Laguna Llaca, Ancash Region, Peru

5Lishertje 5:00 PM Feb 21, 2020

Beautiful 22km hike to Laguna Llaca (no tour)
OVERALL: * Price: 3 sol (Colectivo from Huaraz to Marian and back) * Positive: did this hike in February 2020 and found it to be both one of the most prettiest as wel as the cheapest around Huaraz. * Negative: encountered quite a few aggressive dogs at the startpoint. GETTING THERE: A taxi could bring you almost all the way up to the lake ($$$) but I think that would be such a shame as I found the hike itself to be one of the prettiest in Huaraz. You just need to take a colectivo to Marian (1,5 sol per person, one-way) and ask when the ‘ultimo colectivo’ is going back to Huaraz (in my case: 6 pm). HIKING ROUTE: To make things easy, just download one of the many available offline maps with hiking trails (I used the app ‘maps.me’ on this hike and it worked perfect) as the route is not that clearly indicated. Once you get dropped off in Marian, start walking uphill towards ‘the Lazy dog inn’. You should pass a blue watertank on you lefthand side and ‘the Lazy dog inn’ on your righthand side, confirming that you are walking in the right direction. After about 30 minutes or so (I was a bit delayed by quite a few aggressive dogs during this part) you should reach an Y-intersection. This is the starting point of the hike, don’t take the car road to the left or right but instead cross it and walk straight into the grass. You’ll see a trail going up (there is also a small sign pointing it out). The trail will lead you across the mountainridge and will eventually fuse again with the car road. At that point, follow the car road for a bit until you reach the official entrance of the national park (with gates). There was no park ranger (free entrance it is) so just go through the gates. Once you’ve entered the park, you can either follow the car road or take a trail up the hill, directly on your righthand side after the gates. I suggest you take the trail, as the car road is longer and more boring. Either way, both roads will lead you to the Llaca valley, which is one of the prettiest I’ve seen around Huaraz! Magnificent green scenery with a fast-flowing glacier river, huge rocks and lots of cows and horses. Follow the water upstream (you might have to jump it a couple of times) and it will guide you to Laguna Llaca. It was by far my most favourite day-hike I did without a tour and/or guide and it only cost me 3 sol!

5Erin 5:00 PM Oct 31, 2016

Great day hike!
Laguna Llaca is a great option for people wanting to get off the beaten path. Although you may run into a few trekkers, it is nothing in comparison to Laguna 69 or Churup. I have spent the last 8 months living and trekking in Huaraz and this is one of my favorite options for a day trek. There is no need to pay for a taxi - from the main market take a collectivo with the label "Marian." Take the collectivo until the last stop, which will be at the entrance to Marian. From Marian go to the left and walk the mainroad until you pass the Lazy Dog Inn. There are signs showing the Lazy Dog, you cannot miss up. About 15 meters from Lazy Dog there is an evident path that goes directly up from the main road. As you look as this path you can see that it will connect you to Laguna Llaca. At the top of this point you will walk a little farther on the road (to the left) before entering the National Park. There is no attendants at the gate so this is a free hike & is an option for free camping! From the park there is an easy path to follow, when in doubt just keep walking through the valley. About the last 1.5 kilometers you will end up on the road again. From the starting point in Marian I would estimate this hike should take you about 2-3 hours each way. I highly recommend it as a place to camp, the Laguna is beautiful and has many spots with even ground where you can set up a tent. I have done this hike a few times and have never ran into any aggressive dogs and have only encountered the loveliest of people. If you finish before four during the months of June - August I highly suggest taking a stop at the Yurac Yacu Cafe for lunch! It is located next to Lazy Dog and has great signs indicating the path.