Climbing in Pachar

The Sacred Valley has several amazing climbing spots.

My practice multi-pitch with Jaseh, before we tackled the tower.

Serious climbers go to Huaraz and Pitumarca, but there are also some great walls in the Sacred Valley.

My first experience climbing in the Sacred Valley was in Pachar.

I went with climbing guide Jaseh Munelo who has been climbing for more than 16 years and who has been a licensed guide in Peru for five years. Check out reviews of his services on his website.

It was an exciting afternoon of climbing!

Transportation included

Jaseh picked me up in his truck in Urubamba and drove me to the climbing site near the village of Pachar. Total travel time from Cusco: 2 hours.

The approach

We walked along an irrigation canal between fields of corn to get to the climbing site.

There are over a dozen bolted routes in this section, with everything from beginner routes for learning to advanced routes rated 8a and above.

The practice climb

We first went to a beginner route so Jaseh could see that I know what I’m doing.

The practice rappel

Jaseh made sure that I’m comfortable walking myself backwards down what we’ve just climbed.

We hadn’t climbed together before, so I also needed to see his climbing and guiding skills. He is definitely up to date on the newest and best climbing practices, so I not only felt safe, I can also unconditionally recommend him as a great guide.

We did a little practice multipitch climb and Jaseh checked that I know how to use all the gear. Then we packed up and walked about 15 minutes to a tower to climb a route called the Franco-alemán. That’s Spanish for French-German, but Jaseh doesn’t know how it got that name. Your guess is as good as mine.

Route map

All the route maps here are in Spanish but even without much Spanish you can understand 47 metros and “grado” 6a.

The tower

The Franco-alemán route is a multi pitch climb. From this angle it doesn’t look halfway up, but the top of the first pitch is near the cactus that are growing out of the right side of the tower.

 The first pitch up the spire went smoothly but as we prepared for the second pitch, Jaseh reminded me that we would need the walkie talkies. It was late enough in the afternoon that the wind would pick up before we got to the top. Also, he wouldn’t be able to see me as I climbed up the second pitch because he would be belaying me from a spot up on the top of the tower.

Halfway up

You can’t really tell how high up I am until you see how small my backpack is below me.

 Despite a few gusts of wind and having to use the walkie talkies a couple times, the second pitch went smoothly too. The climbing itself wasn’t hard because the rock is rough enough that there were plenty of handholds and just about everything was a good foothold. It’s rated an easy 6a.

Anchored in to belay

Anchored next to the cactus, halfway up, I belayed Jaseh as he climbed the second pitch up the tower.

 I first learned to climb about 30 years ago, when I was twelve years old. Getting back into climbing now is fun and makes me feel like a kid again. I’m a lot stronger than I was then, and more confident, so in some ways climbing is much easier now.

At the top

The view from the top was amazing, but it was late afternoon so we didn’t stay long.

 The biggest difference from climbing the Black Cliffs in Boise, Idaho and climbing in Peru is the medical assistance and the search and rescue capabilities available. Peru does not have a medical system comparable to what’s available in the US, especially not in the Sacred Valley. While climbing safety is essential anywhere, it’s critical in Peru. Having an experienced guide who knows the routes and is hyper focused on safety is everything here. Jaseh is definitely experienced, and I can attest to him being hyper focused on safety.

If I do need medical help though, I’ll use my SafetyWing travel insurance. Learn more about SafetyWing here.

Headed down

I followed Jaseh down the tower, rappelling down in a fraction of the time it took me to climb up.

 If you’re interested in climbing in the Sacred Valley, I highly recommend Jaseh! Contact him on Instagram or on his website.