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Booking and payment
How do I book a trip?
Get in touch with your dates, group size and experience. You’ll receive a written itinerary and a per-person price within 24 hours. Once you’re happy with it, a deposit holds your dates and guide. There is no online checkout and no fixed departure calendar — every trip is organised around you.
How much is the deposit, and how do I pay it?
PLACEHOLDER — confirm A deposit of xx% of the trip price confirms the booking. We accept PayPal and Wise (bank transfer in most currencies). The balance is paid in Huaraz before departure in cash (US dollars or soles) or by transfer. PLACEHOLDER: confirm whether card payment on arrival is possible.
What is your cancellation policy?
PLACEHOLDER — confirm terms If you cancel more than xx days before the start, the deposit is refundable minus transfer fees / transferable to new dates. Inside xx days the deposit is non-refundable because guides, permits and crew have been committed. If we have to cancel because of conditions on the mountain, we offer an alternative objective or a credit.
What happens if the weather stops us summiting?
Weather and conditions are part of mountaineering. Where the itinerary allows we build in a spare day; if a summit isn’t possible we’ll suggest an alternative peak or route. Guide, crew and logistics costs are incurred whether or not the summit is reached, so no refund is given for a weather turnaround — but we will always be honest with you about the forecast before you commit.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes. Insurance covering trekking or mountaineering to the altitude of your trip, including helicopter evacuation, is a condition of booking. We’ll ask for the policy details before departure. PLACEHOLDER: name any insurers commonly used by clients.
Can you arrange a custom itinerary or combine trips?
Absolutely — most clients do. A typical two-week visit is two or three acclimatisation hikes, a trek, then a climb. Tell us how many days you have and we’ll build the schedule.
Getting to Huaraz
Where is Huaraz and how do I get there?
Huaraz sits at 3,050 m in the Callejón de Huaylas, about 400 km north of Lima. Most visitors take a bus from Lima — Cruz del Sur, Oltursa and Movil Tours run comfortable overnight and daytime services taking roughly 8 hours. There are also flights from Lima to Anta airport (ATA), 30 minutes from town; schedules are limited and change often, so check before relying on one. PLACEHOLDER: current flight operator / days.
Can you arrange airport or bus-station pickup?
Yes — tell us your arrival time and we’ll meet you at the bus terminal or airport and take you to your accommodation.
Where should I stay?
Huaraz has everything from hostels to comfortable hotels. We’re happy to recommend places near our usual meeting point and can help you book. PLACEHOLDER: Wilder’s recommended hotels/hostels, and whether accommodation in Huaraz is ever included.
How many days should I allow before a climb or trek?
At least two full days in Huaraz, ideally with one or two day hikes, before any multi-day trek. For 6,000-metre peaks, plan for a week of progressive acclimatisation — typically day hikes followed by a lower peak — before the main objective. We’ll plan this with you.
When is the best time to come?
The dry season, May to September, is the climbing and trekking season — stable weather, cold nights, clear mornings. June to August is the most reliable. Day hikes and tours run year-round; the wet season (December to March) brings afternoon rain and cloud but far fewer people.
What to expect
What is included on a trek?
Private transport from Huaraz, a licensed guide, cook and arriero with donkeys or mules, tents (sleeping, dining and kitchen), all meals and hot drinks in the mountains, and the required park or community entrance fees unless stated otherwise. Sleeping bags, mats and trekking poles can be rented. Each adventure page lists exactly what is and isn’t included.
What is included on a climb?
Guide, transport, base-camp cook and food, tents, and group technical equipment (ropes, snow anchors, ice screws). Personal technical equipment — boots, crampons, harness, helmet, ice axe — can be rented in Huaraz; tell us your sizes in advance. PLACEHOLDER: confirm whether rental of personal gear is included in climb prices.
How fit do I need to be?
Each adventure page carries a difficulty rating from 1 to 5 and a note on the fitness and experience required. As a rule: day hikes suit anyone who walks regularly; multi-day treks need the ability to walk 6–8 hours a day with a daypack at altitude; 5,000-metre climbs require good fitness and a willingness to learn crampon and rope skills; 6,000-metre and technical peaks require previous glacier experience. If you’re unsure, ask — matching people to the right objective is most of the job.
What about altitude sickness?
Everyone feels the altitude at first. Headache, poor sleep and reduced appetite are normal in the first days; the schedule is designed to let your body adjust. Guides are trained to recognise acute mountain sickness and carry PLACEHOLDER: oxygen / medication / pulse oximeter. If symptoms become serious, we descend — no summit is worth it.
What is the food like?
Good. A cook comes on every trek and most climbs: soups, rice, pasta, fresh vegetables, eggs, chicken and trout, plus coca tea, coffee and snacks. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets are easy to cater for with notice.
What should I bring?
We send a full packing list once you book. Essentials: broken-in boots, layered clothing including a warm down jacket, waterproof shell, sun protection (the equatorial sun at 4,500 m is fierce), a headlamp and a 30–40 litre daypack. Nights on the Huayhuash drop below freezing even in July.
How big are the groups?
Private by default. Technical climbs run at a maximum of two clients per guide. If you’d like to join other travellers to share costs on a trek, tell us and we’ll let you know what’s planned around your dates.