The Pastoruri Glacier is a popular destination in Peru, and one of the best attractions to check out when you’re visiting Huaraz. It’s one of the most easily accessible glaciers in the country. And when you visit, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported into another world. 

The landscape and terrain around the glacier is so rugged and void. You’ll see the snow capped peaks starkly contrasting with the black lava rock. There are also icy blue lagunas and even a unique red pond near the glacier. 

Despite sitting at over 17,000 feet (5,200 meters), this glacier is rapidly melting due to climate change. In the last few decades, it has receded significantly and is no longer gaining any ice in winter. Scientists say it will be gone in 7-10 years. So if you want to see this glacier, there’s no better time than now!

To find out everything you need to know before checking the Pastoruri Glacier off your bucket list then keep on reading!

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Where is the Pastoruri Glacier?

The Pastoruri Glacier is located within Huascaran National Park in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in central Peru. 

It’s only about 45 miles or 70 kilometers to the south of Huaraz. 

How to Visit Pastoruri Glacier

The most common and recommended way for tourists to visit the Pastoruri Glacier is by booking a tour.

Most hostels can help you book a tour, or you can shop around in Huaraz at different agencies to find the best deal. You can also easily book your tour online for a decent price if you’re booking it last minute.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit the Cordillera Blanca region of Peru is during the dry season which is the winter months (May-September). The dry season brings more clear sunny days perfect for hiking and viewing the Pastoruri Glacier.

The wet season in the summer (October-April) will bring fewer crowds but more clouds, rain, and even snow. It’s also common for roads to get washed out in heavy rain in the wet season.

So especially if you’re visiting this area for the first time, I’d recommend going during the dry season.

Things to Know Before Visiting

• Make sure you are properly acclimatized. The highest point you’ll hike to is about 16,500 feet. Huaraz is only at about 10,000 ft. So you want to make sure to have 2-3 days to rest and acclimatize in the town itself. I’d also recommend doing 1 or 2 hikes at lower elevations beforehand to help you prepare as well. Such as Laguna Paron. 
• Entrance fee to Huascaran National Park is 30 soles. This is not included in the price of your tour. You will have to pay this in cash to your tour guide.
• Bathrooms are onsite at Pastoruri Glacier for 1 sol. So make sure to have some coins on you. 
• Expect the tour to last about 8-9 hours. This includes drive time, all the stops along the way, and the hike. So it’s just about a full day tour, but it’s not as long as the tour to Laguna Paron or Laguna 69. 

Things to Wear/Bring to Pastoruri Glacier

• Layers of clothing. If you get lucky with a clear and sunny day, it’ll get hot pretty quickly. But if you have an overcast day, temps will feel frigid at this altitude. So you’ll want to bring some kind of long sleeve and/or rain jacket that is easy to take off with short sleeves underneath and long pants.
• Sun protection. This includes a hat and sunscreen. The sun is intense at this elevation and it’s so easy to get a sunburn if your skin is exposed to the sun even for as little as 30 minutes. 
• Ibuprofen/ Tylenol and electrolytes to combat any altitude headaches. Even if you’re properly acclimatized, you can still come down with a mild case of altitude sickness that can manifest most commonly as headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and/or fatigue. Electrolytes and pain relievers can help ease symptoms.
• Bring your own meals & plenty of snacks. Your tour will stop at a local restaurant for breakfast and again for lunch on your way back. These meals are not included in the price of your tour. If you want to save some money or have specific dietary needs, bring your own food.
• At least 2L of water per person. It’s always important to stay hydrated, but especially when you’re in high altitude places like this it’s crucial to be drinking water consistently throughout the day.

Driving to Pastoruri Glacier & Attractions

Most tours depart from Huaraz around 8:30 AM. 

We got picked up at our hostel right on time and boarded the tour bus. We began driving for about 50 minutes where we stopped at a small town tourist restaurant called Restaurant Faby Star for breakfast. 

If you want to eat, you will have to pay for a meal. We opted out since we were able to eat at our hostel before leaving. However, we did take advantage of the free bathrooms in the restaurant. 

You’ll stay at the restaurant for about 30-45 minutes then get back on the road.

The drive to the Pastoruri Glacier is incredibly scenic. The mountains are gorgeous. 

And surprisingly, the road isn’t that bad. It’s gravel with some curves, but I didn’t find it nearly as bad as the road to Laguna Rocotuyoc or Laguna Paron. I usually get very motion sick, but I was completely fine on this drive.

Your tour will make a few stops on the way that not only helped us stretch our legs, but take in the views of some really cool parts of the landscape. 

Carbonated Thermal Water 

The first stop on the journey to the glacier is to an overlook deck off the side of the road where you can view carbonated thermal water bubbling out of the Earth. 

As you can see, this water is so hot that it’s boiling. You can also see steam coming up from it. It is naturally carbonated and pumps out gallons of water each day. It has a very high iron content which is what gives it this red color. 

Our group got to hang out here for a good 10 minutes or so before heading to the next stop.

Pumapa Shimin Spring

The next stop was shortly after the thermal water and to another equally as unique natural water phenomenon. 

The Pumapa Shimin Spring is also right off the road. You will have to go up a short wooden staircase to the overlook to see the spring. 

This spring is beautiful and very clear. It’s actually known to have multi-colored effects when the sun rays hit it just right. However, we only got to see various shades of blue and green when we visited.

Puyas Raymondii

From the spring overlook, your tour guide will lead you on a short walk through a field of giant Puya Raymondiis. 

Puya Raymondiis are giant plants native to the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. They can only grow at this specific altitude so that explains why you’ll only see them in certain areas on your drive to the glacier. 

Walking through the Puya Raymondiis is such a unique experience. They make you feel so small. 

These really are incredible plants that can live for an extremely long time. They start out as just little green yucca-looking bushes then they bloom around 70-100 years later where you can see the massive stalk emerge from the top of the plant. They can grow up to about 30 feet tall!

Cave Paintings

This is something that I don’t think many tours stop at, but ours did. When you’re going up to the Pastoruri Glacier, there will be a small area with cave paintings on your right side. So if you want a good look at them, sit on the right side of the bus when you board!

We stopped briefly on our way up to see them, but not on the way back down. 

We were sitting on the left side so we just barely got to see them, but it was still pretty cool. 

Hiking to Pastoruri Glacier

After the cave paintings, it’s only another 30 minutes in the bus or so before reaching the trailhead for the Pastoruri Glacier.

The trail itself is very easy terrain. It’s almost completely paved with the exception of a section at the very end near the glacier. 

You’re also free to hike at your own pace, you don’t have to be with your tour group the entire time. Just make sure you’re listening and take notice when your guide yells out that their group is heading back. 

Trail Stats

• 2.5 miles round trip
• 700 feet elevation gain
• 1.5-2 hours duration
• Moderate-hard level

These stats may make this trail not look too terribly difficult, but at an altitude of 16,000 feet, everything is going to feel hard. Even if you’re properly acclimated.

Just be aware of your body and if you experience any severe altitude sickness symptoms, make sure to tell your tour guide. They should have canned oxygen on hand for cases like that which should help a lot.

Thankfully, we had no issues other than shortness of breath which is pretty common. It’s going to feel hard to breathe at this elevation. 

Option to Take a Horseback Ride

If hiking seems too difficult, they do offer horseback rides to the glacier. 

I believe these are about 15 soles (about $5 USD) per person. 

We didn’t do this so I can’t say for sure what the experience is like, but we did see quite a few people opting for the horseback ride instead of the hike. 

Viewing Pastoruri Glacier

Once you’ve arrived at the viewpoint, you’re welcome to explore the area a little bit where you can go off trail, but it’s important not to go past the ropes. Or else you’ll get a whistle blown at you. 

Since this glacier is no longer gaining any ice and constantly losing volume, you are not allowed to walk on it anymore. In the early 2000s, the glacier was so huge that people could go skiing on it!

We had a good 30-45 minutes at the glacier which I thought was sufficient. We did get to the viewpoint before most others in our group though. 

Is the Pastoruri Glacier Worth Visiting?

I would say the Pastoruri Glacier is absolutely worth visiting. Especially since it’s not going to be around forever, you’ll want to make a point to check it out when you’re in Huaraz. I hope this post gave you some more insight as to what to expect when you visit and thank you so much for reading!