Peru: The breathtaking hike that is Laguna Llaca

Cooking fried rice at 4.30am seemed like a good idea before my head hit the pillow the night before, but I soon realised that the smell of garlic wasn’t as appetizing before sunrise. Hiking in the rainy season means early starts, and we were up before many partygoers made it home from the night before. In fact, our small group of four watched in stitches of laughter as a group of young men went from potentially having a fight, to hugging each other and then chanting how much they loved each other. Alcohol does funny things to people.

Peru: Laguna Shallap - one of Ancash's hidden treasures

The Ancash Region is renowned for its stunning lakes, yet the 17km return journey to Laguna Shallap gifts you endless opportunities for amazing landscape photography, even before you reach the lake. Laguna Shallap starts in Pitek, at the same place as its more famous neighbour, Laguna Churup. At 4,250m above sea level, it’s been one of the easier hikes I’ve experienced in Peru so far. If you’re a hobby hiker like me, this is a great day hike, though I highly recommend hiking it with others due to the distance and isolation.

Peru: Hiking to the stunning Laguna Ahuac

Burning muscles, cramps and even freaking diarrhoea – it may have been a beautiful Sunday, but this was no walk in the park. I’ve hiked almost 20km in a day, and even though it’s 6km one way, it’s the elevation that gets you. Luckily, I had experienced hikers with me who calmed me down when I started to doubt myself, especially as the air grew thinner. Altitude sickness comes in many stages and symptoms – the mild version makes you breathless, and at my worst so far (which isn’t that bad to be honest), I’ve had jelly legs and felt dizzy enough that I had to sit down.

Peru: Lake Churup in the Huascaran National Park

Lake Churup (Laguna Churup) is a beautiful glacial lake 4,450m above sea level. I’ve been in Huaraz a week, and it just wasn’t long enough for my lungs to adjust to the altitude. A month of relative inactivity has also left me in a less than ideal physical condition – both those factors combined made the hike more challenging to say the least.

The morning began with our landlady, Liliana, helping us catch a taxi and negotiated a price of 10 soles each (NZ$4.50) one way, with the drive taking an hour to Pitek (the start of the track). You can also catch a combi, but you may have to wait until it gets full before they head off. On the drive, we picked up Karina, a German backpacker who just happened to be doing the hike that day too.

It costs 30 soles (NZ$13.50) for entry into the Huascaran National Park, and you can pay that at the start of the track. We paid our driver and he said he would be back at 3pm.