National Park in Laguna de la Cocha

By Lorraine Caputo

The peace of these high mountain humid forests might be enough to draw some people, just looking for a rest from the road. While you are here, though, enjoy a hike in the Santuario de Flora y Fauna Isla de Carota or visit a reserve natural run by the indigenous and campesino residents of the lake. Bird watchers, bring along your binoculars because many of those inhabitants await your checklists. Or, to pass a real lazy afternoon, drop a line into these pristine waters and hook a trucha arco iris (rainbow trout—an introduced species).