Cordillera Blanca, Peru · 3 days · 31 miles
3 days alone over Punta Unión in Peru's Cordillera Blanca.
Watch the film · 391K viewsReal pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.
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Get Day 2 freeMy GPS recording of 3 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.
Elevation, start to finish: highest 15,530 ft (4,735 m), lowest 9,630 ft (2,935 m).
In November 2019 I hiked the Santa Cruz Trek alone, from Vaquería over the Punta Unión pass to Cashapampa in Peru's Cordillera Blanca: 31 miles in three days with a tent. It's the trip from my film Hiking 30 miles on the Santa Cruz Trek in Peru. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, plus the park's 2026 tickets and rules, how I got there from Lima through Huaraz and Yungay, the camp heights for acclimatizing, and a four-day plan.
Watch the film on YouTube (391K views).
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I carried everything myself, with no mule, in November 2019. Here's my kit from the film's gear list, what I'd take now, and what I filmed with. I left an extra bag with clothes and my laptop at a hostel in Yungay.
From my film's original gear list.
What I'd add for this trek from my current kit.
What I filmed this trip with in 2019. My setup is much smaller now (below). If you want to fly a drone, ask the park office first: see Before you go, check these.
Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.
Everything I carry now: my gear page.
Free sample + packing list
Huaripampa over Punta Unión to Taullipampa
The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.
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I'm making guides for more of my hikes, and I host a group trip about once a year. Get an email when a new guide or trip is out. A few emails a year.