Huaraz, in Peru, is an alternative to Machu Picchu – 03/19/2024 – Tourism
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With blue lagoons and snow-capped mountains, the Cordillera Blanca, in Peru, has been coveted by professional mountaineers from around the world for decades. Fortunately, you no longer need to be an athlete to explore the region. The local tourism sector is increasingly targeting the common traveler with less demanding, more contemplative tours and experience tours.
Domestic tourism saved agencies, restaurants and hotels during the pandemic. Many Peruvians began to learn that they could climb mountains. Until then, the activity had not been promoted much internally. And social networks boosted this trend”, says Arnold Rodriguez, owner of the Visit Huaraz agency.
The base for exploring the region is the city of Huaraz, 400 km away from Lima, which will gain regular flights from July onwards, reducing the journey from up to eight hours by bus to one hour by flight. The city has just been included by Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s Choice award on the list of trends for this year.
Nicknamed “Peruvian Switzerland”, the region is a place that is still safe from mass tourism, unlike Machu Picchu. In 2019, a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Inca sanctuary received 1.58 million tourists, compared to 400 thousand in the Huascarán National Park, which concentrates the region’s biggest attractions and was named by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage of Humanity.
With 340 thousand hectares, the park is home to 511 glaciers and 850 lakes that feed rivers and sustain the local water system, according to the latest survey by the National Institute for Research in Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems (Inaigem, by its Spanish acronym). It has 25 trekking circuits and 102 climbing routes.
It is a complete destination. There is adventure for all fitness levels, impressive archaeological sites, gastronomy and culture. The attractions are distributed along the Callejón de Huaylas, an Andean valley 180 kilometers long at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca that brings together five cities (Huaraz, Huaylas, Carhuaz, Yungay and Recuay) and several towns.
Mountains for everyone
The idyllic setting where condors, llamas and pumas roam offers wonder and amazement. There are Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru (6,768 meters) and Alpamayo (5,947 meters), a pyramidal mountain considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
Climbs to these mountains are reserved for climbers with a lot of experience, but laypeople are gaining more and more space in the agencies’ catalogue, which promise “your first summit in 12 hours” on Nevado Mateo (5,150 meters), a peak considered suitable for beginners.
At Mateo, the participant receives professional equipment such as snow boots and walks tied to the guide with ropes and carabiners. However, it is essential to have good physical preparation and to have acclimatized in the previous days with lighter treks.
It is also possible to have your first ice climbing experience – with rope, ice axes (a tool similar to an axe) and crampons (metal clips placed on the soles of snow boots) — without having to climb a complete mountain. The climbs take place in small sections of 18 to 25 meters of the Nevado Mateo or Llata glacier.
To admire the mountains from afar, there are viewpoint tours, which take tourists to see the sunrise and sunset at strategic points. In one of them, the marathon starts at the Portachuelo viewpoint, where it is possible to see the first rays of sun touching the Huascarán, and passes through the Radian lagoon, which mirrors the other side of the mountain. The tour continues with lunch and ends at dusk at the Rataquenua viewpoint, with a pisco-based toast with Andean herbs.
The local menu also offers stand up paddleboarding in the lagoons, rock climbing, zip lining, rappelling, horseback riding and bicycle tours – which start at the highest point of the trail to save the tourist’s lungs.
lagoons
The Lagoon 69 is as coveted as it is challenging. The place, which received its name from the number of lagoons in the park, has turquoise blue waters. To get there, you have to walk 7 km and face a considerable altitude gain, from 3,900 to 4,604 meters. It is not uncommon to find tourists who give up midway.
For those who want to take it easy, the tip is to visit Quebrada de Llanganuco, which is on the way to Lagoa 69 and can be reached by car, without needing to walk. There are two lagoons with blue waters, Chinancocha and Orconcocha, which together are more than 2 km long and are nestled between mountains.
The Parón lagoon, the largest in the park and very popular with tourists, has been closed since last year due to the risk of rockslides and avalanches.
Snow
For tourists arriving from neighboring countries, seeing and touching the snow up close is an experience in itself. The most popular places for this experience are the Pastoruri Glacier and the Rocotuyoc lagoon.
With darker waters, the Rocotuyoc lagoon is very popular for those who want to see the frozen lake above it. The surrounding area is covered in snow between the months of December and March. It is a moderate trek, with a 30-minute walk.
The trip to the Pastoruri Glacier is more demanding. There are three kilometers of trail covered in stones and cement. The tour was renamed by the Peruvian government as the Climate Change Route because of the melting of the ice. Peru has 68% of the world’s tropical glaciers. In the last 60 years, there has been a loss of 56% of the ice surface in the country, according to Inaigem.
Gastronomy, history and archeology
Devastated by an earthquake in 1970, Huaraz was rebuilt without taking into account architectural harmony – don’t expect to find the charming streets of Cusco.
Take the opportunity to try the local cuisine, with cuy (guinea pig) and mote (a type of corn) and wheat soups. Jamón serrano is a specialty of the region, made with pork leg cured with ajíes and cooked. Away from the sea, the city is proud of chocho ceviche, an Andean grain that is used in the recipe instead of fish.
The story of the earthquake is told on tours of the Yungay holy field (56 km from Huaraz). At the foot of Huascarán, the city was completely destroyed by the catastrophe. The rubble is part of an open-air museum.
Another frequently visited town is Chacas (110 km from Huaraz), which has preserved colonial architecture. The route there is equally interesting, as it passes through the Punta Olímpica tunnel, the highest in Peru and one of the highest in the world. Built by Odebrecht, it is 4736 meters above sea level and is 1.38 km long.
The biggest historical attraction in the region, however, is the Chavín de Huantar archaeological site (105 km from Huaraz), a pre-Inca religious center built between 1,500 and 500 BC and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Altitude sickness, soroche could be the villain of the trip
It is important to pay attention to the altitude. Huaraz is 3052 meters above sea level, and most of the tours are in higher places – therefore, with even lower oxygen levels.
Soroche, as altitude sickness is known, can cause headaches, nausea and increased heart rate. To avoid this, rest and take light walks in the first few days.
Era
The best time is the dry season, between April and September. It’s cold, but there’s sun and blue skies. Between September and March, the mornings are sunny and it usually rains in the afternoon.
How to get
The bus companies Cruz del Sur and Móvil Bus are among the most popular. The trip lasts between seven and nine hours and costs between 65 and 105 soles (R$88 to R$143, approximately).
For now, there are no commercial flights. Anta airport, 23 km from Huaraz, has just been renovated and will be able to accommodate large aircraft. The work has not yet been officially delivered.
Latam has already put tickets on sale on the website from July 1st. The flights are scheduled for Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, will last 1h10 and will be made on an Airbus A319, with capacity for 138 passengers. The route will cost from 44 dollars (R$ 220). The operation still needs government approval.
Tours and safety
Avoid informality and be wary of very low prices in tours. Look for professionals affiliated with the Peruvian Mountain Guides Association. A good place to find recommendations is Casa de Guias, a training center in Huaraz. The agencies Visit Huaraz, Top Adrenaline, Quenual Adventures and Waras have good references.
Entrance to the Huascarán National Park costs 30 soles (R$40). Expect to pay between 70 and 140 soles (R$95 to R$190) for tours to Laguna 69, Pastoruri Glacier, Quebrada de Llanganuco and Chavín de Huantar.
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