Huaraz, whose meaning in Quechua (Waraq) is 'Dawn', is the capital of the department of Ancash, located in the middle of the White Mountain Range. The city is flanked by the White and Black Mountain Ranges, to the east and west respectively, forming the valley popularly known as the Callejón de Huaylas, through which runs the Santa River that makes its way through the Andes to the Pato Canyon, finally end in the Pacific Ocean.
This city is the center of Regional trade and the axis of the tourist movement, especially the mountaineering type. Considered one of the most important tourist destinations in Peru, due to the natural beauty of its landscapes, archaeological monuments (pre - Inca and Inca) and varied folklore. It is a privileged city for concentrating great natural, cultural and human wealth.
Tourism is your main source of income, visitors from all the countries of the world come to Huaraz from where they start to climb the beautiful snow-capped mountains of the White Mountain Range or to know the wonders that surround the thousand-year-old temple of Chavín, and to enjoy the various tourist attractions, trekking circuits, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, boating, paragliding, rock, and ice climbing, etc. Come to know the wonders that this beautiful city contains, Huaraz and its hospitable people welcome you.
Where is Huaraz Peru
The City of Huaraz is one of the most modern cities in the Andean Region of Peru, located in the heart of the Peruvian Andes. Approximately 408 km north of Lima.
Huaraz Weather
The annual temperature ranges from a maximum of 24 ° C (75 ° F) to 7 ° C (44 ° F), and the climate in Huaraz has two well-defined seasons. Temperate and dry from May to September, its climate is called "Andean Summer", the climate is pleasant at this time of the year, with bright sunny days and cold at night. The rainy season occurs between the months of October to April, the sun shines in the mornings and it rains in the evenings, receives between 500 to 1000 m.m of annual rainfall.
How high is Huaraz Peru
The city of Huaraz is located about 3,100 meters above sea level.
Huaraz how to get there?
To get to Huaraz by land, there are three travel routes.
- Lima-Pativilca-Huaraz: 408 km (6-8 hours by bus via paved road).
- Casma- Huaraz: 145 km (4 hours by bus, paved road).
- Santa-Huallanca-Huaraz: 227 km (5 hours and 30 minutes via paved road).
By air, there is Inter-day flights to Anta airport (Carhuaz) (1 hour)
When is the best time to visit Huaraz?
In Huaraz the rainy season is from the month of November until the first half of April and therefore it is more convenient to make your visits to the Callejón de Huaylas, the Conchucos Zone and other places around from April to October. Of course, conventional visits, one-day walks and others are carried out without any problems throughout the year since the roads and roads are in good condition even in rainy seasons.
Explore the Local Market “Mercado Central de Huaraz”
A short stroll from the central square reveals a vibrant local market. Nestled within a spacious building, the market boasts an array of clothing items and assorted trinkets. Venture beyond the confines of the building, and the streets come alive with a plethora of tempting food offerings.
Here, an eclectic assortment of goods awaits discovery, ranging from live guinea pig, considered a Peruvian delicacy, to a variety of other intriguing items. If you can withstand the robust aroma of raw meat, this market is an excellent destination for budget-friendly grocery shopping, presenting a more economical alternative to the town's conventional grocery stores.
Huaraz food
Due to its variety of climate and territory (coast and mountains), Ancash has stews that satisfy the most demanding tastes. Apart from the varieties of ceviche and dishes based on fish and shellfish that can be savored on the coast side, in the mountains the spicy guinea pigs are very popular, the jaca-chasqui (a variety of the previous one but served as soup), potato-chasqui (soup based on potatoes, milk and fresh cheese), yucca-shupe (soup without fat that is served in the mornings after a night of fun), the pecán-caldo (broth of head of lamb), the huallpa-chasqui (chicken broth with walnuts and ground almonds) and chochoca humitas. To drink, the different forms of fruit punch are recommended, according to the season.
Huaraz where to eat?
Restaurants in the region:
- Bistró de los Andes
- Pizza Bruno
- Trivio
- Encuentro Restaurant Café
- Huaraz Querido
- Star Room
- Chifa Oja - Yo
- Rinconcito Minero
- Mochica
- Don Cuy Recreation Center
Huaraz Hotels
Lodgings in the region:
- Hotel Andino Club
- El Patio de Monterrey Hotel
- Hotel Residencial NG
- El Tumi Hotel
- Hotel San Sebastián
- Hotel La Joya
- Hostal Hatunwasi
- Hostal La Aurora
- Hostel La Casa de Zarela
- Albergue El Jacal
Huaraz what to do?
On this site you can visit many extraordinary places. Within the city you can go to the archaeological sites of Willcahuain and Ichic Willcahuain, a sample of the Wari culture located 35 minutes from downtown. There are also the thermal baths of Monterrey, whose pools and pools have waters with temperatures that reach up to 50 ° C, ideal for those suffering from rheumatic conditions.
As if that were not enough, there is the Llanganuco lagoon, famous for its crystal clear waters, located 84 kilometers northeast of the city, within the Huascarán National Park.
Huaraz Canyoning
Like all adventurous travelers and eager to start their journey, the Santa River begins its journey in the Conococha lagoon, taking strength from the melting waters of the Cordillera Blanca. Above 4000 meters, begins a journey of 294 km, crossing the Callejon de Huaylas from south to north and looking from its shore the Canyon del Pato, and then finish your extensive trip in the Pacific Ocean, north of the city of Chimbote.
Fast, as the song indicates, the Santa River has become one of the favorite places to go rafting. In small boats or kayaks, that is up to you. The recommended time for this practice is from May to October, during the months of July and August the flow of everything is diminished and from December to April is the rainy season, which makes the adventure a bit difficult or perhaps a challenge. In this beautiful destination you can practice rafting all year round, but with high recommendation from May to October.
Presents three sections recommended to be done in 1 day.
Ruins near Huaraz
- Archaeological Sites of Willcahuain, is a sample of Wari architecture, which was developed in the Middle Horizon (700 AD - 1100 AD). The buildings present a network of galleries inside that were used as spaces for offerings. In the place you can find a museum site, and 800 meters walking is Ichic Willkahuain. The archaeological remains are located 7 km northeast of Huaraz, 35 minutes by car or 3 hours on foot.
- Archaeological Complex of Chavin de Huantar, located in the town of the same name in the Callejón de Conchucos. It was one of the main religious - cultural centers of the Western Hemisphere. A brilliant example of its architecture in stone is the Castle and its labyrinths, a mysterious construction of narrow corridors and a multitude of enigmatic figures of carved stone, such as the "carved heads" sculpted with fierce faces, located in the town of the same name in the Alley of Conchucos. It was one of the main religious - cultural centers of the Western Hemisphere. A brilliant example of its architecture in stone is the Castle and its labyrinths, the mysterious construction of narrow corridors and a multitude of enigmatic figures of carved stone, like the "spiked heads" sculpted with fierce faces.
- Fortress of Paramonga, located on the coast, on the border between the departments of Lima and Ancash. Although there are archaeologists who maintain that this imposing construction was a religious ceremonial center, most agree that it was used as the last stronghold of the Chimú before succumbing to the forces of the Inca Pachacutec in the middle of the 15th century.
- Nepeña, 35 kilometers from Casma, on the coast. Near this valley is the Huaca de Pañamarca, built with adobe and that still shows vestiges of the mochica past, with unique paintings of its kind. Huarmey Province of the coast that houses several fishmeal factories, with beautiful beaches along the way.
Mountains near Huaraz
- White Mountain Range, is a group of glaciers located in the central part of Ancash, department of Peru, they originate in the Tuco glacier and end in the Champará glacier, these are the highest equatorial glaciers in the world that also have the best climate in the world. You have a total of 630 glaciers, approximately, 33 of them more than six thousand meters above sea level, its conformation allow the formation of favorable valleys for hiking and climbing. Almost all the glaciers belong to the Huascarán National Park, a protected reserve. Parallel to the "Cordillera Blanca" and to the west, is the "Cordillera Negra", another group of mountains, but without snow, its maximum height is 5187 meters above sea level, these mountains protect from the trade winds of the sea ​​to the "Cordillera Blanca". Between "Cordillera Blanca" and "Cordillera Negra" is the Callejón de Huaylas, valley where the holy river runs, in its extension you can find a diversity of small towns and cities, the capital of them is Huaraz at 3100 meters above the level from sea. Huaraz is considered the "Chamonix" of South America, because they have good conditions for the organization of expeditions of climbers and tourists who want to visit the Callejón de Huaylas, and the Cordillera Blanca. The Callejón de Huaylas has an area of ​​180 kilometers, which, as mentioned above, runs along the "Santa" river. The river "Santa", is born in the lake of Conococha and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The dry season, from June to August, is favorable for climbing the great glaciers of more than six thousand meters above sea level.
- Huayhuash Mountain Range, has dozens of spikes. It is located south of the city of Huaraz, and it is possible to practice one of the most spectacular walks in the world. The Cordillera Huayhuash is only 50 kilometers south of the Cordillera Blanca and 200 kilometers north of Lima. The whole journey takes ten or nine days to complete and goes through four steps of more than 4700 meters in a distance of 150 kilometers of walk. Relatively far from any large urban area of ​​the region it remains almost wild. The Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash is perhaps instead of the natural ones with the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
Lakes near Huaraz
- Willcacocha Lagoon. Because of its location, it constitutes an exceptional viewpoint of the Cordillera Blanca. It allows to identify peaks such as Huandoy, Huascarán, Chopicalqui, Hualcán, Copa, Vallunaraju, Ocshapalca, Ranrapalca, Palcaraju, Churup, Chinchey, San Juan, Huamasraju, Huatzan, Cashan, among others. It is located 14 km from Huaraz (7 km by car), at 3,745 m.s. in the Cordillera Negra.
Treks near Huaraz
Few countries like Peru, Huaraz and its mountain ranges have the privilege of offering an infinity of routes and circuits for hiking, hiking or trekking, which begin at sea level, passing through exuberant high and low jungle, to reach heights that pass over 5,000 meters, thousand-year-old roads, where contrasting geographies, dazzling landscapes, with the greatest challenges of its visitors and cultural exchange with the inhabitants of these routes.
The hiking circuits in Huaraz, Cordillera Blanca and Huayhuash mountain range offer a number of possibilities, and of course, more than a combination of circuits ideal for walkers of all levels of demand and experience.
- Santa Cruz - Llanganuco
- Llanganuco Lagoons
- Cedros - Alpamayo Base Pitec Camp
- Churup Quillcayhuanca Lagoon
- Shallap Cojup Ravine
Huaraz mountain biking
Mountain Bike, known worldwide by the name of mountain biking, is the fastest growing adventure sport in the country. Its thousands of followers travel today with its light bicycles, how many broken and bridle path exists throughout our geography.
Almost any corner of the Peruvian territory, with the exception of the coastal desert and the Amazonian plain, is suitable for the practice of mountain biking. However, depending on their difficulty and logistical requirements, the circuits can be grouped into three broad categories: considered suitable for beginners, it includes routes of gentle slope and hard and compact terrain
- For cyclists with some experience, it includes circuits that are developed on areas of moderate slope and carry a level of risk for those who practice them
- Reserved for experts, characterized by steep slopes and extremely "deleznable" or soft-consistence soils (it entails a high level of risk and often means reaching high altitudes).
Cycling Routes:
- Punta Olympic Circuit - Carhuaz.
- Olleros Circuit - Jauna.
- Portachuelo Circuit - Lagunas
- Llanganuco - Yungay Circuit around Huascaran.
- Punta Callan Circuit - Cordillera Negra.
- Alley Conchucos Circuit.
Lima to Huaraz flight
The airline LC Peru offers commercial flights to "Callejón de Huaylas - Huaraz". Departures from Lima (Jorge Chávez Airport) with arrival in Huaraz (Arias Grazianni Airport). It should be noted that Huaraz airport is located 21 km north of this city; in the district of Anta - Carhuaz, 15 minutes approx.
Extend your tour with a Trekking Adventure in Peru
Peru offers the best destinations for trekking in the world like Huaraz, Arequipa, and Cusco. The most popular trekking is the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Choquequirao, Salkantay Trek, Santa Cruz Trek and Huayhuash Trek. Below find the most popular trek in Cusco..
