Huaraz Tours and Activities

The trek to Laguna 69 is one of the most important that the Cordillera Blanca offers - Huascarán National Park. It is a route frequented by mountaineering enthusiasts because of its easy access and the spectacular views that the visitor can see during the journey. The ascent route to Laguna 69 starts at the camp in the Yuraccorral sector. The path takes place at first through a forest of some very well preserved to progressively climb a mountain, always next to a stream that comes down from the lagoon forming waterfalls and waterfalls very showy.

The trip from Huaraz to Lima is around 8 hours without stop in a private car, but instead of just drive straight to Lima, we have included a guided tour to Caral Complex on route.

Caral is considered the oldest city in America. It occupies an extension of 66 hectares. The principal or nuclear area is composed by 32 structures public, several residential groups and an area in the periphery. Inside the nuclear space the buildings were distributed in two big halves:

Caral Alto, in the north side and Caral Bajo, in the south.

In Caral Alto stand out the Central Pyramid, the Pyramid of the Quarry, the Main Pyramid, the Minor Pyramid, the Pyramid of the Gallery and the Pyramid of the Huanca (sacred stone).

Caral Bajo is composed by public buildings of smaller dimensions. Here were built the houses of the officials and a smaller residential group . The following buildings stand out: The Temple of the Amphitheater, the Temple of the Bench, and the Temple of the Circular Altar.

We will have lunch in a local restaurant, in route to Huaraz.

Chavín was one of the most important cultures of the pre-Inca era. Its principal temple, located in the department of Áncash, was one of the main oracles of Peru. It was built in 1400 B.C. but was in decline by the year 500 B.C, during the so-called Formative period. People came to this center to consult the oracle and to make offerings to the gods. The supreme divinity was represented in El Lanzón or Dios Wari, a giant, carved, lance-shaped monolith, almost 4 meters tall, reached by a series of narrow underground passages.

A visit to the complex includes a tour through some of its passages and plazas. The exterior walls are decorated with a series of important heads: zoomorphic faces carved in stone that guard the temple. Other highlights of the complex include the Tello Pyramid, the Circular Plaza, the Rectangular Plaza, the North and South North Platforms, the New Temple and the Old Temple.

In the village of Chavín de Huantar, just a few minutes from the complex, the on-site Museum exhibits archaeological artifacts and important information.

The journey to Chavín de Huantar is somewhat cumbersome. The road is in poor condition, but the scenery is breathtaking. It crosses the Cordillera Blanca (White Range) and offers views of snowcapped mountains and lagoons along the way.