Pastoruri Glacier
Pastoruri Glacier
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
205 reviews
Excellent
126
Very good
61
Average
14
Poor
4
Terrible
0
MOSKINNY
Mexico City, Mexico39 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
Absolutely breathtaking! We bought our tour on Denomades but the agency that took us there was Golden Expeditions, so it might be better to buy directly from them. Comfortable van with about 12 tourists plus 2 staff.
You need to prepare for this trip, do drink coca mate/tea since days before (it stimulates you so don’t take at night). Start your trip in Cusco for some days so you begin getting adjusted to the height. We did and never felt sick, only a little short breathed after physical effort. Do place the coca leaves in your mouth once you get to the glacier, it will help you with the upwards long walk. You don’t chew, just leave them between your teeth and cheek.
On your way there van will stop at a small town restaurant to get snacks and place your order for lunch on your way back. You’ll not be sure you’ll want to eat here since it’s not an “urban” area, DO eat here! It turned out to be our best meal in Huaraz. Surprisingly well organized, amazing food taste-presentation-amount-quality. We sincerely congratulated the owner.
On your way to Pastoruri you’ll enjoy amazing views and make very short stops at sparking water and many colors small lake (5 min each). When you get to Pastoruri do get the horse ride for the half way to the glacier, it’s not about being fit enough but the height that makes any effort much harder. The glacier is amazing! So beautifull! Also the lakes and mountains. It’s sad to know that it probably won’t be there in 10 years due to global warming, you literally see it melting like rain inside the cave under it.
It’s not easy to get to Huaraz but it’s absolutely worth it after seeing Pastoruri, Llanganuco and Yungay (Campo Santo).
You need to prepare for this trip, do drink coca mate/tea since days before (it stimulates you so don’t take at night). Start your trip in Cusco for some days so you begin getting adjusted to the height. We did and never felt sick, only a little short breathed after physical effort. Do place the coca leaves in your mouth once you get to the glacier, it will help you with the upwards long walk. You don’t chew, just leave them between your teeth and cheek.
On your way there van will stop at a small town restaurant to get snacks and place your order for lunch on your way back. You’ll not be sure you’ll want to eat here since it’s not an “urban” area, DO eat here! It turned out to be our best meal in Huaraz. Surprisingly well organized, amazing food taste-presentation-amount-quality. We sincerely congratulated the owner.
On your way to Pastoruri you’ll enjoy amazing views and make very short stops at sparking water and many colors small lake (5 min each). When you get to Pastoruri do get the horse ride for the half way to the glacier, it’s not about being fit enough but the height that makes any effort much harder. The glacier is amazing! So beautifull! Also the lakes and mountains. It’s sad to know that it probably won’t be there in 10 years due to global warming, you literally see it melting like rain inside the cave under it.
It’s not easy to get to Huaraz but it’s absolutely worth it after seeing Pastoruri, Llanganuco and Yungay (Campo Santo).
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DieterVL
46 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
Probably about a 30-45 min hike up a superb path (Iceland style) or you could take a horse up and come back down walking or with a horse. Going up with a horse per couple so 2 horses costs 15 soles. Back down again 15 soles.
Glacier is melting, so be fast. Go now.
Going there the transport costs you about 40 soles and the entrance of the park 10 soles.
Glacier is melting, so be fast. Go now.
Going there the transport costs you about 40 soles and the entrance of the park 10 soles.
Written March 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Enjoy611
Swiss Alps, Switzerland71 contributions
Mar 2017 • Friends
they will drive you with bus up to the parking spot on 5000m and then you have to walk to the glacier landscape for depending on your ALTITUDE fitness level 20min-1h.
the landscape is amazing!
the landscape is amazing!
Written May 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt_Choquette
Ottawa, Canada4 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
amazing. great view of course. fresh air. just a boy and his thoughts and the mountains what more could you ask for
Written March 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alek C
Melbourne, Australia976 contributions
Jul 2016 • Solo
The glacier has retreated significantly over the last few decades but is still worth seeing before it goes completely.
It's best done via a one day tour which costs 35 Soles. The tour leaves at 10.00am (9.00am pick up) and gets back around 5.30 to 6.00pm.
Note that the glacier is at an altitude of 5000m and there's a 45 to 60min walk to it and 30 to 40min return walk. So if you're not aclimatized or can't handle the altitude best to avoid.
You also get to stop at several great points along the way in the National Park.
Only point to note about the tour is that due to timing for travel etc you don't get to stop for lunch until 4.30pm so bring some snacks.
It's best done via a one day tour which costs 35 Soles. The tour leaves at 10.00am (9.00am pick up) and gets back around 5.30 to 6.00pm.
Note that the glacier is at an altitude of 5000m and there's a 45 to 60min walk to it and 30 to 40min return walk. So if you're not aclimatized or can't handle the altitude best to avoid.
You also get to stop at several great points along the way in the National Park.
Only point to note about the tour is that due to timing for travel etc you don't get to stop for lunch until 4.30pm so bring some snacks.
Written July 22, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
12CPV
Sydney, Australia56 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
Although the glacier has receded greatly over the past few decades, it is still beautiful, impressive and worth visiting. However, what marred our experience was a frustrating bus ride and strange organisation by the tour company.
We booked our day tour through Eco Ice tours and paid S45 (+ Huascaran National Park entry) but it doesn't make a difference who you book with - all the agents just throw you on the same bus anyway. Frustratingly, we got to the bus station at 8:30am as advised to get decent seats, but firstly, the "guide" (not really a guide on the hike, just a guy who was in charge) had already informally reserved all the front seats for some locals (his friends?) who arrived about an hour later. Secondly, the bus didn't depart until around 10am! After only 30 minutes of driving, the bus pulled over for a 30-minute break at a road-side restaurant... completely unnecessary. We saw other tourist buses to the glacier do the same.
Along the way we stopped briefly to see the puya raymondi, a special plant that only flowers once in its 100-year life. Upon our arrival at the path to the glacier, we got off the bus and started walking. Having spent the past two weeks in Peru trekking at high altitudes, we were well acclimatised by the time we got to the glacier, so the walk up was brief – maybe 10-15 minutes. However, we did see many people wait for horses to take them up! We got to spend a decent amount of time at the glacier (c. 1 hour) and have a picnic there, however if you are not so well acclimatised and take longer to climb up, you probably wouldn’t get to spend as much time enjoying the glacier.
On our way back to Huaraz, there was yet ANOTHER break at the same restaurant, only this time the break was for around an hour while everyone ordered something to eat. Why this was necessary, when we were literally only about 30 minutes from Huaraz, was beyond me. Personally I had no desire to eat at an overpriced, depressing restaurant by the road and waste time there when we could have spent it at the glacier or returned directly to Huaraz. My guess is that either there is a deal between the tour companies and the restaurant, or that this was an attempt by the tour company to stretch out the day and sell the trip as a full-day tour - in reality it could have easily just been a half-day tour or a trip where more time is actually spent at the glacier than unwillingly wasting time at this awful restaurant.
We booked our day tour through Eco Ice tours and paid S45 (+ Huascaran National Park entry) but it doesn't make a difference who you book with - all the agents just throw you on the same bus anyway. Frustratingly, we got to the bus station at 8:30am as advised to get decent seats, but firstly, the "guide" (not really a guide on the hike, just a guy who was in charge) had already informally reserved all the front seats for some locals (his friends?) who arrived about an hour later. Secondly, the bus didn't depart until around 10am! After only 30 minutes of driving, the bus pulled over for a 30-minute break at a road-side restaurant... completely unnecessary. We saw other tourist buses to the glacier do the same.
Along the way we stopped briefly to see the puya raymondi, a special plant that only flowers once in its 100-year life. Upon our arrival at the path to the glacier, we got off the bus and started walking. Having spent the past two weeks in Peru trekking at high altitudes, we were well acclimatised by the time we got to the glacier, so the walk up was brief – maybe 10-15 minutes. However, we did see many people wait for horses to take them up! We got to spend a decent amount of time at the glacier (c. 1 hour) and have a picnic there, however if you are not so well acclimatised and take longer to climb up, you probably wouldn’t get to spend as much time enjoying the glacier.
On our way back to Huaraz, there was yet ANOTHER break at the same restaurant, only this time the break was for around an hour while everyone ordered something to eat. Why this was necessary, when we were literally only about 30 minutes from Huaraz, was beyond me. Personally I had no desire to eat at an overpriced, depressing restaurant by the road and waste time there when we could have spent it at the glacier or returned directly to Huaraz. My guess is that either there is a deal between the tour companies and the restaurant, or that this was an attempt by the tour company to stretch out the day and sell the trip as a full-day tour - in reality it could have easily just been a half-day tour or a trip where more time is actually spent at the glacier than unwillingly wasting time at this awful restaurant.
Written August 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick H
Flores, Guatemala70 contributions
Dec 2019
Short hike to the glacier. You can see by maps.me how much it’s melted. Still a great sight with reflections in the lakes around. The tour which most hostels offer which another tour group runs is a bit disappointing. Does it job getting there and back. But on the way back they stop for “lunch” at 5ish for 45mins. Even though you get told to take your lunch. What makes it worst is it’s only about 35 mins away from Huaraz which was frustrating just so the driver and guide could get a free feed I am guessing. Aswell local tourists didn’t seem to care about the no trespassing signs and where touching and grabbing chunks of ice then throwing them on the ground... maybe some of the reason it’s disappearing.
Written December 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alvilro
Lima, Peru45 contributions
Jul 2016 • Family
This is a remote place, but it is easy to get there by car. In fact, if you travel from Lima to Huaraz is recommendable to depart very early in the morning and you will arrive there around 11 o'clock.The trail from the road crosses large plains surrounded by mountains and the views are amazing. You will arrive to the base of the Glacier, and then you can walk about 1 hour to reach the base and see by yourself the effects of climate change. After two hours, you can continue your trip to Huaraz and spend two days visiting another nice places, like Llanganuco lakes, Huascarán National park, "lake 69" or Paron's lake .
Written November 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrs.S.Jones
Guadalajara, Mexico34 contributions
Nov 2015
This glacier was a tour my husband and I did to see how I would do with the very high altitude before Laguna 69. The drive is about 3 hours from Huaraz on a fairly big bus. The road is very twisty and the last hour or so is all gravel so be prepared for a bumpy ride. If you get motion sick you might want to take some dramamine. The bus parks at the bottom of the glacier where there are bathrooms for 1 sole. There are also ladies selling local food and drinks as well as popcorn. The walk up to the glacier we had read (and our guide told us) should take 20-30 minutes. That is only if you are not having problems with the altitude. It took my husband and I 45 minutes to do the walk up the easy concrete trail. Simply because 20 minutes into the walk I had a pounding headache and was very nauseous. Take your time and I promise it is worth the walk. The glacier is much bigger than I thought it was going to be and it is beautiful. You can't touch the glacier or walk on it or anything anymore because it is melting and they are trying to preserve it for as long as possible. Take some gloves, hat and jacket it is cold at the top as you are at somewhere between 16,000- 17,000 ft elevation.
Written December 30, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kaceyg7
Sydney, Australia18 contributions
Sep 2015 • Couples
The positives: the drive into this area is stunning. You enter a different world, like something out of the Lord of the Rings. Craggy mountains and barren rolling hills give way to streams and waterfalls and lakes. The snow capped mountains loom closer as the air gets thinner. My husband and I had done a couple of training hikes in Ecuador and in Huaraz to help acclimatise ourselves and we were thankful for this as the bus drops you at 4800m before you have to walk the next 2.5km to the glacier. With the help of coco leaves tucked under our lips we made it up in about 20mins with little side effects from the altitude. This visit isn't just about the glacier which is as expected.. A large hunk of ice that is gradually melting into the lake around it. The views and surroundings are just as incredible to take in over our pre-packed sandwiches. We enjoyed around 1.5 - 2 hours here which was enough. Pack your warm woollies! We got some snow flurries but otherwise blue skies.
Negatives: it doesn't matter who you book with. You all end up in the same bus. Ours was a Spanish tour which didn't really matter as long as we could understand how long we had at the stops. I'm not a bus tour person so the whole 'everyone off take some pictures then everyone back on again' got a bit tedious on the way up. You stop at a range of sights such as a bubbling thermal lake, the puya plants and some ancient cave drawings. For some reason about an hour out of Huaraz we all get off the bus again at a restaurant which I think is just a toilet break but then find out we are there for an hour. It must be a deal they have with the restaurant as everyone ordered food (at 4pm). We waited in the bus.. Would make more sense just to get back to Huaraz.
All in all a great day trip. Would recommend.
Negatives: it doesn't matter who you book with. You all end up in the same bus. Ours was a Spanish tour which didn't really matter as long as we could understand how long we had at the stops. I'm not a bus tour person so the whole 'everyone off take some pictures then everyone back on again' got a bit tedious on the way up. You stop at a range of sights such as a bubbling thermal lake, the puya plants and some ancient cave drawings. For some reason about an hour out of Huaraz we all get off the bus again at a restaurant which I think is just a toilet break but then find out we are there for an hour. It must be a deal they have with the restaurant as everyone ordered food (at 4pm). We waited in the bus.. Would make more sense just to get back to Huaraz.
All in all a great day trip. Would recommend.
Written September 2, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I will arrive at the airport on Oct. 20th 08:35 a.m.
How can I make the glacier tour for 2 people?
I want to have glacier tour on that day.
Is it available to start the tour on 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.
Is it available to give me pick-up service from the airport, keep our baggage in the bus then start at 9a.m.?
Or after keeping out baggage in the hotel that I booked, and start at 10.a.m. from the hotel not the airport?
Please send me e-mail.
Thanks.
Loking forward to it.
Written August 28, 2016
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