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

The stunning Laguna Churup (at 4550 meters) is reached via a steep 3-km. trail after an hour's ride east of Huaraz.

Quebrada Llaca - Reached by rough (sometimes very rough) 26-km. road above Huaraz. Beautiful mountain panorama (Ranrapalca and Ocshapalca appear close enough to touch), easy walk onto rock-strewn glacier.

Laguna Churup - 21 km. on Pitec road east from Huaraz, steep 3 km. trail. Exquisite sapphire lake, not to be missed. Lake is at 4550m, so you must already be well-acclimatized. You can hire vehicle in Huaraz; no public transportation. It's also possible to walk directly from Huaraz (30 km. round trip).

Quebrada Quilcayhuanca - Just beyond Laguna Churup. Easy hike beside river in beautiful valley, pre-Inca tombs and terracing, views of mountains such as Chinchey, Cayesh and Tullparaju. Stunning, though over-populated with cattle.

Less than an hour on a rough road gets visitors from Huaraz to the Quebrada Rajucolta, below the west face of the 6395-meter Nevado Huantsán.

Chavín de Huántar - One of the most important archaeological sites of the Americas, though poorly conserved after an alluvion which fell from Nevado Huantsán buried it in 1945. (The late caretaker Marino Gonzales did his best for many, many years while living on the grounds in poverty.) Outdoor courtyards are impressive, but the great attractions are the dank passageways and the magnificent Lanzón de Chavín, an intricately carved stone pillar. The paving of the winding road over the mountains (110 km. from Huaraz) is almost complete, so the previously agonizing ride will soon be quicker and less painful. Agencies in Huaraz run tours when there are enough passengers. The best bus service is Chavín Express, near the main market in Huaraz.

Laguna Querococha - Large blue-green lake on the road to Chavín, about an hour-and-a-half from Huaraz. Pleasant trails along the shore. You can take one of the Chavín buses from Huaraz.

Quebrada Pachacoto - Site of groves of Puya Raimondi, the world's largest bromeliad. (Check in Huaraz to see if by chance some are in flower.) Also Pumapashimi reflecting pool, and spring with naturally carbonated water. Included in tours to Pastoruri. About two hours from Huaraz (the second half on a very dusty road). I've enjoyed taking one of the ubiquitous tours to Pastoruri, getting off near the Puyas, then getting back on the bus as it returns three hours or so later.

Nevado Pastoruri - Broad, gently-sloping glacier reached by 1 km. walk (or ride on horses rented from community of Catac) from parking lot. Extremely popular for one-day tours. 80 km. from Huaraz, route passes the stands of Puya Raimondi in the Quebrada Pachacoto (see above). The area is strewn with plastic bags and other garbage. Be sure to be well-acclimatized; the base of the glacier is above 4800m. The glacier is receding rapidly and there is often little snow cover over the ice. Ice caves are beautiful during those periods they exist (can't be more precise). I would say there is little reason to visit unless you are excited about the opportunity to touch a glacier. There's a great view of the Cordillera Huayhuash in the distance from the 5200m summit, though.

Chancos - Hot springs 3 km. above Marcará (Km. 20 from Huaraz) on the road to Vicos/Quebrada Honda. The water is close to boiling (yes, there's cold water, too), but the installations are terribly rundown. The natural steam caves are worth a try, though.

Cañón del Pato - Spectacular ride through deep, narrow, precipitous and dusty canyon of the Río Santa north of Caraz. The road is now paved, making the trip a lot less painful than before. The road is perched on the edge of a cliff for many kilometers, and passes through more than thirty tunnels. The hydroelectric plant is interesting to see as well.

Rafting - Several agencies in Huaraz offer mild whitewater rafting in the Río Santa, either from near the airport to Caraz, or from Caraz another fifteen kilometers downstream. Neither has challenging rapids, but it's fun for novices, and of course the scenery is great.

Into the Cordillera Negra - It has many picturesque villages, and steep trails which attract kamikaze mountain bikers, but the main reason to visit the Cordillera Negra is for the views (at sunset especially) of the Cordillera Blanca. The most accessible route is the road west of Huaraz toward Punta Callán (30 km.) at the pass. You can hire a taxi or van inexpensively in Huaraz. It's also possible to take a bus to Casma (on the coast) most of the way to Punta Callán, then walk down one of the paths back to Huaraz. Other good spots to view the Blanca are along the road from Recuay toward Aija (about 15 km. to get a good look), up the rough road which crosses the Santa River near the north end of Huaraz at Palmira (also possible to walk back down), and 13 km. up the wide, well-maintained road to the Pierina gold mine which leaves the main highway at Jangas 17 km. north of Huaraz (around $12 for a round-trip taxi from Huaraz). Watch out for mining trucks on this road.

A word about day tours from Huaraz: If you are taking a tour to Llanganuco, Pastoruri or Chavín, try to take one that clearly taking all passengers from a single agency, usually one of the larger agencies such as Chavín Tours or Pablo Tours (or ask fellow travelers for a suggestion). Other tours are put together with passengers from several agencies, which often means wandering around Huaraz for an hour or more picking up passengers or wasting precious time while employees of the different companies argue about who owes whom how much for which passenger.

For information on exploring the Cordillera Blanca, there are no better places than the California Café (5th block of Av. 28 de Julio) and the Café Andino (Av. Lucar y Torre) in Huaraz. 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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