This tour offers
a great opportunity to visit and walk on a
glacier. The glacier is fairly flat and you
don't need any special equipment but, at 5240m
in altitude, you need to be well acclimatized
before going (best to spend 2 days in Huaraz
first). The trek up to the glacier takes about
45 minutes
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Many Peruvians even bring their
skis and snowboards along, although it's nothing
compared to other skiing areas in South America.
Remember to bring along a spare pair of shoes
as yours will probably get wet on the glacier. |
| This trip is
usually combined with a visit to the Puya
de Raimondii plants. These strange plants,
looking more like mutated cacti, are actually
the largest member of the bromeliad family
(relative of the pineapple). This species
is considered to be one of the oldest in
the world, and can be found in only a few
isolated areas of the Andes. The low bushy
base of the Puya Raimondii forms a large
rosette of spiky, long leaves, about 1½m
across. |
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The plant flowers just once
in its life which can be up to 100 years.
This usually takes place in the month of
May, when a huge central stem is pushed
up to 12 meters into the sky, covered in
many thousands of blooming flowers. The
plant dies shortly after it blooms. If you
are lucky enough to witness this event,
it's an unbelievable sight set against a
spectacular snowy mountain back-drop. |
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