Rescue in Peru
It’s better to be safe than to be rescued.
Search and rescue teams in Peru are integrated groups of civilians and military.
If you are considering mountaineering in the Peruvian Andes, come prepared.
Safety in the Peruvian Andes requires planning and knowledge. I hope you never have to be rescued in Peru, but I want you to know that in an emergency, there are a lot of people trained to help.
The best mountaineering in Peru
The Cordillera Blanca is a range of the Andes Mountains that’s north of Lima, in the Áncash region. Most visitors arrive by bus from Lima to the city of Huaraz (8 hours) or fly to the Anta airport near Marcará, an hour north of Huaraz.
Huascarán is the tallest peak in Peru.
Huascarán is the gem of Huascarán National Park at 6,768 meters (22,205 feet) above sea level. It’s a challenging climb and since the mountain has such a wide face, there are several routes up to the peak. The park has another 26 peaks over 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) and all are extremely challenging climbs.
In 2022, I spent a couple weeks in Huaraz and did a lot of day hikes. This is Churupita, my favorite hike.
The Cordillera Blanca has lots of hiking.
The Cordillera Blanca, especially in Huascarán National Park, also has dozens of day hikes and multi-day treks that thousands of people do every day in the dry season from May through September. It’s a very popular place and lots of people who are unfamiliar with the mountains and trails wander around on their own, without a group or guide, like I did on this hike to Churupita.
Lake 69 (4,600m/15,092ft above sea level) is one of the most popular hikes in the Cordillera and from June to August hundreds of people every day hike up here.
The more people who climb and hike, the more accidents there will be.
You don’t have to be an extreme climber to get yourself in a difficult situation in the Cordillera Blanca. The altitude alone can cause you significant health risks if you’re coming directly from sea level and don’t take the time to acclimate before going to altitudes above 4,000 meters (13,123 feet).
In 2022, I climbed the Mateo glacier to 5,150 meters (16,896 feet) above sea level.
What to know before you climb or hike in the Cordillera Blanca?
The most important things are to know your route and be sure you’re acclimated to the altitude. Do not underestimate how hard a lack of oxygen is on your body, especially if you’ve never experienced high altitude before. (Read my Rainbow Mountain blog to learn more about the effects of high altitude). Download a map of the trail on your phone but also get a paper map in case your battery dies or your phone falls in a lake.
Bring emergency supplies like a first aid kit, extra warm layers and extra food and water. Make sure you know how to use everything in your first aid kit and that medications haven’t expired.
My guide for Mateo was Angel Pacco, who I highly recommend! Contact him on WhatsApp +51 958 887 313
Hire a local guide. I can’t stress this enough. Hiring a local guide not only keeps you on the right trail, the right guide can also teach you a lot about local history and culture. Even more important, local guides know how to contact emergency services if necessary. Read my travel tip about hiring local guides.
Do emergency beacons work in Peru?
Yes, Garmin inReach and other emergency beacons and satellite communicators work in Peru. The signal is received at a command center in Lima, from where rescues are coordinated. In the Cordillera Blanca, rescue teams are generally sent from Huaraz and can include guides trained in Search and Rescue (SAR), local and national police, paramedics and the military.
Having a local guide with you can speed up this process and get help sooner.
In most rescues, mountain guides will get you down off the mountain to where paramedics can drive an ambulance or to where the Peruvian Air Force can land a helicopter.
Who will rescue you in Peru?
If you need to be rescued in the Cordillera Blanca, guides, police and paramedics from Huaraz are usually the first on the scene. These local SAR experts live and work in the Cordillera Blanca and most know every trail, peak and glacier in the area. They train regularly to evacuate people in distress from all kinds of accidents and emergencies.
Peruvian Special Forces train and operate in the most extreme conditions: high altitude mountains and dense jungle.
The Peruvian military might come for you.
In Peru, military SAR teams have a lot more capability than civilian teams. The military has newer and more high-tech rescue equipment and they have helicopters. If you are so gravely injured that you need a rapid evacuation directly to a hospital, they might send a helicopter for you.
Civilians and military train together for search and rescue (SAR).
I participated in a 5-day training based in Huaraz in May 2026 organized by Socorro Andino Peruano, which included civilian mountain guides, SAR experts, paramedics, firefighters and local and national police. The Peruvian Air Force and Navy Infantry integrated into the civilian rescue teams and trained alongside them. It was a truly impressive show of force with careful coordination between civilian and military teams.
My experience with SAR training in Peru.
From May 22-27, integrated Search and Rescue (SAR) teams in Huaraz significantly increased Peru’s capabilities in high altitude SAR with a five-day heli-tactical course on aerial evacuations organized by Socorro Andino Peruano. The course culminated in a successful simulation of an avalanche on the Mateo Glacier at around 4,800 meters (15,750 feet) above sea level and the rescue of six victims, of which three were evacuated by helicopter. Participants were licensed high-altitude mountain guides, local SAR experts, firefighters, national and local police, local paramedics and three branches of the Peruvian military.
As the Peruvian Andes become more popular and the number of climbers increases, the need for qualified and experienced SAR teams inevitably increases. Socorro Andino Peruano is committed to improving SAR capabilities in the Cordillera Blanca and throughout Peru. These trainings are essential because practice makes rescues faster and more successful.
“I don’t risk my life to save yours. I train to save your life without risking mine.” -Luis Fernandez
Peter Valdez (Navy Infantry Commando Battalion) and Pietro Rago (Italian rescue expert) train civilians and military during the May 2026 Socorro Andino Peruano heli-tactical aerial evacuation course.
Aerial evacuations in Peru are done in cooperation with the Peruvian Air Force Special Forces, Fuerza Aérea Peruana Defensa Y Operaciones Especiales (FAP DOE). Members of the FAP DOE, along with the crew of an MI-8 helicopter and members of the Peruvian Navy Infantry Commando Battalion worked together with civilians throughout the five days. All military personnel interviewed said they were impressed with the professionalism and deep knowledge of the guides, often citing admiration for the guides’ experience climbing the peaks of the Cordillera Blanca and their SAR experience.
The Cordillera Blanca is the highest part of the Peruvian Andes and most of its peaks are within Huascarán National Park, named for Mt. Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru at 6,768 meters (22,205 feet) above sea level. The park has another 26 peaks above 6,000 meters and includes 663 glaciers, the largest number of tropical glaciers in the world. The beautiful scenery, challenging climbing and relative ease of access from the Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, Peru make the Cordillera Blanca one of the world’s best destinations for mountaineering.
Day 1: Mountaineering First Aid Review
On the first day of the course, instructors with Socorro Andino Peruano worked with 90 participants to review important aspects of first aid, with an emphasis on the kinds of accidents often seen in the Cordillera Blanca: high altitude accidents in the mountains with serious injuries, hypothermia and altitude sickness. Instructors included Pietro Rago, Florian Wechselberger, Roman Gorodischenskiy, Luis Fernández (Peruvian Air Force Special Forces) and Luis Atalaya (SAR).
Day 2: Rescue Techniques Review
During the second day, participants reviewed equipment used for self-rescue, organized rescue and rescue with helicopters. The instructors showed the equipment they recommend and explained how to use it and how to keep it in good condition. In the afternoon they practiced using the equipment and learned how to coordinate from the ground to helicopters coming to do aerial evacuations. Instructors included Pietro Rago, Florian Wechselberger, Roman Gorodischenskiy, Luis Fernández and Peter Valdez (Navy Infantry Commando Battalion).
Day 3: Practice with Stretchers
The third day focused on forming brigades for the evacuation simulation on the Mateo glacier. Participants organized integrated brigades of civilians and military for reconnaissance, rescue, triage, receiving the victims, central command, onsite command, air control and heliport security. In the afternoon they practiced raising and lowering a stretcher from a rescue simulation platform and practiced anchor systems for rescue situations with and without helicopters. Instructors included Pietro Rago, Florian Wechselberger, Luis Fernández, Peter Valdez and Roman Gorodischenskiy.
The morning started with a presentation by the helicopter’s crew before participants broke into groups for three stations.
Day 4: Helicopter & Radio Practice
The fourth day brought the first chance to practice with a real helicopter, and participants went to the heliport in Caraz, about 70km/43mi north of Huaraz to work with a grounded and stationary MI-8 helicopter. In the morning FAP officers presented tactical information about the helicopter and in the afternoon the rescue brigades divided into three groups and rotated between three instructors for tactical practice.
SO1 FAP Rimari taught participants how to enter and exit helicopters with and without a victim in a stretcher.
SO1 Luis Benjamín Rios Ortiz showed the different communication systems that the Peruvian military uses and which ones civilians can use during rescue operations to communicate with military rescue personnel.
FAP DOE Lieutenant Daniel Gonzales Culqui taught the report format used for requesting aerial evacuation and support.
At 6am, rescue teams that worked through the night brought six “victims” down off the Mateo glacier - the same one I climbed in 2022, above.
Day 5: Rescue Simulation
The final day was the simulation, which began at 9pm the night before, for two reasons. One was that emergency calls often come at the least convenient moment and the other was that the helicopter crew had determined that 8am would be the most convenient time for them to make the first evacuation flight.
During the night, six rescue brigades ascended the Mateo Glacier to rescue victims of a fictitious avalanche, coordinated by Patricio Arévalo, an Ecuadorian police officer in the Elite Rescue Group. Other brigades took their positions at the base of the glacier and at the heliport in Caraz.
The rescue simulation was a success with all six “victims” evacuated off the glacier before sunrise. The two helicopter evacuations from the pre-determined landing points were likewise conducted successfully. Three people were evacuated by helicopter to the heliport in Caraz.
Three people were evacuated by ambulance to the paramedic station at the heliport.
This first heli-tactical aerial evacuation course by Socorro Andino Peruano greatly improved Peru’s capacity in SAR and is expected to repeat every year so that more guides, SAR experts, paramedics, firefighters, police and other civilians have the opportunity to train alongside the Peruvian military branches that conduct helicopter evacuations.
Thank you to the team!
I learned so much and am so grateful to all the instructors and participants for their hard work and dedication. It was amazing to see mountain guides, SAR experts, firefighters, paramedics, police and military work together in integrated teams.
