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ABOUT HUARAZ

About Huaraz

Located high in the Andes mountains, Huaraz is blessed with the most attractive surroundings in Peru and is a "must see" for anyone interested in the great outdoors. Its proximity to the Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash make it one of the premiere climbing and trekking destinations in the world. Huaraz boasts a wide variety of international restaurants, hip coffee houses and lively nightclubs, making it the ideal location to begin acclimatizing.

Useful Information

Climate
The dry season, which is called here "Andean summer", lasts from May to October with sunny days, cold nights and infrequent rains, perfect for any kind of outdoor activities. The wet season lasts from November to April. There can be days of rain followed by 2 or 3 days of good weather. During the year, temperatures may fluctuate from 20°C to 2°C.

Average Temperature
The monthly average goes from 15.5° to 13.5° C.

To Buy Food
Besides the main stores in town, there is a public market where you will find a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats and all kinds of groceries. People are very helpful and friendly.

Local transportation
The local taxi fare is 2 soles within the city. For outlying destinations, prices vary from 5 to 10 soles, depending on the distance. There is van (combi) service which goes along the Callejón de Huaylas, with prices varing from 1 to 4 soles. For transfer service to any of the starting points for trekking, you can ask at your hotel or any travel agency. Be sure to pay only 50% in advance and the rest at your final destination.

Banking hours
Monday to Friday: 9:30 to 1 :00 PM and 4:30 to 6:30 PM. Saturday: 9:30 to 12:00 PM.

Cultural events and adventure activities

Without having fixed schedules to provide you, we suggest that you check with the Sala de Cultura of the Banco Wiese Sudameris, the National Institute of Culture (INC) and the Casa de Guías for current and upcoming cultural events. Some bars and restaurants also offer shows with Andean music.
Mondays and Thursdays are special market days which attract a multitude of local people selling and buying typical products.
Andean Week (Semana del Andinismo) at the end of May is a festival that includes various adventure sports events.

Tours to
Tours usually depart at 8 AM. Book your ticket one day in advance. Check for reliable travel agencies to visit:

• Chavín archaeological site . Llanganuco lakes
• Pastoruri glacier
• Huaraz city tour, including visits to the Archaeologicol Museum , the thermal baths of Monterrey and the Wilcahuain archaeological site.

Shopping
Many shops around the city offer good-quality local handicrafts with prices varying according to quality. Most of the stores are open from 9 AM to 1 PM and 4 PM to 8 PM. The public market is open all day. We recommend a visit to the Tierras Andinas Gallery, which has a wide variety of local handmade articles, such as ceramics, carved stones, textiles, maps, books and postcards. You will also find good quality, hand-printed T-shirts with mountain and ethnic designs of the Andean Expressions brand.
Recordings: Because Peru is a multi-ethinic country, it also has a diversity of musical expressions. A few recommendations are: Block Peruvian music -- Susana Baca, Eva Ayllon, Zambo Cavero; Andean music -- Manuelcha Prado, Raul Garcia Zarate; Jazz fusion -- Hijos del Sol, Wayruro, Manuel Miranda.

Tips

Service charges are generally included in restaurant bills. Additional tips are not required, but we suggest a 10% tip, depending on quality of service.

Huascarán National Park

Huascarán National Park was created in 1975 with an area of 340,000 hectares, a length of 160 km and an average width of 20 km: It includes parts of the provinces of Bolognesi,
Recuay, Huaraz, Carhuaz, Yungay and Huaylas on the west and Huari, Asunción, Mariscal Luzuriaga and Pomabamba on the east.

The objectives of the park are to conserve the wild flora and fauna, geological formations and archaeological remains within its boundaries; to promote scientific investigation of the natural and cultural resources; and to boost tourism in order to improve the standard of living of the local population.
The park is currently divided into different activity zones.

Wilderness Zones
Little or no human intervention. Use for adventure sports is permitted, but permanent infrastructure and motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Recreational Use Zones
Permanent infrastructure for tourist services (lodging and food services) is permitted, as well as the use of motorized vehicles.

Recovery Zones
Areas which have been damaged and require special management before being reintegrated with other zones. Touristic use not permitted.

Restricted Zones
These areas are off-limits for touristic use. Access is allowed only for study purposes since their ecosystems still contain special species and characteristics.

The fees
The fee to enter Huascarán National Park is 5 soles for a one-day visit and 65.00 soles for any visit of 2 days or more. Help maintain and popularize the natural and cultural values of our park by following the instructions of the park rangers and reading the informational brochures.

Flora
More than 845 species have been identified. Highlights are the queñua trees, ichu grass and the famous Puya raimondi plant. This bromeliad has the largest inflorescence in the world, calculated to have up to 18,000 individual flowers, 6,000,000 seeds and a height of up to 12 meter. It blooms only once at the end of its life, which lasts about 28 years.

Fauna
There are 112 species of birds and 13 of mammals. Wild ducks can be seen in almost all the lakes and, with luck, one can observe condors above the high rock walls. Spending more time in the high mountain valleys, one may even see vizcachas, foxes, deer and pumas. It's difficult, but not impossible, to observe wild mammals since they prefer to avoid contact with humans.

Environment and Ecology
Since ancient times, most of the high valleys have been used as pasturing areas. Trees and bushes are used for construction material and fuel. The ichu grass is used for roofing the
rustic houses and as food for livestock. These practices have caused extensive deforestation and impoverishment of the native flora. While not much has been done to protect native plants, there have been some government and private programs aimed at the reforestation of the Cordillera Blanca. Also, local governments are demanding that the mining companies act more responsibly with regard to pollution of the environment.

Geology
The Cordillera Blanca is in a constant state of geologic activity. Tectonic movement of the Nazca Plate eastward against the South American continent lifted the Cordillera Blanca to impressive heights. Even now, occasional seismic activity produces earthquakes and avalanches. Advancing and retreating of glaciers has formed many glacial lakes and rivers, as well as narrow mountain valleys known as quebradas. The rich deposits of metallic and nonmetallic minerals have made this region one of the premier mining areas in the world.

Huayhuash

Located 50 km. to the southeast of the Cordillera Blanca, the Cordillera Huayhuash extends only thirty kilometers from north to south-it is little more than one long serrated ridge-yet has seven peaks above 6000 meters and seven more above 5500 meters.

The highest peak by far is Yerupajá (6634), the second highest in Peru and the highest point in the vast Amazon water shed. Other major peaks include Rondoy (5879), Jirishanca (6094), Yerupajá Chico (6121, also known as El Toro , Siula Grande (6356), Sarapo (6127), Carnicero (5975) and Trapecio (5644). None is rounded or elegant; each is all sharp angles and forbiddingly steep.

The landscape surrounding the Huayhuash tends to be wide open; there are few of the deep, narrow canyons characteristic of the Cordillera Blanca. The east side is a treeless expanse se of rolling grassland, with rocky ridges reaching as high as 600 meters above the valley floors. Beautiful trout-filled turquoise lakes lie at the foot of many of the glaciers. The Huayhuash is an excellent example of high Andean ecosystems. The flora and fauna are similar to those in the Cordillera Blanca, although less disturbed and with the wide range of ecosystems concentrated in a smaller area. The lakes are home to many birds, including both migratory and resident species, and the Polylepis forests on the west side also harbor many rare, and several endemic, species (some threatened or nearthreatened). Small herds of vicuñas still live in the isolated valleys of the east side.

There are two well-established trekking routes: the walk to Laguna Jahuacocha on the west side (75-80 km. round trip, half that if the roads beyond Chiquián are open) and the magnificent 160- to 190-km circuit of the entire range. Both are quite demanding. The traditional starting point is the town of Chiquián in the southeast corner of Ancash, and now rough roads are being completed to the villages of Pacllón and Llamac, saving a very hot day's walk. The town of Cajatambo-reached by a rough winding road from the coast is also an option for people interested in visiting the southern end of the range. It is also possible to enter or exit via the Cordillera Raura to the south or the east, although the road end (at Laguna Surasaca) is far from the coast and major towns. People with substantial budgets can hire a vehicle to drive them along the new mining track leading from Huallanca, a town east of the Cordillera Blanca, to the northern edge of the Huayhuash, saving a day or two of walking if you don't mind the long ride. The least-known but probably most impressive gateway to the Huayhuash is from the provincial capital of Huánuco to the east, made possible by the recent completion of rough roads to Laguna Lauricocha and the village of Queropalca, which are less than a day's walk from the main circuit trail.
The western flank of the Huayhuash is currently being threatened by mining exploration above Pallca on the northern fringe of the range by Mitsui Mining and Smelting. Despite opposition from local communities located down stream from the mine site, as well as from conservation groups, Mitsui has insisted on developing the site, presenting its final environmental impact statement in February of 2002. The mining ministry has raised many objections to this EIA (which has gaping holes and numerous errors) and the future of the project remains in doubt. The exploration phase has already caused serious environmental damage both in the Llamac valley and in the magnificent Laguna Jahuacocha region. Hikers can avoid passing through the heart of the mining area by taking the Mahuay trail from Chiquián instead of going through Llamac. (The spectacular Jahuacocha-Minapata-Pallca trail is still open, at least in theory, but has become largely a walk through an industrial area.)

The government finally declared the Huayhuash a protected natural area at the end of 2002 after a difficult campaign by conservationists. This was not so much a reaction to the mining exploration as to the reduced isolation of the area due to the roads built to service the mining. Still, the future of the protected area (the category of protection and the precise boundaries have yet to be determined) is in doubt, as some of the local campesino communities do not support the idea, Fearing above all they 'will lose grazing rights on their land (the entire territory of the range belongs to these communities) or be excluded from the economic benefits of tourism. (The protected area will not include communal land if the community remains opposed.) .

Note: Several communities have announced plans to charge trekkers and climbers who pass through their territory.