet is still real work, so train for it. See Life on the Mountain.

Hot, filling meals from our Peruvian cook team: soups, rice, pasta, quinoa dishes, protein and hot drinks. All meals are included from Lima through the mountain phase. Bring your own snacks for carry and summit days, and tell us about dietary needs in advance. See Life on the Mountain.

There is no cell service on the mountain. Our camps have Starlink, a limited connection that’s enough to message home and pull current weather, not for work. Plan for about a week and a half of minimal contact and tell your family that quiet days are normal.

Yes. Many BBE clients sign up on their own. You’ll climb in a small team of no more than four, share a tent with one teammate, and get to know your team fast.

A maximum of four climbers, with a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on climbing days. Every departure is led by an IFMGA-certified guide, and every guide on our Peru team has climbed in and knows the Cordillera Blanca. Porters, arrieros and cooks support the expedition; we don’t count them as climbing guides.

On steep ice above 17,000 feet, the ratio decides how fast a rope team moves, how much terrain a guide can watch, and whether the plan can change when conditions do. Small teams also acclimatize better and communicate more clearly. You won’t disappear into the group.

Scheduled departures are led by BBE’s IFMGA-certified guide team, run to the same standards. Willie or Damian can personally lead a private Peru expedition on request, confirmed in writing in your trip terms. See Private & Custom Expeditions.

Yes. A private expedition runs on your dates with your own team or one-to-one with a guide, and can add objectives such as Chopicalqui or Artesonraju, extended acclimatization or a skills focus. See Private & Custom Expeditions.

The expedition price is on Dates & Prices. On top of it, plan for international flights, required rescue coverage, trip insurance, tips, gear and personal spending. What to Budget For lays it all out.

Certified guide leadership (IFMGA, AMGA or equivalent national certification), round-trip flights between Lima and Anta with two 23 kg bags, all ground transfers, hotel nights in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz, all meals, porters to High Camp, burros and arrieros, the cook team, group technical gear and tents, and the Huascarán National Park permit and fees. The full list is on Dates & Prices.

International flights to Lima and any extra baggage, rescue and evacuation insurance (required) and trip insurance (strongly recommended), personal gear and rentals, tips, alcohol and personal drinks, personal snacks, and extra nights. What to Budget For has typical ranges for each.

Tipping is expected and is a real part of how guides, cooks, porters and arrieros earn their living. Tips are cash only. Most climbers carry roughly $1,000 to $1,500 in cash across the trip. There are no ATMs past Carhuaz, so draw what you need in Huaraz on Day 2. See What to Budget For.

Yes. Rescue and medical evacuation coverage is required, and your policy must cover helicopter rescue and high-altitude mountaineering up to 19,816 ft on Quitaraju. If you use Global Rescue, that means its High-Altitude Evacuation Package. Trip insurance is strongly recommended. See Trip Insurance & Evacuation Coverage.

A 20% deposit reserves your place, and the balance is due 120 days before departure. Cancellations must be in writing. Refunds depend on how much notice you give, and the fixed booking fee is non-refundable. Full terms are on Dates & Prices. Trip-cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.

Lima, Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM). Arrive on Day 1 by evening at the latest, because the team flies to Anta the next morning. Take the hotel shuttle to the Wyndham Costa del Sol, the airport hotel, where a room is reserved in your name and your BBE guide meets you. A buffer day before the trip is strongly recommended. On Day 16 we fly back to Lima, so book your flight home for that evening or later. See Flights & Getting to Lima.

Once you’ve paid in full. We book the Lima–Anta flights for you; you only book your international flights to and from Lima. Changeable fares are worth considering. See Flights & Getting to Lima.

The road from Lima to Huaraz is the backup, about eight hours by private vehicle, and the itinerary has room to absorb it.

U.S., Canadian, UK and EU citizens don’t need a visa for a tourist stay; immigration sets your length of stay at the border, typically 90 days. Your passport must be valid six months beyond entry, with a blank page for the entry stamp. There’s no digital pre-arrival form. If you hold another passport, check with a Peruvian consulate before booking flights. See Flights & Getting to Lima.

Single rooms in Lima, Huaraz and Carhuaz are available on request; we’ll quote the cost when you ask. On the mountain, all climbers share tents.

Yes. Bring two duffels. The second holds city clothes and stays at the hotel in Carhuaz while you’re on the mountain, waiting for you on Day 15.

Yes, in Huaraz: crampons, ice tools, harnesses and sleeping bags. Tell us at least three weeks before departure. Boots are the exception. If you plan to rent them, tell us when you book, and never wear rental boots for the first time on the mountain. See the Peru Alpinist Gear List.

Alpamayo can be a complete objective on its own. For many climbers, technical climbing at altitude also opens doors to bigger ranges such as the Himalaya or Alaska. There’s no required ladder. The useful question after Peru is what it taught you about how you climb. Ask a guide what makes sense for you next.

The Carhuaz and Mateo Strategy

Before we enter the Santa Cruz Valley, the team climbs Nevado Mateo. It is a working climb, not a tourist summit. By the time we reach Alpamayo Base Camp, we already know how the team is responding.

Price$8,500 per person

Private & Custom Your dates. Your team.

This trip can run privately, on the dates that work for you.

Scheduled departures

Sunday, Jun 13 - Monday, Jun 28, 2027Scheduled departure
Thursday, Jul 1 - Friday, Jul 16, 2027Scheduled departure

Questions first? Ask a guide

Location:

Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Group:

Maximum 4 climbers

Duration:

16 Days

Skill:

Advanced

Activities:

Expeditions

Book now

Private & Custom

Make Peru Alpinist your own expedition

Every trip we run can also run privately: on your dates, with your people, built around your goal. Same guides, same safety standard as our scheduled departures.

Your dates

We set the departure around your calendar, not the other way round.

Your people

Family, friends, a company team, or just you and a guide.

Your goal

Training for a bigger peak, a winter or speed attempt, a film, or a route that runs from summit to ocean.

Your price

Private trips are quoted for your group size, dates and plan.

Plan a Private Trip
See what private can look like

Peru Alpinist: Alpamayo & Quitaraju

Scheduled Departure

Maximum 4 climbers · 16 days · 3 summits

Price per Person $8,500

Sixteen days from Lima: flights Lima–Anta, hotels and mountain camps, all meals with a cook team, burros and porters to High Camp, and one guide for every two climbers.

Book now

Private & Custom

Your dates · Your team · Your objective

Priced individually On request

A private expedition runs on your dates, with your own team or one-to-one with a guide. It can follow this program or build in other objectives in the range, such as Chopicalqui or Artesonraju.

Book now

The BBE Advantage

Nevado Mateo First

Before either summit, the team climbs Nevado Mateo, a real glaciated summit that does the early acclimatization work.

Two Summits, One High Camp

Alpamayo and Quitaraju, both climbed from the same High Camp on the col between them, with a weather day between the two summit days.

Two climbers in helmets smiling on a granite summit with jagged peaks behind

Four Climbers, Two Guides

Every scheduled departure is capped at four climbers, with a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio on climbing days.

Professional Mountain Standards

Our guide team includes internationally and nationally certified mountain professionals.

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Peru Alpinist

The Climb

The Mountains

Why the Cordillera Blanca: Skills First, Altitude Second

The Carhuaz and Mateo Strategy

Acclimatization: Climb High, Sleep Low

Why Four Climbers

The Guide Team

We Started Working in Peru in 1996

1996

20 ascents of Alpamayo

Since the early 2000s

Today

Safety and Communications

Who This Climb Suits

Where Peru Can Lead

Ready for Alpamayo & Quitaraju?

Tell us about your climbing

Day by Day

The 16 Days at a Glance

Day 1 — Arrive in Lima

Day 2 — Fly to Anta, Transfer to Huaraz

Day 3 — Acclimatization Hike, Transfer to Carhuaz

Day 4 — Nevado Mateo

Day 5 — Cashapampa to Llamacorral

Day 6 — Alpamayo Base Camp

Day 7 — Load Carry to Moraine Camp

Day 8 — Rest Day at Base Camp

Day 9 — Move to Moraine Camp

Day 10 — Move to High Camp

Day 11 — Alpamayo Summit

Day 12 — Rest or Weather Day

Day 13 — Quitaraju Summit

Day 14 — Descend to Base Camp

Day 15 — Hike Out to Cashapampa, Drive to Carhuaz

Day 16 — Fly to Lima and Home

Good to Know

Weather and Flexibility

The Team Behind the Team

Keep Planning

Is This for Me?

Alpamayo & Quitaraju at a Glance

Technical Difficulty vs. What Actually Makes It Hard

Experience: What’s Required

Fitness: Can You Do These?

What You Carry

Camping, Cold and Recovery

What Will Feel Hard

The Summit Days in Brief

Patience and Following Guide Decisions

Is This the Right Climb for You?

How to Prepare

Not Ready Yet? Better Starting Points

Still Deciding?

Talk to a guide

Before You Go

Preparing for Alpamayo & Quitaraju: Start Here

Three Things to Know Now

Your Seven Preparation Guides

Your Preparation Timeline

When you book

120 days before departure

Once you’ve paid in full

4–8 weeks before

At least 3 weeks before

The final 2 weeks

Arrival day

Still Deciding?

Questions While You Prepare?

Your Expedition Checklist

Your Paperwork at a Glance

At Booking

Complete at Booking

Park Fees and Permits: Who Does What

Entry to Peru

Health Preparation

Gear and Rentals

Travel

The Final Two Weeks

Bring With You to Peru