After an awesome few days relaxing by the beach, we headed back towards the highlands to Huaraz. We took an all night bus and arrived around 5 am the next morning with our fingers crossed that the hostel would let us check in early and get some sleep. To our suprise, we were able to get straight in bed and sleep through the morning.

Sidenote: We stayed at a hostel called Churup which I happened to find in Julie’s Lonely Planet book. It wasn’t listed on the booking websites and they only take reservations through their personal webpage. Anywho, the point I’m getting to is that it is by far one of the nicest hostels we’ve found in our 9 months in South America. Its close to the center of town, has incredible views of its surroundings, a fireplace, and an awesome staff. The atmosphere is great, its really cozy, and we probably could have stayed there for months. Click here for their website.

After getting some good rest and waking up to the most glorious, clear day, we decided we needed to be outside. Having started the day a little late, most of the day hikes were out of the question requiring a full 10-12 hours but the guys at the hostel told us of a short day hike through the Cordillera Negra. It would take us up to Laguna Willcacocha and give us a panoramic view of Huaraz and the Cordillera Blanca. We were sold on the idea and hopped into a cab that took us to the trailhead. We were the only ones on the trail which led us through a series of farms with incredible views until we reached the top.We enjoyed lunch with the cordilleras and a few new dog friends before heading back to town. We were all smiles the whole way back as this was a definite highlight of our time in Peru. **If you’re looking for a short, easy day hike while in Huaraz this is a great one. Tell the taxi that you want to go to Laguna Willcacocha. They will drop you off near a small tienda where you will follow the road for a ways. Keep a look out for the trailhead as it is not clearly marked. Enjoy!