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Destination Peru
Day Trips Out of Huaraz (Not Just Llanganuco and Pastoruri)
By Jim Bartle

Editor's Note: This first of two parts looks at the northern half of the Callejón de Huaylas. Next month, Jim Bartle will take readers of the ACAP Newsletter to the southern half of this beautiful area of Peru that few people know better.

Chacraraju Sur: Easy trails lead toward Nevado Chacraraju (6112m) in the upper end of the Quebrada Llanganuco. The real scenery in Llanganuco opens up above the lakes; don't be content just to visit the first lake as the tours do.

There are a number of excellent one-day excursions from Huaraz or other towns in the Callejón de Huaylas. The hidebound custom for those visiting Huaraz and the Callejón de Huaylas for a long weekend or a short week is to go to Llanganuco one day, the Pastoruri glacier the second, and maybe through the tunnel to visit Chavín de Huántar the third. Yet the region, principally the Cordillera Blanca (Huascarán National Park), offers many great single-day excursions, requiring either no walking at all or short and easy hikes. Tourist agencies run tours to the most popular destinations and will arrange private tours to the others. You can also hire a vehicle on your own.

Laguna Parónat 4200 meters, 31 km. above Caraz on a rough road. Although the level of the lake has been lowered and the water has lost some of its former brilliance, Laguna Parón is still one of the jewels of the range, with the glorious peaks of Pirámide, Chacraraju, Artesonraju Caraz and Huandoy towering above the lake. The polished canyon walls are the most impressive in the Cordillera Blanca. You can hire a vehicle from Huaraz or Caraz. No public transportation.

Quebrada Llanganuco Many tours go to the first lake every day, but the real scenery really starts beyond both lakes. There's an easy trail up Quebrada Demanda toward the imposing Nevado Chacraraju, and a higher one up the Quebrada Ancosh toward the peaks of Chopicalqui and Huascarán. It's a long climb on the road to the Portachuelo pass at 4750m, but views are great of all the mountains, including Huascarán, Huandoy and Chacraraju. The María Josefa trail is a pleasant walk down the valley through thick queñual forest, starting beside a distinctive large boulder just below the first lake. Note: The daily tours take a long time to get to the lake, stopping first in Carhuaz, then spending more time at the site of the former Yungay (buried during the 1970 earthquake). They often reach the lake when afternoon clouds are beginning to roll in. Alternatively, you may want to hire a vehicle in Huaraz or in Yungay.

Paron Sencillo: Laguna Parón has lost some of its splendor now that the water level is constantly raised and lowered, but Nevados Pirámide de Garcilaso (5885m) and the west peak of Chacraraju (6001m) are as glorious as ever. The lake is reached by a rough but spectacular 31-km. road from Caraz.

Quebrada Ulta A beautiful and little-visited valley just south of Huascarán and Chopicalqui. A short walk leads to a long series of cascades hidden in a forest, a longer walk to a cirque directly below Huascarán and Chopicalqui. Reached by a rough road above Carhuaz. It is also possible to wind up long series of switchbacks toward the 4900-meter Punta Olímpica for a big view of the mountains. You can hire a vehicle in Huaraz or Carhuaz. Be sure to specify how far you want to go, whether to the upper end of valley or all the way to the pass. There are buses returning from Chacas on this road, but transportation is not 100% certain.

La Cueva del Guitarrero This cave -- about a 90-minute walk into the Cordillera Negra from the town of Tingua (km. 40 from Huaraz on the highway to Caraz) -- contains the oldest vestiges of man in the Callejón de Huaylas. It also affords a lovely view of Huascarán and Huandoy.

Joncopampa 15 km. above the village of Taricá (18 km. north of Huaraz) on a rough road passing through several interesting villages. This site features extensive pre-Inca ruins on a plain with impressive views of Huascarán, Copa and other peaks. You can hire a vehicle from Huaraz; the cost will be relatively high because of the poor condition of the road.

Final tip: For information on exploring the Cordillera Blanca, there are no better places in Huaraz than the California Café (5th block of Av. 28 de Julio) and the Café Andino (Av. Lucar y Torre). Great for coffee and snacks as well.

Jim Bartle is author of Parque Nacional Huascarán, Cordillera Huayhuash, Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, and Trails of the Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash.

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