Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [343]
For information on getting to Chiquián, and transport to Llamac for the trailhead, Click here. In Llamac there is a soccer field where camping is permitted. Among the three hospedajes (small, family-owned inns) here the plain, four-room, cold-water Hotel Santa Rosa and the slightly better Hospedaje Huayhuash are both good. Both have rooms for around S5 to S10 per person and provide meals.
CORDILLERA NEGRA
The poor little Cordillera Negra lives literally in the shadows of its big brother range, the Cordillera Blanca, whose towering glaciated peaks to the east block the morning sun and loom dramatically over everything around them. The ‘Black Range,’ which gets its name from its obvious contrast to the more beautiful ‘White Range,’ will probably always look a bit dressed down – with its arid, mud-brown, merely hilly silhouette – against the Cordillera Blanca’s stunning icy and craggy profile. Still, the Negra has an important role to play in the area’s ecology as it blocks warm Pacific winds from hitting the Blanca’s glaciers and contributing to their thaw. It’s also an important agricultural and mining area for the local population.
Although second fiddle to the big-mountain recreational offerings on the other side of the Callejón de Huaylas, the Cordillera Negra has some great attractions, especially for rock climbers, who will find excellent bolted climbs in Recuay and Hatun Machay (Click here). Mountain-bikers have access to seemingly unlimited kilometers of roads and trails over the rugged landscape; bike-guiding companies (Click here) in Huaraz know these old byways well.
Day hikers can also explore these routes. Hire a truck to take you to Punta Callan (4225m) above Huaraz or to Curcuy (4520m) above Recuay and walk down to town. Another suggested hike is a three-hour ascent to the ruins of Quitabamba near Jangas. Take a colectivo towar Carhuaz, getting off at La Cruz de la Mina and look for signs to the ruins.
The villages over here don’t see a lot of tourists, and you’ll be interacting with indigenous people who in many cases live an untouched, traditional lifestyle. Of course, if none of the above activities appeal to you, you might find great photo opportunities of big brother Cordillera Blanca from this side of the Río Santa.
NORTH OF HUARAZ
As the Río Santa slices its way north through the Callejón de Huaylas, a road shadows its every curve past several subdued towns to Caraz, and on to the menacingly impressive Cañón del Pato. The Andean panorama of the Cordillera Blanca looms over the length of the valley like a wall of white-topped sentries, with the granddaddy of them all, Huascarán, barely 14km away from the road as the condor flies. Many hiking trailheads are accessible from towns along this route and two unsealed roads valiantly cross the Cordillera, one via Carhuaz and another via Yungay.
MONTERREY
043 / pop 1100 / elev 2800m
Huddled around a scattered spine of tourist facilities, this tiny pueblo, 9km north of Huaraz, earns a spot on the map for its natural hot springs (admission S3; 6am-6pm). It also makes for a low-key sleeping alternative to Huaraz. The baths are run by the Real Hotel Baños Termales Monterrey next door, which fronts a popular rock-climbing wall. Buses terminate right in front.
The hot springs are divided into two sections; the lower pools are more crowded while the upper pools are nicer and have private rooms (S2.50 per person for 20 minutes). Before you wrinkle your nose at the brown color of the water, know that it’s due to high iron content rather than questionable hygiene practices. It’s best to visit in the morning as the baths are cleaned overnight. The pools get crowded on weekends and holidays.
Sleeping & Eating
All the hotels are within a five-minute walk of the springs. Some of the restaurants are a little further afield, but still within walking distance.
Apart from the hotel restaurants,