​Rob - Trekked in 2005, 2006, 2007...

I have trekked Huayuash with Abner and his brother Alcides three times with different friends. I met him as a result of being unhappy with the service of a Huaraz agency and deciding to organize a trip myself. One of the many advantages of doing a trek this way is you can tailor it to your needs, buy your own food, and have a say in choosing the route.

Something no agency will offer is the opportunity to stay in the family home before setting off, or for a really incredible experience, start from Abner's farm 3.500m in the hills above Chiquian. From there it was 3 days before we saw any other trekkers! Abner treats his animals exceptionally carefully, our donkeys were never laden like we saw in other groups. On my last trip we encountered other groups having all sorts of problems; missing equipment, donkeys falling over etc, but we felt in very safe hands.
Financially we were very satisfied as every cost is accounted for; guide, cook, donkeys, mule for riding/safety, so all added up we knew where our money was going - directly to the people who did the work, rather than an agency who pockets your money and pays the drivers a pittance!
I've lots of experience trekking in different countries and can't recommend Abner highly enough. Huayuash is a tough walk as it's a long way and can be very cold at night, but the walking is not that hard, only a couple of days require some serious slogging, and there are a couple of passes around 5000m, but the scenery, mountains and lakes are spectacular and if you have time I recommend you insert a couple of rest days, or take it at a leisurely pace to absorb the experience.