Click on the picture
 
 
 
   
   
   
Landscape in Paria (Photo: J. Mazzotti)
   
Santa River (Photo: J. Mazzotti)
 
Water landscape (Photo: J. Mazzotti)
 
     
   
 
Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range)

Traveling the route of the glaciers

This mountain range is the western section of the occidental chain of the North Andes of Peru. It has a length of 180 km., between Conococha and Pelagatos on the department of Ancash.

It is denominated White because almost all the peaks have snow, and due to have almost in the front, the Black Mountain Range at less than 50 km, without any snowy peak. When traveling through the Callejón de Huaylas (south-north) you will see to the right the White Mountain Range and to the left the Black Mountain Range, achieving a landscape of incomparable beauty.

It is characterized by their peaks of perennial glaciers, and here there are the highest mountains in Peru, with 35 snowy mountains that overcome the 6,000 meters above sea level, outstanding among those the Huascarán, the Huandoy, the Alpamayo and the Pastoruri.

The thaw of the snowy mountains forms 630 beautiful lagoons and they give origin to the Santa River.

It is also the mountain range with the highest snowy peaks in the world in a tropical area (like reference Huaraz is located in 9° 30 ' of south latitude). Their beautiful landscapes are comparable to the beautiful landscapes in Switzerland.

The whole area of the White Mountain range is located at 4,000 meters above sea level or more and is protected creating the National Park of the Huascarán.

Main Snowy Mountains

  • Huascarán: 6,746 meters above sea level (22,132 feet), the highest peak in the Mountain range of "Cordillera de los Andes" in Peru, the second highest of America, and the highest in the world in tropical area.
  • Chopicalqui: 6,400 meters above sea level  (20,997 feet)
  • Huautsan: 6,395 meters above sea level (20,981 feet)
  • Tunsho: 6,369 meters above sea level (20,896 feet)
  • Huandoy: 6,356 meters above sea level (20,853 feet)
  • Rutichinchay: 6,309 meters above sea level (20,699 feet)
  • Taulliraju: 6,300 meters above sea level (20,669 feet)
  • Copa: 6,270 meters above sea level (20,571 feet)
  • Alpamayo: 6,120 meters above sea level (20,079 feet). Considered as the most beautiful snowy mountain by its almost perfect pyramid shape, it won the first place in the Competition of Beauty Scenic that was carried out in Germany for an important magazine of mountain sports.
  • Pastoruri: is the snowy mountain that offers the best conditions for the practice of sports in snow.


Main Lagoons

  • Querococha: 3,990 meters above sea level.
  • Pelagatos: 3,990 meters above sea level.
  • Parón: 4,190 meters above sea level.
  • Llanganuco: 3,820 meters above sea level.
  • Conococha: 3,945 meters above sea level. (Quechua language "coñi cocha" that means, hot waters) origin of the Santa River.

This whole beautiful scenery offers you possibilities to share its beautiful landscapes and ideal places for the practice of mountain sports and mountaineering.


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