Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Cordilleras
A pair of dramatic
cordilleras
(mountain chains) run parallel to each other on either side
of Huaraz. To the west is the Cordillera Negra, with its coffee-colored soil. To the east is
the snow-covered crown of the Cordillera Blanca. Between them, in the valley, runs a
paved road known as the Callejón de Huaylas, which furnishes visitors with perfect views
of the lofty elevations.
The star of the show here is the Cordillera Blanca. About 20km wide and 180km long,
it is an elaborate collection of toothed summits, razor-sharp ridges, emerald-colored lakes
and grassy valleys draped with crawling glaciers. More than 50 peaks of 5700m or higher
grace this fairly small area. North America, in contrast, has only three mountains in excess
of 5700m; Europe has none. Huascarán, at 6768m, is Peru's highest mountain and the
highest pinnacle in the tropics anywhere in the world.
South of the Cordillera Blanca is the smaller, more remote, but no less spectacular Cor-
dillera Huayhuash - which contains Peru's second-highest mountain, the 6634m Yerupajá.
