Peru: Huaylas and the Cordillera Blanca

Location
Central Andes of Peru, at 3,091 meters above sea level or 10,150 ft. Huaraz, the main city in the Huaylas Valley, it’s at 404 kilometers North-East from Lima, and it takes 8 hours by bus to reach it.

Climate
Temperate climate, with sunny days, cold nights and a yearly mean temperature of 16°C (61°F). The rainy season is from January to March, and the most recommended season to visit it is during the dry season (May-October).

Landscape
Mostly mountains with very colorful valleys due to its exotic flowers and lagoons. The “Callejon de Huaylas” is a huge valley surrounded by high mountains and snowcapped peaks like the “Huascaran” (6,768 meters above sea level), Peru’s highest mountain. It’s an approximately 180 km long valley between two mountain ranges, one with snow-covered peaks (Cordillera Blanca) and the other one without snow (Cordillera Negra). You can find beautiful turquoise lagoons and see one of the strangest plants of the world, the “Pulla Raymondi”, in this valley.

History
The zone was the center of the first important culture in South America called “Chavin de Huantar”. You can visit its most important temple and go through its tunnels and landscapes, which will make you feel an adventurous archaeologist.

Activities
Don’t waste the opportunity to do one of the many hikes along the valley that will let you enjoy the landscape and visit the villages in the region. The mountain climbing of the snow-covered peaks is very popular too but expensive. You can also practice rock-climbing and rafting.

The Temple of Chavin
Just 2½ hours from Huaraz is one of the most ancient archeological sites in Peru and South America, the Temple of “Chavin de Huantar”. Some 2,500 years ago, Chavin was a religious center that drew pilgrims from far away, bringing offerings and hoping to consult the prestigious oracle housed there. At its height (800-500 BC), the complex consisted of a group of stone walled buildings arranged around a great plaza and containing numerous subterranean galleries and passageways. It was decorated with bas-reliefs representing anthropomorphic beings and evil-looking animals.

The temple is still standing, and the bas-reliefs can be appreciated by the tourists. You can enter inside the temple and walk around its galleries. You shouldn’t miss the “Lanzon”, an impressive carved stone of 4.5 meters in the shape of a huge knife. It’s carved with a representation of the main god, the Jaguar. You will see the stone-heads too; huge stones carved in the shape of a head, with bas-reliefs representing faces of monsters, half animals (snakes, jaguars and falcons) and half human.

Huascaran National Park

This park includes the highest peak of Peru and the second highest in South America, the Huascaran (6,768 mts or 22,206 ft). UNESCO has recognized this park as a Natural World Heritage because its flora, fauna and geological formations that gives to it wonderful scenery. In the park you could see condors, vicuñas, deer, pumas, foxes and ducks.

Other highlight spots are the lagoons and lakes of colors like emeralds and turquoises, specially the Llanganuco Lake, it lies in a narrow glacial valley flanked by the snow-capped peaks of Huascaran and Huandoy. It is divided into two lagoons, the first one is Chinancocha (it means female lake) and by a one hour downhill walk along a trail through amazing landscapes, you reach the other lagoon named Orconcocha (male lake). From there you can start the paths to climb the peaks besides the lake, even the Huascaran.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our South America Insiders page.

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