Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [323]
Money
All of these banks have ATMs and will exchange US dollars and euros.
BCP (42-1692; Luzuriaga 691)
Interbanc (42-1502; José Sucre 687)
Scotiabank (42-1500; José Sucre 760)
Post
Post office (42-1031; Luzuriaga 702)
Tourist Information
The travel agencies mentioned on Click here and popular meeting points for tourists in Huaraz can be good sources of local and trekking information.
iPerú (42-8812; Plaza de Armas, Pasaje Atusparia, Oficina 1; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun) Has general tourist information but little in the way of trekking info.
Parque Nacional Huascarán Office (42-2086; www.areasprotegidasperu.com/pnh; Sal y Rosas 555) Staff have limited information about visiting the park.
DANGERS & ANNOYANCES
Time to acclimatize is important. Huaraz’ altitude will make you feel breathless and may give you a headache during your first few days, so don’t overexert yourself. The surrounding mountains will cause altitude sickness if you venture into them without spending a few days acclimatizing in Huaraz first. Click here for more advice on altitude sickness.
Huaraz is a safe city that experiences little crime; unfortunately, robberies of trekkers and tourists do happen, especially in the area of the Mirador de Retaqeñua and the Wilkahuaín (sometimes also spelled Wilcawain) ruins, and to groggy backpackers arriving early in the morning on overnight buses. In these cases, stay alert and walk with a group or hire a taxi to avoid problems.
SIGHTS
The Museo Regional de Ancash (42-1551; Plaza de Armas; adult incl guided tour S6; 8am-6:30pm) houses the largest collection of ancient stone sculptures in South America. Small but interesting, it has a few mummies, some trepanned skulls and a garden of stone monoliths from the Recuay culture (400 BC to AD 600) and the Wari culture (AD 600 to 1100).
At the trout hatchery Piscigranja de Truchas (admission S1; 9am-1pm & 3-5pm), you can see the stages of the trout-hatching process from eggs to adults. By the entrance, the Recreo de los Jardínes serves trout for lunch. It’s a half-hour walk from the center: walk east on Raimondi to Confraternidad Este, then turn left and cross the bridge over the Río Quilcay; the hatchery is just beyond.
Jirón José Olaya, also east of town, is on the right-hand side of Raimondi a block beyond Confraternidad. It’s the only street that remained intact through the earthquakes and shows what old Huaraz looked like; go on Sunday when a street market sells regional foods.
Mirador de Retaqeñua is about a 45-minute walk southeast of the center and has great views of the city and its mountainous backdrop. It’s best to take a taxi here (see Dangers and Annoyances, left).
Monumento Nacional Wilkahuaín (adult/student S4/2; 8am-5pm), the small Wari ruin about 8km north of Huaraz, is remarkably well preserved.
Dating from about AD 600 to 900, it’s an imitation of the temple at Chavín done in the Tiwanaku style. Wilkahuaín means ‘grandson’s house’ in Quechua. The three-story temple has seven rooms on each floor, each originally filled with bundles of mummies. The bodies were kept dry using a sophisticated system of ventilation ducts.
Taxis cost about S15, or ask for a combi (minibus; around S1) at the bus stops by the Río Quilcay in town. The two-hour walk up to Wilkahuaín is an easy, first acclimatization jaunt and can be a rewarding glimpse into Andean country life, passing farms and simple pueblos (villages). Ask locally if it is safe before you set off and see Dangers and Annoyances (left).
Instead of returning to Huaraz, you could walk down to the hot springs at Monterrey (Click here) along a footpath (one hour).
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TREMORS & LANDSLIDES
Records of aluviones, a deadly mix of avalanche, waterfall and landslide, date back almost 300 years, but three recent ones have caused particular devastation.
The first occurred in 1941, when an avalanche in the Cojup Valley, west of Huaraz, caused the Laguna Palcacocha to break its banks and flow down onto Huaraz, killing about 5000 inhabitants and flattening the