Caraz

By Claire Peltier

Between the twin extremes of the arid Cordillera Negra and the high-peaked, icy Cordillera Blanca, the town of Caraz has a sunny, pleasant climate year-round. Sitting at a height of around 2,200 meters (7,200 feet), lower than the nearby and more touristy town of Huaraz, it is an ideal place to acclimate to the altitude and take amazing sightseeing tours.

Roughly 200 years old, the town is built around a Plaza de Armas and, like most villages in Peru, it has a grand colonial church that somehow seems slightly out of proportion to the rest of the tiny village.

At the north end of the village, you can see the Chavín ruins of Tunshucayco (the Chavín culture is one of the oldest of Peru, inhabiting the area from about 1000 B.C. to 300 B.C.) which consist of fascinating excavated walls. Without any signs, guides or tourists around, one enjoys the rare privilege of walking around among the ruins without being disrupted, of discovering secret tunnels and taking different paths that lead to superb views of the colorful valley.

On the way back to the village, slightly off track, a creek runs through a landscape of grass and beautiful trees—it looks like paradise.

Traveling would not be as interesting without the possibility of meeting people, and Caraz is one of the best places to encounter real Peruvian culture. In Caraz, tourists simply blend in, while the local population displays an honest, yet subdued curiosity as to their visitors’ origins and reasons for trekking all the way to their village.

Women traveling alone will appreciate not being harassed, as well as the ease with which women and children initiate conversation. They are not intrusive or aggressive, but polite and kind, which makes any visitor feel welcome.

Caraz is ideally located for all sorts of active sports and for exploring the two mountain ranges by its sides, perfect spots to take a closer look at the snow-capped peaks of the two mountain ranges. It is a warm and comfortable base camp for trekking in the Cordillera Blanca and the best place to return to and rest, taking a last glance at these amazing mountains, in a town that has lost track of time.