Alpamayo is in many people’s minds the most beautiful mountain in the world, and the goal of this expedition is to climb the peak’s elegant Southwest Face. After a meeting in Lima and repacking expedition gear in Huaras, we drive north to the Santa Cruz Valley where we begin our trek into base camp. With the bulk of our gear on animals, we gradually acclimatize as we ascend the valley beneath some of the famous peaks of the Cordillera Blanca – the enormous Santa Cruz, Artesonraju, and the very imposing pyramid of Kitaraju.






