Ishinca snowy mountain is located in the massif of Chinchey, at the bottom of the canyon of the same name. Ishincha is one of the most visited peaks of the Cordillera Blanca and rises between two spectacular and gigantic mountains: Ranrapalca and Palcaraju.
Ishinca is a classic acclimatization mountain, because it allows to reach a good altitude in a short time, through an easy route. As opposed to its neighbor Urus, this one presents a long and beautiful route through a glacier with few crevasses and penitents. Due to its access, Ishinca is ideal for beginners to mountaineering. Its summit has a nice view of the snowy mountains Tocllaraju, Palcaraju and the Ranrapalca and can be considered as an initial acclimatization objective, prior to any mountain, even better if is the first climb before climbing mountains of the same Ishinca valley.
Huaraz (Google Map)
7:00 am (Pick up at your hotel)
Participants must be in excellent physical condition to join this climb. Andean Raju Expeditions recommends previous and constant preparation as a crucial factor to take on this challenge, then, the physical stress caused by the days of climbing will be minimized.
We strongly advise all participants to have an adequate training plan in gyms, outdoor sports, climbing peaks, bearing weight and long day hikes.
If you would like our advice, we can provide you a training plan after evaluation of your experience in hiking and sporting activity.
You must have knowledge of glacier progression, you must have a knowledge of mountain rescue, safety and equipment management. These skills allow you to optimize your safety and generate a collaborative work with our guides during the climb.
Participants should have experience in altitude the last week prior to the start the climbing Ishinca, which ensures adequate acclimatization and conditioning of the body to the altitude. It is recommended to stay above 4,000 masl before starting the climb.
We suggest an acclimatization program before your expedition, it can be mountains of the Cordillera Blanca with a minimum of 3 days of anticipation. We recommend acclimatization at Churup lake or previous climbing in Mateo peak.
Our expedition starts in Huaraz, we will pick you up at your hotel with private transportation. After pick up we will head north through the Huaylas valley to Paltay village, from this point we will turn off with the transport to the east side by a road towards Pashpa village. Our donkey driver and donkeys will be waiting for us to transfer the logistic equipment to the campsite. To get to Ishinca base camp we will hike through a plain all along the Ishinca canyon, we will be able to observe the vegetation and the glacier river on the trail. After 3 hours of walking we will be able to see the Palcaraju massif and its peaks, then we will continue along the trail until we reach the impressive Tocllaraju snowy mountain.
Finally, after a total of 4 hours of hiking, we will arrive at our campsite.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Box lunch, lunch and dinner
Transfer by car: 2 hours
Estimated hiking time: 4 to 5 hours.
Elevation: +1250 (3100 masl to 4350 masl)
The long awaited day has arrived, it’s summit day. We will start hiking in zigzagging until we reach the Longori bivouac located at 5000m high. We will make a short rest stop in this place and then continue through a rocky area. After 3 hours of walking, we will get to the glacier, at this place we will equip ourselves, our guide will make an inspection of everything necessary for climbing and finally we will rope up to continue the route. We will continue making traverses to overcome crevasses and reach the pass Ranrapalca – Ishinca and we will stop for a short rest. We continue climbing and after approximately 4 hours we will reach the summit to enjoy a splendid view of the colossal mountains that surround us: Ranrapalca, Palcaraju, Tocllaraju, Pucaranra, Chinchey and other 5 miles as the Urus, Akillpo and more.
We will stay at the summit some time to rest, hydrate and take pictures. Finally we will go down by the same route of ascension, we will arrive to our camp, we will eat and rest.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Breakfast, box lunch, lunch and dinner.
Estimated hikking and climbing time: 8 to 10 hours.
Elevation: +1350 (4200 masl to 5550 masl)
Our expedition has come to an end… After breakfast we dismantle the tent for the return down, the donkey driver and donkeys are ready to carry all the logistic equipment. We hike downhill through the Ishinca canyon until we reach Pashpa village. The transport will be waiting for us at this point to transfer us to Huaraz.
Lodging: Mountain tents.
Meals: Breakfast
Estimated hiking time: 4 hours
Transfer by car: 2 hours back to Huaraz.
Elevation: -1250 (4350 masl to 3100 masl)
