Llanganuco canyon, a few kilometers from Huaraz, is a dramatic entrance to the mountains. Two Caribbean-like blue lakes sit beneath the peaks of Huascaran and Huandoy of the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. Clouds obscured the snow-capped peaks while we trekked around the lakes but we still enjoyed the mountain atmosphere.
(In the aftermath of the 1970 earthquake this chapel was built on one of the boulders brought down on Yungay)
Trekking to Llanganuco from the mountains is possible but due to weather and time constraints we decided to explore the area with a local taxi driver and future tour guide named Oscar. He kept us entertained for the whole trip, explaining the history and culture of surrounding towns and regaling us with tales of other travelers- anyone from Germans searching for Peruvian girls to Discovery channel producers. The trail into the mountains starts from the town of Yungay, which has been rebuilt after being swallowed by a massive earthquake in 1970. Oscar led us on a hike around the lakes, whetting our appetite for future treks.
We left Huaraz without attempting any of the 4 to 10 day expeditions through the mountains that are possible in the area, but at some point in my life I hope to return- preferably in the dry season! As impressed as we were by our brief explorations, a longer trek would allow us to truly experience some of the highest mountains in the world.
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