Caraz - Peruvian Andes

In the Cordillera Blanca, you have the opportunity to explore the mountainous countryside and then return to stay in some of the most peaceful towns you're likely to find in South America. We picked out a place called Caraz which is an hour and a half down the road from Huaraz. It really is down the road too. I was surprised to learn that Caraz is almost a kilometer further down in altitude. There was no switchback roads on the journey, just gentle downhill descent that at times you didn't even notice it.

Well actually, the gradient might be gentle but the road is peppered with pot holes, some of which you could lose a truck in! Therefore people who drive on it spend most of the time treating each pot hole like a chicane, swerving from left to right and often playing chicken with oncoming traffic because the tarmac might be in slightly better condition on that side of the road. It makes for a lively journey, especially when you driver tries to overtake a car that is swerving around, oblivious to anything behind.

We arrived in Caraz and Nathan and I went to get some lunch (it's nice to meet someone always as hungry as me) and Sophie and Jo went to scope out the accommodation the town had to offer. They returned some time later having been in just about every hostel going, and were particularly keen on a little place up the road called Alojamiento Caballero so we went and checked in there. It was in keeping with the town's tranquil vibe and it had a balcony overlooking some stunning countryside with a table and four chairs - perfect for a game of cards or two!

Alojamiento Caballero is a bit rough around the edges and had pillows that you imagine only Fred Flintstone could get any sleep on, but it did us just fine, was incredibly cheap, and the owner is a friendly and welcoming ninety-something old man who can't really hear what you're saying, making conversations particularly challenging!

Looking to do some hiking, we had a stroke of luck and managed to get ourselves on a heavily discounted tour. The tourist board was offering trips to Laguna Paron to show people the natural beauty and celebrate the recent triumph achieved by local Peruvians. Apparently the lake was being used as a source for the hydroelectric station downstream and was being drained. The local people weren't having that, and managed to regain ownership so that it can be preserved. Well done them!

Although the tour didn't involve walking, it was nice to be chauffeured around for a change. The weather wasn't great but having not put in the hard graft in getting up there meant that it didn't matter so much that some of the scenery was shrouded in cloud.

The trip took us to see the ruins at Tunshukaiko, a particularly underwhelming site that I wouldn't recommend, and then we finished the half day with lunch at a trout farm. I had the opportunity to scoop out some of the fish myself before it was taken off to be prepared in the kitchen. You can't get much fresher than that!

Laguna 69 - high up in the Peruvian Andes

Four thousand, six hundred meters above sea level is a bright turquoise lake surrounded by snowy mountain peaks going by the name of Laguna 69. It is the popular day hike you can do from Huaraz – and one that our hostel was keen that we attempted on our first day in the Cordillera Blanca. I’m very much glad that we didn’t, instead opting to do the hike a few days later. After all, this is a destination 13,000 ft in altitude (it sounds much more impressive in feet) and is not to be sniffed at, especially if you’ve spent the previous week lounging on a beach.

So having given ourselves a few days to adjust, we signed up with the hostel organised tour. They simply provide a ride to the starting point and make sure that a driver is waiting to pick you up when you return. You can do the walk off your own back, but there was enough people signed up at the hostel to make it a reasonable price. Plus they give you a little sketched map detailing the route and a Dutchman called Rex was on hand the night before to give us a few tips for the day in a very monosyllabic fashion.

Our party of eleven set off at 6.30am (well it was more like 6.45 after some faffing) on the road to Yuncay where we were to pick up supplies from the market there, and then be driven up the bumpy switch-back road to the starting point. The driver instead tried to drop us off at a restaurant for breakfast which came with a hefty “gringo tax”. We weren’t having that (he was obviously in cahoots with the restaurant owner) and made him take us to the market as planned. I’m not sure how, but the two and a half to three hour drive took four.

The starting point was 3,900m high for the three-hour hike up to the lake and the little map came in very handy. The direction we had to take wasn’t always all that clear but we were safe in the knowledge that if we found ourselves climbing after only ten minutes, we had done something wrong – thanks, Rex. I take that back about your tonal delivery!

The walk itself is not technical (save a few jumps over a river or two) and the ascent, when we got to it, wasn’t too steep. The overriding challenge was altitude. It was best summed up by Jo when she said that it was like doing a hike whilst having the flu. It affected people in different ways and at different times. Luckily for me I didn’t feel any effects until after we reached the top, when gradually a nasty headache (I don’t get headaches so I suppose I don’t have a decent frame of reference) started and remained with me for the rest of the day.

As we climbed, the group split up and spread out with some struggling more than others. We were walking against the clock, as at this time of year there is a high probability that it will rain in the afternoon. And as I’ve learnt from climbing mountains and volcanoes before, it can be a bit of a blow when the prize at the top is obscured by rain and cloud. You need that reward at the end when your working hard and on this occasion we got it! The switchback trail ended and the beautiful lake emerged, every bit as breathtaking as the posters we’d seen in Huaraz. It is like a little peace of heaven up there.

You can swim in the lake if you feel like it, but it is about 3 degC so you wouldn’t want to be in there for long. With the sun beating down I was slightly tempted to go for a dip but glad I didn’t as when a few clouds came over the temperature dropped a somewhat drastically.

The journey back down was quick and straightforward and while there was a few spots of rain, the downpour we were expecting didn’t materialise. By the time we reached our driver, we were all suffering from headaches, but it was well worth it! My last picture shows a lake near the start of our hike. Even the less impressive lakes are pretty stunning around here.

Huaraz - sun and rain, sun and rain...

The overnight bus from Trujillo to Huaraz did not yield much sleep, although I probably had more than if I’d really been trying. I’m finding it much better to assume that I will be awake all night as it takes the pressure off, and any sleep I do get is a welcome bonus!

We arrived in Huaraz at about 7.30am, and along with our new friends Jo and Nathan, we took up the offer of a free taxi to a place called Caroline Lodging – offering travellers a free ride after an all-nighter on the bus makes such good business sense, I’m surprised its not more popular.

So with their free lift and presence in most guide-books, it’s no surprise that Caroline Lodging is a popular place. 35 Soles ($12 USD) buys you a matrimonial room including breakfast – which they kindly gave us upon arrival with no extra charge – and you can get a dorm bed for about $5USD. The place has a great kitchen and dining area, a cinema room, arranges tours and does your laundry. The only slight drawback is that all these extras have to be paid for. Laundry is not going to be free but if you want to cook you have to pay an amount depending on how many people you’re cooking for. The same goes for the cinema room, making it the first place that has charged to watch their DVD’s.

Huaraz is a hub of a place for outdoor activities. Surrounded by gorgeous snow-capped mountains (which looked even better at sunset) reminded me a little of being in the Alps. But the place isn’t about skiing. Its about hiking and trekking and adventurous things like ice-climbing. – the latter offered to us by way of a knock on the door at 7.30am. For a minute I thought I must have agreed to something the night before, but then I realised the cheeky guide was knocking on all doors speculatively to see if anyone was interested. Climbing a wall of ice is really something you agree to do the night before. It’s never going to seem appealing when you haven’t even had your first a cup of tea.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Peru without some ruins to see. And that’s what we did on our first full day. We had spoken to some people who had taken on something a little bigger on their first day and had been beaten by the altitude. Given that the night before we had climbed 3200m from Trujillo by bus, immediately hiking up too much further didn’t seem like a good idea. No, far better to acclimatise a bit first by doing a 2 hour walk to the ruins of the Huari Empire (700-1000AD) at Willkawain. The ruins themselves are well kept stone buildings that were once lived in and then later used as burial chambers for the important folk of the day. We hired a guide, who happened to be nine years old, and he rattled off the information with great confidence, for a small sum of course. He was the perfect size for some of the tunnels we crawled into, the rest of us struggled a little.

However, for me, more impressive was being out in the countryside. Once we had seen the ruins, we spied a big cross on the top of a hill and decided to walk up to it. It was good to test out the body after a week of lazing on the beach, however at this time of year the afternoon usually spells rain. By the time we reached the cross the heavens opened and we ran back down for cover. Just a couple of hours earlier we had been suffering the heat from the strong sun and now we were soaked and doing our best to keep warm. Luckily the hostel had good hot showers so we headed back. By this time the streets of Huaraz were more like rivers.

Once clean and dry it was time to shell out a few extra Soles pick out a DVD. Anything without Jean Claude Van Damme would be perfect!