Huaraz is a classic mountain town in the Cordilleras of Peru. We arrived in the morning after a night bus from Trujillo, a little dazed and confused (we basically slept through a gain of 10,000 feet in altitude). After sleeping through the morning, we walked around town for a little, checking out lunch options and looking for the guy who runs the best mountain biking tours in Peru. We had some difficulty (the office was closed; we found out later that he was guiding all day), but did find a good cafe to hang out in! Late in the evening I met Julio, and we talked about doing a ride in the morning. I ended up riding twice (on different days) – once in the Cordillera Negra and once in the Cordillera Blanca (the two mountain ranges that flank Huaraz). They were great rides – a mix of pure cross-country, singletrack, and rockier and steeper descents, and I had a great time.
Between rides, Stef and I hiked up to the Lazy Dog Inn from El Pinar – about a 90-minute hike. It’s not so much long as it is steep – you gain about 500 meters (1600 feet) of altitude during the hike.
We really enjoyed Huaraz – even though we didn’t spend much time there. There are a lot of opportunities for multi-day hikes, and if we come back, we might try one come 2010. In the meantime, there is some really impressive scenery throughout Huaraz, and some of the highest mountains in all of South America. You can see more of it below (and click for more photos):
