Whilst you are in Peri, you must definitely explore the surroundings of Ica. Who would have believed that the country is home to an oasis and a desert, penguins, Pisco and everything, all in such a small place? A journey to the heart of the region can offer you incredible diversity and an unforgettable experience with nature.

Surf, try new things, explore and more in Ica

Huaraz is the perfect departure point for excursions into both the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra. It's in the heights of the Sierra that you will truly discover all the fantastic features that the Ancash region has to offer.

Huarez: a jewel nestled between snow-covered peaks

Arriving in Iquitos by air gives a foretaste of what awaits you in the dense jungle. From above, all you see is a thick forest that covers the land as far as the eye can see, where only the river and its tributaries stand out from an immense green carpet.

In the heart of the Amazon rainforest: Iquitos and its floating shantytown

Located between the Selva and the Cordillera of the Andes, the Huancavélica and Cerro Pasco region will put you under its spell, with its incredible landscapes, the welcoming nature of the local inhabitants and the old traditions that are still very much alive

Pasco and Huancavélica: a voyage combining nature and tradition

Machu Picchu

Puerto Maldonado

Llanganuco

Choquequirao

The campsite is a stopping point on various treks in the Cordillera Blanca, in the Ancash region.

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After visiting <a href="/peru/">Cusco</a>, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, it was time to head to the north of Peru to explore another kind of scenery. The most beautiful of Peru's mountains, including Alpamayo (famous for its perfectly pyramidal shape), are located in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in the country's Ancash Region. The Cordillera Blanca is almost 200 kilometres long and contains 35 summits over 6,000 metres high. This means that a trek in these mountains can also be an opportunity to bag your "first 6,000er", as those familiar with climbing in the Andes term it.
The only way to find out more and discover what this beautiful region is like is to visit and explore it for yourself. To give you some idea, however, this is an area containing lakes, glaciers and green, verdant valleys, and of course the emblematic llamas, without which your <a href="/peru/">trip to Peru</a> would simply not have the same flavour. There are a number of routes you can do in the Cordillera Blanca. Like most trekkers, we spent our first night at Cachinapampa, in the shadow of Mount Taulliraju. You'll need to allow a minimum of five days to complete a trek in the Cordillera Blanca And finally, ensure you have all the necessary equipment and are in good physical condition before setting off on your adventure.

Cachinapampa is a tiny settlement in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range that serves as a base camp for trekkers.

I went to the the really lovely campsite at Cachinapampa on the trek from Santa Cruz to Quebrada de Ulta. This is a variant of the flagship Cordillera Blanca trek that usually takes 4 days. In this case, you go for 6 days, including a day and half's walk to arrive at the highest point of the hike, both in terms of altitude and in the beauty of the views over the beautiful Punta Yanayacu.
As I explained above, this is a campsite that is accessible via various routes. For me, arriving at this spot was really stunning. After a number of days in the mountains we passed through a few communities where life is noticeably hard, something demonstrated yet again how truly striking the town-country divide can be in this part of the world. In any event, the setting, with the two giant mountains of Chacraraju and Taulliraju in the background, is outstanding. Don't hesitate to plan a visit this area during your <a href="/peru/">trip to Peru</a>!

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