As a company based in Cusco, Peru, we admit that we are a little biased in claiming that our territory is the best place in the world. We acknowledge it. But we also know that the entire continent we call home is filled with some of the best hiking destinations on the planet. South America is renowned for being wild and rugged, harboring vast expanses of untamed nature.

In fact, it boasts more national parks than North and Central America combined: 335 natural reserves. South America is home to the most incredible places you should explore on foot, from the majestic Andes Mountains to the lush rainforests and winding trails that lead to ancient civilizations. In this blog, we have compiled the first part of the list of the best hikes in South America, to discover why these hikes are much more than mere physical journeys.

Immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring beauty of the Inca Trail as you marvel at the ruins of Machu Picchu, feel the vibrant energy of the Amazon rainforest as you venture into the largest natural reserve in the world, or behold the magnificence of Torres del Paine National Park in the Chilean Patagonia. Are you ready to walk with us?

Peru 

1. Cusco Region

We’re going to start with our backyard. It’s one of the world’s top 25 destinations, according to the Traveller’s Choice Awards! It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site surrounded by many UNESCO sites. Namely, it’s home to one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, Machu Picchu. This is Cusco, Peru!

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu

• Hub City: Cusco or Ollantaytambo
• Length: 4 days
• Difficulty: Moderate 
• Max altitude: 4,215 masl / 13,830 ft

The Inca Trail is a modern-day adventure deeply connected to the past! It’s won numerous travel awards and is the most famous hike in South America. The Qhapaq Ñan, as its most recent constructors called it, the Incas, was the 30.000 km road network connecting the Inca Empire from one extreme to the other. These breathtaking paths are indeed a feat of engineering because of the problematic mountain and jungle terrain they were built to traverse.The trail stretched through 6 South American countries, but the most well-known portion today is the part leading from the Sacred Valley of the Incas to Machu Picchu, entering through the Sun Gate or Inti Punku, above the grand city. There’s no better way to experience the cloud forest of the Peruvian Andes!

There’s something still wild and disconnected about these peaks and valleys that draws in travelers from around the world and connects them to something they never knew existed. Being here among the sights and sounds of savage nature and ancient history helps each visitor understand more about themselves and the world around them. If you’re just discovering the Inca Trail for the first time, here’s why you must book your hike right now.

Salkantay Trek + Humantay Lake

• Hub City: Cusco
• Length: 2-5 days
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Max altitude: 4,630 masl / 15,190 ft

The Salkantay Trek offers the best of both worlds. The expedition starts among the grandeur of the Andes’ sacred snowcaps and glacial lakes and goes to the tropical jungle and cloud forest. Namely, you’ll get to visit one of Cusco’s top destinations, Humantay Lake. Lastly, you’re given the best prize, Machu Picchu! National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine named it among the 25 Best Hikes in the World, so it certainly can’t be missed. 

The landscapes on this trail will leave you with your mouth wide open, your camera full of surreal photographs and your heart content. It’s cheaper, less crowded, and less strict than the Inca Trail. On top of all that, the Salkantay Trail offers an opportunity to enjoy exotic glamping, and that can change your experience completely!

Ausangate Trek + Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain

• Hub City: Cusco
• Length: 5-7 days
• Difficulty: Very Challenging
• Max altitude: 5,200 masl / 17,060 ft 

This is another of Peru’s breathtaking treks where the main character is the beautiful scenery offered up by Mother Nature. You’ll start toward the region’s highest and most revered peak: Ausangate Mountain at 6384 meters (20,945 feet). This hike is the Cusco region’s Huayhuash Trek. The peace and tranquility you’ll feel in this astounding place is priceless. 

The Ausangate Trek is full of snowy peaks and multi-colored glacial lakes like nothing you’ve ever seen before, and you’ll also see the famous Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain! You’ll feel like you’re in a movie, but it will be real life. As you rest between difficult stretches of hiking, take time to absorb, in silence, the vitality and wisdom of the lofty mountains around you. A plus of this trek is that you’ll enjoy the relaxing hot springs in Pacchanta with an incomparable Andean mountain view. Be sure to travel with a reputable guide for your safety, as there are several hiking routes in the area, and it’s easy to get lost.

2. Cordillera Huayhuash National Reserve 

Huayhuash Circuit

• Hub City: Huaraz
• Length: 8-12 days
• Difficulty: Very Challenging
• Max altitude: 5,490 masl / 18,010 ft

This unbelievable trek steals the show! It’s the best of the Andes and is considered among the top 10 routes for hikers on the entire globe. Lonely Planet calls it “a high-elevation Eden.” There’s even a book and movie about this place called Touching the Void. It’s one of the best things you can do while you’re in Peru and vying for the #1 spot of all the endless hiking in the country. Lucky for you, it can be enjoyed by experienced mountaineers and healthy, fit, and determined beginners with some training and a great tour company. 

You’ll be astonished to encounter Peru’s most comprehensive mountain range, finding a storybook landscape before your eyes in every direction. Yerupaja’s highest peak rises to 6,630 meters, and many others like it. You’ll feel an energetic wave washing over you from the sacred mountains as you marvel at their bright blue and green lakes, glaciers, and sweeping panoramas of the rugged countryside. Hikers say this route is one in a million; none other they’ve done can compare! There’s no entrance fee, but you’ll have to pay about $60 in camping fees to different communities along the trail. 

3. Huascaran National Park

Santa Cruz Trek + 69 Lake

• Hub City: Huaraz
• Length: 3-4 days
• Difficulty: Moderate 
• Max altitude: 4,760 masl / 15,620 ft

Yet another chance to bathe yourself in the mysterious energy of the Andes, the Santa Cruz Trek winds through the Cordillera Blanca. You’ll hike through one of UNESCO’s Natural World Heritage Sites and Biosphere Reserves. It’s also listed in National Geographic’s Top 20 Treks in the World. The park is home to almost 400 glacial lakes; you’ll see so many of them on your trek. You can book a tour that includes a visit to 69 Lake, the most well-known. 

You’ll be impressed by the 6,000-meter snowy peaks towering over you, surrounding you, and reconnecting you to Mother Earth. You’ll see Peru’s highest peak, Huascaran, at 6770 meters (22,200 feet). Keep a sharp eye out for local wildlife, and take the time to observe the flora of the area flora trek on your own if you’re experienced, or book a tour for ease and peace of mind. You’ll have to pay about a $15 entrance fee for three days or $40 for 4+ days in the Huascaran National Park. 

Chile

1. Torres del Paine National Park

If you’ve heard of any trek in South America besides the Inca Trail, I bet it’s Torres del Paine. And if you haven’t heard the name, I bet you’ve seen the classic picture!

W Trek, O Trek or Q Trek 

• Hub city: Puerto Natales 
• Length: 4+ days (W), 7+ days (O), 8+ days (Q)
• Difficulty: Moderate 
• Max altitude: 755 masl / 2,480 ft (W), 1,240 masl / 4,070 masl (O & Q)

In Torres del Paine National Park, there are 3 treks to choose from to discover the otherworldly postcard scenes of the Paine Massif or Paine Mountain Range. Their names are the shape of the route! The W Trek is the most populated due to its shorter length. It visits the main highlights of the area, including Las Torres (the 3 famous granite towers and the mystical lake at their base), Grey Glacier, Lake Nordenskjold, Paine Grande, the French Valley, and Los Cuernos (the horns). 

For those who want to expand the exploration a bit more, the O Trek is a loop that includes the W Trek but ventures further into the Patagonian wilderness and away from the crowds. Only 70 hikers are allowed per day on this trail. The Q Trek is for those who just can’t get enough: it’s the O Trek plus an extra portion along Lake Pehoe with a panoramic view of the entire Paine Mountain Range (not seen on the other circuits). This corner of the world is a revered UNESCO Biosphere Reserve full of bizarre landforms that amaze any visitor! The entrance fee to the park is about $30. You can stay in free campsites, paid campsites or refuges along the trail. 

Cabo Froward

• Hub City: Punta Arenas
• Length: 5 days
• Difficulty: Very Challenging 
• Max altitude: 340 masl / 1,120 ft

This out-and-back trail is genuinely different from the rest. It’s “the trek to the end of the world,” leading through damp forest paths plus sandy or rocky beaches to the southernmost tip of the American mainland. You’ll have panoramic views of Tierra del Fuego, the Strait of Magellan, and the Cross of the Seas (a tall metal cross marking the end of the mainland)! It should be noted that this trail is highly technical and difficult to complete. If you’re an experienced hiker and avid adventurer, this one could be for you! 

There are 3 big river crossings (6 round trips), and your hiking schedule must be planned according to the tides to be able to cross. You’ll hike over slippery, jagged rocks and must support cold temps. There’s no cell service out there. You’ll need a good map or GPS as the trail isn’t well marked. There’s only wild camping, and you’ll see very few other trekkers, if any. The weather is unpredictable. Hike at your own risk, and be careful of the foxes! You’ll be rewarded with gorgeous, untouched wilderness and peaceful solitude.

2. Cerro Castillo National Park

Las Horquetas Route

• Hub City: Coyhaique
• Length: 4 days
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Max altitude: 1,600 masl / 5,250 ft

Cerro Castillo, or Castle Hill, National Park is one of Chile’s hidden wonders. Its namesake is an imposing mountain in the shape of a majestic castle, of course! Like Torres del Paine National Park, this one is also full of strangely-shaped snowy peaks, icy glaciers, pine forests, winding rivers, deep valleys, mountain passes, and brightly-colored lakes. The difference is that you won’t see as many other hikers along this circuit! You’ll likely see local wildlife: condors, pumas, huemul deer, wild boar, etc. In the park, you’ll have excellent opportunities for stargazing and observing the southern hemisphere’s constellations as you listen to the night sounds. It’s seriously an absolute wonderland! 

The entrance fee is about $32, including three nights of camping accommodation. You’ll also have to pay a fee to private landowners to cross one part of the trail. There are 5 established campsites available, and wild camping is prohibited. Nearby, you can visit the natural caves of Tehuelche and marvel at the centuries-old handprint paintings left behind on the Muro de las Manos (wall of the hands). If you have time, stop off at the Rio Ibanez Waterfall, too.

3. Isla Navarino

Dientes de Navarino Trek

• Hub City: Ushuaia (then ferry to Puerto Williams on Navarino Island)
• Length: 5 days 
• Difficulty: Challenging
• Max altitude: 860 masl / 2,820 ft

Lonely Planet names it among the best hikes in Patagonia, and it’s the southernmost trek in the world! Dientes, which means “teeth,” describes the spiky, mountainous landscape you’ll savor on this Navarino Island trek. Only about 200 people a year traverse this path, so you’ll likely have the heart-stopping landscape – a fabulous opportunity to nurture a deeper connection with nature. Enjoy the imposing peaks, peaceful lakes, lenga trees, bogs, wintery mountain passes, wide-open skies and views of the Beagle Channel from above. 

There are established campsites along the trail but with no services, so wild camping is! Don’t expect support; you must be self-sufficient with your food, water, gear and directions. However, you should check in at the local police station before you leave so that someone knows you’re out there and when to expect you back. Every day will give you a different landscape, so have your camera charged and ready!

Trails that will leave you breathless 

The best hikes in South America are ready to welcome you with open arms and connect you with nature in its purest state. They will open the doors to an unparalleled adventure. Are you ready to experience the greatness of this unique continent?

The post The Most Impressive Hikes in South America [Part 1] appeared first on PERU TRAVEL GUIDE, General Information About Peru.