Must see attractions in Huaraz & the Cordilleras

The largest lake in the Cordillera Blanca — a snowcapped range of the Andes in west central Peru — and a gorgeous natural reservoir, Laguna Paron is a…

In most people's minds, Chavín is less a town and more a set of ruins – not any old ruins, but the erstwhile ceremonial center of one of Peru's most…

Chacas’ showpiece building, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, is not just a work of art but an admirable rehabilitation project, courtesy of a…

If you continue north from Caraz along the Callejón de Huaylas, you will wind your way through the outstanding Cañón del Pato. It’s here that the…

This outstanding museum, funded jointly by the Peruvian and Japanese governments, houses most of the intricate tenon heads carved with horror-stricken…

A dirt road ascends 1350m from Yungay, winding over 28km to the Llanganuco Valley and its two robin-egg blue lakes, which are also known as Laguna…

Still hanging on by the skin of its teeth high up in the Cordillera Blanca, the rapidly retreating Pastoruri glacier is one of the few remaining glaciers…

This small Wari ruin about 8km north of Huaraz is remarkably well preserved, dating from about AD 600 to 900. It’s an imitation of the temple at Chavín…

In a scoop of a valley 8km above Huari and just inside the Parque Nacional Huascarán, this idyllic lake is well set up for day excursions, but is…

A giant cemetery and memorial to the former town of Yungay (Yungay Viejo) that was destroyed by a landslide triggered by the infamous 1970 earthquake,…

A remote 4157m pass in the Cordillera Negra is the center of a huge stand of 5000 rare Puya raimondii plants; the biggest known for these 10m-tall members…

Many Peruvian towns have a cross on a hill with a path leading tantalizingly to the top, but no others have a pinch-yourself view of the snowy Huayhuash…

After admiring the Chavin ruins from ground (and underground) level, you can climb up to this trio of crosses grafted onto a crag high above town for a…

When the Antamina Mining Company needed a paved road to move mining equipment from Yanacancha to the Conococha crossroads (some 200km east of Huaraz),…

Small three-room museum with a modest collection of ceramics and pre-Inca objects framed by a historical trajectory of the Conchucos area (in Spanish). A…

The Museo Regional de Ancash houses one of the most significant collections of ancient stone sculptures in South America lined up in a garden out back…

Mirador de Retaqeñua is about a 45-minute walk southeast of the center and has great views of the city and its mountainous backdrop. Unfortunately,…

On the east side of town, Jirón José Olaya is the only street that remained intact through the earthquakes and provides a glimpse of what old Huaraz…

Caraz's cathedral, the Templo de Piedra, dominates the Plaza de Armas. Built in a monumental style in 1870s, it's one of the few old churches in the…

At the trout hatchery, Piscigranja de Truchas, you can see the stages of the trout-hatching process from eggs to adults. By the entrance, the Recreo de…