Huaraz Travelers Recommend

With three days in Huaraz, you can visit ancient ruins, explore a rare tropical glacier, and hike to a high-altitude lake with spectacular views. To adjust to the altitude, maximize your time by working your way up to a challenging hike on the final day. Here’s how to plan your visit.

Day 1: Visit Pastoruri Glacier

Don’t miss the chance to explore the rare tropical Pastoruri Glacier, at 17,225 feet (5,250 meters) above sea level, among the most accessible and scenic in the Cordillera Blanca. Since transport to the glacier is limited, most visitors opt for a guided tour. Here, you’ll see ice melting into a chilly lake, big views of rugged peaks, and some of the unique plants that grow at high altitudes in Huascarán National Park. Since visiting the glacier doesn’t require any strenuous hiking, it’s a good start to your time at altitude.

Day 2: Explore Chavín de Huántar

Head to Chavín de Huántar to spend your second day learning about the area’s history. A series of plazas and stone structures set in a scenic valley, Chavín de Huántar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that archeologists believe was used as a gathering place for religious ceremonies. After exploring the site, head to the Chavin National Museum, where key finds from the archaeological site are on display. You’ll see colorful ceramics, sculptures, and the cabezas clavas, a series of stones that once adorned Chavín’s walls and are thought to depict a shaman’s transformation into a sacred animal.

Day 3: Hike to Lake 69

Get an early start for the strenuous walk to Lake 69, whose bright-blue water and mountain setting are among the scenic highlights of the Cordillera Blanca. To reach the trailhead on your own, take a bus to Yungay then transfer to a collectivo minivan into Huascarán National Park. Many hikers opt for the convenience of a tour from Huaraz, which cuts time in transit and isn’t much more expensive than coordinating a series of rides. Most groups take 3.5 hours to reach the lake from the trailhead and an additional 2 hours for the return trip; consider a private tour if you’d rather set your own pace. All that climbing pays off in spectacular views once you reach Lake 69, which is the perfect place for a well-earned picnic by the water. Watch for Huascarán peak, Peru’s highest mountain, on the ride back to Huaraz.

The Cordillera Blanca’s peaks and valleys are the dramatic setting for cities that predate the Inca empire by centuries. With two days in Huaraz, add some history to your mountain adventure—you’ll encounter an ancient culture and give yourself extra time to acclimatize before the challenging walk to Lake 69. Here’s how to plan.

Day 1: Chavín de Huántar

Morning: Start early for the 65-mile (105-kilometer) trip across the mountains to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Chavín de Huántar, keeping your camera out to capture the gorgeous views along the way. Upon arrival at the archaeological site, which dates back to 1500 BC, follow grassy pathways to a series of plazas and sanctuaries decorated with images of shamans, jaguars, and other animals.

Afternoon: After exploring the site, visit the nearby Chavin National Museum to see the ceramics and sculptures that have been excavated from Chavín de Huántar. Don’t miss the series of cabezas clavas, stones with shamans’ faces that once adorned the walls of Chavin.

Night: After a day in the ancient world, head back to Huaraz in daylight to maximize views in the mountains. When you arrive, visit Parque de los Periodistas for dinner and a drink in a cozy café.

Day 2: Lake 69 Hike

Morning: A scenic highlight of the Cordillera Blanca, Lake 69 has turquoise water framed by high peaks. Hop an early bus to the trailhead or join a hiking tour to experience the challenging trail that goes to 14,764 feet (4,500 meters). The 2.5-hour drive into the park is just as dramatic, and you’ll spot Huascarán—Peru’s highest mountain—from the road.

Afternoon: A 7.5-mile (12-kilometer) round-trip, the steep, beautiful walk to Lake 69 takes most hikers 3.5 hours in and two hours back. The payoff? Drop-dead views of a lake that many consider to be among the most beautiful in Peru.

Night: If you’re feeling the altitude after a day of hiking, search out a local remedy: a hot mug of tea brewed with fresh coca leaves. It’s a specialty served at cafés and restaurants throughout downtown Huaraz.

As the gateway to the sapphire lakes, glaciers, and rugged peaks of the Cordillera Blanca, Huaraz is the perfect home base for adventurous trips into the mountains. With one day in Huaraz you can hike to Lake 69 (Laguna 69), a glacier-fed pool that’s a gorgeous highlight of Huascarán National Park. Here’s how to plan the day.

Morning: Get an early start for Huascarán National Park to take advantage of the daylight hours. Since you’ll be traveling from 10,013 feet (3,052 meters) in Huaraz to nearly 14,764 feet (4,500 meters) at Lake 69, bring warm and waterproof layers that will keep you comfortable in the chillier mountains. Make the 2.5-hour trip to the Lake 69 trailhead by public bus to Yungay, then transfer to a collectivo minibus into the national park. Since tours are often just as budget-friendly, many hikers opt to make the trip with a group that can coordinate transport, lunch, and park admission. Either way, watch peaks stretch skyward as you turn from the main road; the summit of Huascarán, the tallest mountain in Peru, is visible during the bumpy, winding drive to the trailhead.

Afternoon: Once you’re moving, it’s a 3- to 3.5-hour hike to Lake 69 on a trail that loops through a broad river valley, stands of queñua trees with peeling bark, and some challenging switchbacks. All that climbing earns you show-stopping views across the national park, but with deep-blue water and a soaring backdrop of mountains, Lake 69 is the day’s undisputed star. Pause for a well-deserved picnic lunch by the edge of the water before the 2-hour hike back down to the trailhead.

Night: Rest your legs on the scenic return trip to Huaraz, then head into downtown’s Parque de los Periodistas to swap trail stories over dinner in one of the colorful cafés there. After a hearty meal of Andean cuisine—you’ll find everything from herb-infused soups to rotisserie guinea pigs—finish the evening with a steaming mug of coca tea, a foamy Pisco sour cocktail, or some of the craft beer that’s brewed just outside of Huaraz.