Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTH OF HUARAZ
As the Río Santa slices its way north through the Callejón de Huaylas, a road shadows its
every curve past several subdued towns to Caraz and on to the menacingly impressive
Cañón del Pato. The Andean panorama of the Cordillera Blanca looms over the length of
the valley like a wall of white-topped sentries, with the granddaddy of them all, Huascarán,
barely 14km away from the road as the condor flies. Many hiking trailheads are accessible
from towns along this route and two unsealed roads valiantly cross the Cordillera, one via
Carhuaz and another via Yungay.
Monterrey
043 / POP 1100 / ELEV 2800M
Huddled around a scattered spine of tourist facilities, this tiny
pueblo,
9km north of Huar-
az, earns a spot on the map for its natural
hot springs
(admission S3.50; 6am-5pm)
.
The baths are run by the falling-into-disrepair Real Hotel Baños Termales Monterrey next
door. Buses terminate right in front.
The hot springs are divided into two sections; the lower pools are more crowded and, on
our visit, far from warm, while the private rooms offer the sort of scalding action you're
looking for.
Before you wrinkle your nose at the brown color of the water, know that it's due to high
iron content rather than questionable hygiene practices. It's best to visit in the morning as
the baths are cleaned overnight. The pools get crowded on weekends and holidays.
Sleeping & Eating
Though there is one great hotel and two great restaurants in Monterrey, it works best as a
day trip from Huaraz. On Sundays, many restaurants serve a traditional Peruvian feast
called
pachamanca
(
pacha
means 'earth' and
manca
means 'oven' in Quechua), a magni-
ficent bounty of chicken, pork, lamb, guinea pig, corn, potatoes and other vegetables
cooked for several hours over hot stones.
El Patio de Monterrey $$
( 42-4965;
www.elpatio.com.pe
;
s/d S189/222; )
The fanciest venture around, this
hotel has colonial-style architecture around a toothsome hacienda, complemented by
HOTEL
