Huaraz, Ancash, Peru
Adventure, Mountaineering
10 days
April to November
Huaraz
This mountaineering tour deals with the Cordillera Huayhuash Range, which is the second highest tropical mountain chain in the world, after the Cordillera Blanca, or White Range, immediately to the north. Even though it is located 120 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, the crest forms part of the continental divide of South America; the waters of the eastern slope flow to the Marañon River, a principal tributary of the Amazon.
Running from north to south, the main zone that has some twenty summits within about 25 km, with a secondary mountain change of summits of lower elevation toward the west that is about 15 km long. Six of the peaks are higher than 6,000 meters. Among the peaks, Yerupaja at 6,617 meters stands out as it is the second highest mountain in Peru, after Huascarán at 6,768 meters. Also of note is Siula Grande at 6,344 meters, which achieved fame through the book and subsequent film Tocando el Vacio or Touching the Void, by mountaineer Joe Simpson.
This area also hosts dozens of glacial lakes of incomparable beauty. The closest towns are Chiquian at 3,400 meters and Cajatambo at 3,375 meters.
