HUARAZ AND THE PERUVIAN ANDES
Huaraz is the meeting point for hikers and mountaineers. And I understand why, there are so many things to do in Huaraz! The surrounding mountains are immense and so magnificent! There are also several lakes that are worth the detour. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to do everything, but don’t worry, I’ll give you another website to complete your visit.
THINGS TO DO IN HUARAZ
HUARAZ
Before going on a hike, the city’s worth a day’s visit to acclimatize to the altitude. Here’s some things to do in Huaraz:
- Plaza de Armas: a beautiful main square surrounded by snow-capped peaks.
- Central market, Mercado central de Huaraz: take a look at the different stands and eat.
- Museo arqueológico de Áncash: archaeological objects from a pre-Hispanic civilization. There are some details on textiles, metallurgy and others… Allow about an hour to do the tour. The only negative point, everything’s only in Spanish.
Entrance fee to Museo arqueológico de Áncash: 7 PLN*
LAGUNA PARÓN
During my stay in Huaraz, I had the opportunity to do a partnership with Golden Expeditions to see the magnificent Laguna Parón, the largest lagoon in the Cordillera Blanca. It’s for sure one of the best things to do in Huaraz!
Meeting point at 8 a.m. at the agency. Some people meeting is in front of their accommodation. Once all 14 people are on board, we drive for 45 minutes. We stop for about twenty minutes in Carhuaz, a small village where it’s possible to do some shopping for lunch, as well as go to the bathroom. We go back on the road where the guide gives us some explanations about the Cordillera Blanca and the lagoon. Around 11:15 a.m., we arrive at a place to pay the entrance to the lagoon. We finally arrive at the lagoon parking lot around 12 p.m. The view’s extraordinary! A turquoise blue lake surrounded by mountains! It’s truly incredible to see this natural beauty located at an altitude of 4,200 m! And the best thing about all this with this agency is that it’s the only one I found that stays more than an hour on site, and we arrived before all the big groups! So we were able to enjoy the tranquility of the place for a while. If you’ve a good physical condition, there’s a small path on the right which goes up about 100m to have a high view of the lake. The guides tell us it takes 45 minutes, but personally it took me 25 minutes. It must be said that I was in good shape after the Huayhuash trek. The path isn’t complicated but at the top you have to be careful because you have to step over quite a few large rocks. The view’s definitely worth the detour! It’s breathtaking !
After 2 hours on site, we return to the meeting point and leave for a tasting of grove fruit wines in Morandina. Rather original and interesting as a tasting. Then we hit the road again to finish this beautiful day around 5:30 p.m. / 6 p.m. Yes, it’s still a long drive for only 2 hours there, but I found that the beauty of the landscape was worth it.
Price of the excursion with guide, transport and tasting: 50 PLN*
Entrance fee to Laguna Parón: 5 PLN*
Huaraz is a city where it’s possible to stay for a very long time to do several hikes in the surrounding area. For example, there’s the Pastoruri Glacier, Laguna 69, Laguna Churup, the Santa Cruz hike or the Huayhuash trek. Unfortunately due to a lack of time, I wasn’t able to do everything but you can go to the Worldpackers website which gives more things to do in Huaraz.
WHERE TO EAT IN HUARAZ?
One of the things to do in Huaraz is to go to some restaurants. I ate at a few restaurants in Huaraz, but here are 2 good ones:
- Cevichería Margot: their ceviche is super good.
- Charlie Pizza & Coffe: very good pizzas with a wide choice.
THE PRACTICAL MAP OF HUARAZ
HOW MANY DAYS DOES IT TAKE FOR VISIT HUARAZ?
I admit that the number of days you take for this destination will depend on your desires. It’s the ideal place for day hikes, but also multi-days hikes like the Huayhuash trek. Ideally I’ll tell you 3/4 days to see the main points and visit the few lagoons in the surrounding area but if you’re a hiking enthusiast, you can plan between 2 to 3 weeks. As you could understand in this article, there are so many things to do in Huaraz!
WHAT ARE THE BEST MONTHS TO GO TO HUARAZ?
The weather in Huaraz is favorable between May and September, during the dry season. With few rainy days, it’s ideal weather for hiking or mountaineering.
| JANUARY | Temperatures are pleasant but there can be several days of rain. |
| FEBRUARY | In the middle of the rainy season, the trails can be slippery. |
| MARCH | The rainy season ends, temperatures remain pleasant. |
| APRIL | The start of the dry season begins, with a few more days of rain. |
| MAY | The dry season has started well and temperatures remain pleasant. |
| JUNE | In the middle of the dry season, there are few rainy days. |
| JULY | Morning and evening temperatures are much cooler but there are few rainy days. |
| AUGUST | Temperatures are still cool with few rainy days. |
| SEPTEMBER | It’s the end of the dry season, but the temperatures are more pleasant again. |
| OCTOBER | As rainy days increase, trails can start to get slippery. |
| NOVEMBER | In the middle of the rainy season. |
| DECEMBER | Rainy days are more frequent even if the temperatures are more pleasant. |
HOW TO GET TO HUARAZ?
To get to Huaraz, you can only take the bus. There’s no airport, nor a train. So no matter where you’re coming from Peru or elsewhere, you’ll most certainly have to go to Huaraz from Lima.Click here to see the different bus options you have.
WHAT BUDGET TO EXPECT TO VISIT HUARAZ?
Here’s the budget of a backpacker with a few restaurants and also hikes organized with agencies.
- Accommodation: There are quite a few hostels within a few minutes walk of the city center. Look carefully at the location so as not to find yourself too far away. Allow between 20 PLN* and 30 PLN*.
- Food: Most hostels have a kitchen. Depending on the restaurants, it can be really cheap or sometimes a little more. It all depends on what you want, but you can budget between 20 PLN* and 80 PLN*.
- Transport: The city’s quite large but it’s possible to do everything on foot. If your hostel is far away, you can budget a little for taxis.
- Activities: It all depends on whether you do the hikes alone or not. I’ll give you my budget having done two excursions with agencies, as mentioned earlier in this article. Allow around 1,600 PLN*.
- Others: Being the meeting point for hikers in the region, the town has plenty of shops with technical equipment if you need it. Depending on what you need to add, plan a little budget.
On average, for around two weeks in the area, I advise you to budget 2,500 PLN*. Obviously the budget you spend depends on your needs and desires.
MY TRAVEL TIPS TO VISIT HUARAZ
- Before going on excursions, acclimatize for a few days to the altitude. All the hikes are even higher than the city and it’s important for your body to get used to it.
- If you go on tours with agencies, you can take the tour in the city center and also on the Internet. There are many and each agency offers more or less different services.
- Take accommodation not too far from the city center, the city’s large.
*Prices shown are as of July 2023.