Huascarán

Huascarán

Huascarán is a scenic national park in the Peruvian Andes. It encompasses the Cordillera Blanca (White Cordillera, named for the abundance of the highest peaks covered by glaciers and perpetual snow) and Cordillera Negra (Black Cordillera) mountain ranges. In 1985, UNESCO included it in the List of Natural Heritage of Humanity.

General information

Huascarán National Park is home to the mountain of the same name, which is 6,768 meters high. It is the highest point in Peru and the fourth highest mountain in South America. Huascarán is part of the Cordillera Blanca massif, the highest mountains on Earth, located in the tropical belt. In addition to the main peak Huascarán Sur, the mountain has two other peaks, Chopicalqui and Huascarán Norte. The first ascent was made in 1932 by a group of German and Austrian climbers. The first ascent of Huascaran-Norte Peak was made by the American Annie Smith-Peck in 1908. On May 31, 1970, a large landslide occurred on the northern slope of Huascarán, burying a Czechoslovakian mountaineering group, the town of Jungai and the surrounding valley underneath.

Both the White and Black Cordilleras are formed by peaks ranging from 4,000 to 6,768 meters above sea level, making them some of the highest mountain ranges on the planet. The most majestic snowfields are Alpamayo, Chopicalqui, Huantsan, Tunxo, Shapraraju, Pishko, Ouandoi, Rumimachay, Taulirahu, Palcaraju, Copa, Santa Cruz, Pomabamba and Pyramide.

Climate

The climate in the national park, besides being characterized by the altitudinal belt typical of the mountains, is divided into two seasons of the year. One is humid, caused by strong warm winds blowing from the Amazon jungle, and lasts from December to March. The other, lasting from May to October, is dry and is characterized by a large number of sunny days. The temperature at this time can rise to 25 degrees Celsius, but the nights are very cold, and often the thermometer falls below 0 degrees. In any case, before planning your trip to Peru with a visit to Huascarán National Park, we recommend that you check the weather conditions in the White and Black Cordilleras with our experts, as in the last ten to twenty years the climate in the region has become unpredictable, and shifts in the dry and wet seasons are increasingly common.

The national park attracts many tourists. First of all, mountain enthusiasts, mountaineers, hikers and horseback riders and, of course, photographers. Picturesque rugged landscapes of mountain valleys, canyons, gorges, cliffs, peaks, lakes and turbulent mountain rivers, as well as amazing animals and plants of the Andes highlands are memorable for everyone who has walked along one of the most interesting tourist routes.

In total, 663 glaciers, 296 lakes and 41 rivers are concentrated in the park on an area of 340,000 hectares. The rivers originating from the glaciers are tributaries of Peru’s three other major rivers, the Marañon, Santa and Pativilca. The most picturesque of the lakes are Llanganuco and Paron. In addition to the natural attractions, on the territory of Huascarán National Park there are the remains of the famous and one of the oldest Indian cultures of South America – Chavin. Scientists still cannot agree on where this great pre-Columbian culture originated. Some believe that it came to the highlands from the Peruvian coast. Others say it came from the hot jungles of the Amazon. The latter is very likely, as in the legacy to archaeologists and travelers Chavin left monumental stone steles and temples with carvings, which guess jaguars and harpies – characteristic inhabitants of the Amazon.

Travelers’ favorite places in Huascarán National Park are Pastoruri Glacier and Lake Llanganuco, nestled at the foot of Huascarán Mountain and the famous hot water bath called Monterrey. The Toro Muerto crevice, located in the park, will surprise you with its scattering of snow-white boulders, and the most mysterious drawings, which have excited several generations of famous archaeologists, can not fail to attract inquisitive tourists.

Flora and fauna

The fauna of the White and Black Cordilleras is represented mainly by birds and mammals. Some species have not yet been described or our knowledge of them is extremely poor. According to scientists’ calculations, in Huascarán National Park there are 112 species of birds representing 33 different families. These include the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), the Andean spurred duck (Merganetta armata) and the Andean tinamou (Tinamotis pentlandii). Mammals are represented in the park by only ten species. However, among them are such amazing, rare and beautiful animals as the Pampas cat (Oncifelis colocolo), Andean cat (Orailurus jacobita), spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) and Peruvian deer (Hippocamelus antisensis).

The plant life of Huascarán National Park is more diverse in terms of the species native to the area. The park has seven climatic zones and a huge number of microclimates. All this contributes to the development of unique plants, taking over literally every suitable area of the mountain surface for life and growth. In total, scientists have described 779 plant species belonging to 340 genera and 104 families in Huascarán. Among the most spectacular is Puya raimondii (Puya raimondii). This plant of the Bromelia family grows not only in Peru, but also in Bolivia. It has the largest inflorescence on Earth. Its diameter is 2.5 meters and its height is about 12 meters. The inflorescence consists of about 10,000 simple flowers. It is a pity that this amazing plant only blooms when it reaches the age of 150 years and then dies.

How to get there

The national park can be reached by buses leaving daily from Lima to Huaraz. Travel time will take about 8 hours. You can also get there from the city of Trujillo, but it will take a few hours longer: about 10 hours.

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