Central Peruvian Andes Overview

By John Howison

The Central Peruvian Andes are home to the famous Cordillera Blanca, or White Mountain range. The region is known for excellent hiking, trekking, and mountain climbing. It is also where you will find Huascarán National Park, location of Peru's tallest peak (also named Huascarán).

The Central Peruvian Andes are best known for the variety of world class mountaineering options they offer. They are not, however, a playground restricted to elite mountain climbers. Anyone with an appreciation for the massive ridges of the Cordillera Blanca can find things to enjoy in the area.

There are plenty of alpine lakes, ruins, and deserted trails begging to be explored. Therefore, even if your goal isn’t to summit a bunch of sky-scraping peaks you’ll find more than enough to keep you busy in the Central Peruvian Andes.

There are several ruins left behind by the various pre-Inca cultures that inhabited the region. The Chavín culture left the largest legacy, including the Chavín de Huantar. Here you can see the work of the Chavíns, one of the first pan-Andean cultures who influenced the development of many proceeding civilizations such as the Wari and Inca cultures.

The largest city in the region is Huaraz (pop. 100 000) and is definitely the most cosmopolitan of all Peruvian cities in the central Andes. Many tour operators are based in Huaraz and can take visitors on single-day or multi-day trips.

Caraz also offers many climbing and trekking operators, however it is much smaller and more focused on adventure tourism than Huaraz. If you are not looking to climb or trek great distances than there will be more options to be had in Huaraz.