Perú Huaraz Info
Peru is a vast country, with an area of 1,285,216 km2, and contains some of the most varied geography in South America, comprising three distinct regions: the dry coastal desert, the mountainous Andean highlands and the verdant Amazon Basin. The capital city is Lima, located 12º south of the equator on the Pacific coast.
The time zone in the whole country coincides with Eastern Standard Time in the U.S. (GMT -5). The country has approximately 30 million inhabitants of which 38% are people of mixed indigenous and Spanish blood (known as mestizo), 15% are white (with no indigenous blood) and 4% are black, Asian or from other backgrounds. However by far the largest ethnic group, at 43% of the population, is indigenous. The majority of Peru’s indigenous population live in highland areas and speak Quechua, although there are a few Aymara speaking communities near Lake Titicaca. Although the Amazonian lowlands make up more than half...
Huaraz, 8 hours bus ride from Lima, is the main destination for visitors to the Callejon de Huaylas due to its central location and excellent facilities for travelers. The setting of the city, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca, is spectacular. You can see more than 20 snow-capped peaks over 5000 meters, of which the most notable is Huascaran (6,768m), the highest mountain in Peru. The first thing that strikes you on arrival in Huaraz is that the town itself cannot exactly be called a pretty place, with most of the buildings built from concrete, however what it lacks in elegant architecture, it more than makes up for in the vibrant energy of its streets and the friendliness of its inhabitants.
The reason for the rather unattractive modern buildings is that the town was completely rebuilt following a catastrophic earthquake in 1970 which flattened all but one street of buildings and killed half of the city's...
The main reason for visiting Huaraz, however, is to travel into the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash. All treks and climbing trips are distributed between these two mountain ranges.
The cordillera Blanca is packed with crystal-clear lakes, breathtaking mountains and, because it's off the beaten track, it has remained remarkably unspoiled.
A visit to the Llanganuco lakes or a trek part-way up the Nevado Pastoruri give you not just beauty but a real sense of tranquility. The Cordillera Blanca is also the mountaineering, hiking, trekking centre for Peru.
It contains Huascaran - the highest mountain in Peru at 6,768m above sea level - and 15 other peaks above 6,000m.
As well as climbing and trekking options, it's also the destination for winter and adventure sports such as mountain biking, rock climbing,...
Those of you who want a Peruvian holiday which really gets out, this is the real deal! The Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru is probably the best thing that hiking in Peru has to offer. The Huayhuash had a rather wild reputation until recently and so it is still comparatively unexplored which is great if you like your stunning mountain views to yourself! We offer a selection of treks in the area but we really recommend that you think about the complete Huayhuash circuit. It has absolutely everything you could wish for and was recently voted the second most-beautiful trek in the world by National Geographic. From green valleys and glacial lakes to snow-capped peaks, from condors to vicuñas, from strolling along grassy paths to scrambling up to rocky passes it really has everything you could wish for! You can see our Cordillera Huayhuash Trekking for an exact itinerary but you can be sure that this trek will meet your expectations. You are above 4000m almost...
