Punta Pumacocha – 4,990m

This pass is an absolute beast! Anyone who’s finding the gentle, paved climbs on the main roads in Peru not quite taxing enough…make a beeline for Pumacocha. It all begins easily enough if coming from the north and the unrivalled Rio Cañete, with a 500m paved climb to Laraos. Here the pista ends, but the climb continues on a good dirt road to Laguna Pumacocha. The top 4km are at an AVERAGE gradient of 10.5%, which gives the lungs a good workout, seeing as you’re at nearly 5000m!

When we crossed the pass the surface on the south side was in bad condition, but at least if you climb up this way, it’s not nearly as steep…

On 4990m Punta Pumacocha

Name of Pass Punta Pumacocha
Where Between Laraos (27km) and Don Mario Mine (22km)
GPS Co-ords 12.380 S, 75.640 W
Altitude 4,990m
Amount climbed 2,200m (550m on paving) in 5 hours from the paving by the Rio Cañete