The Cordillera Blanca corresponds to a fraction of the Cordillera de Los Andes located in the north center of Peru. Its name is due to the large and invaluable number of peaks covered with eternal snow that make it up; most of them possessing imposing silhouettes that dazzle for their vast beauty. It is for the above that the Cordillera Blanca has been a recurring destination for decades for mountaineers from all over the world who come to Peru every season in search of adventures and challenges in its high peaks.
Location
In political terms, the Cordillera Blanca is located in Peru, in the department of Ancash, 408 kilometers north of Lima, the capital. This mountain range, the highest in the country, extends from north to south for 180 kilometers and is located within the margins of the Huascarán National Park, a protected natural space that has 340,000 hectares that have been declared by UNESCO as a Reserve. of the Biosphere and Natural Heritage of Humanity. In geographical terms, the Cordillera Blanca is located in the north center of the country, serving as the eastern limit of the Valley of the Callejón de Huaylas, which is delimited to the west by the lower Cordillera Negra. Through the Callejón de Huaylas runs the Santa River that serves as a source of life for different towns, the largest being Huaraz, capital of the department and the so-called capital of mountaineering in South America.
Huaraz
The city of Huaraz is located on the eastern bank of the Santa River, in the middle of the Callejón de Huaylas, at an average height of 3,050 meters and very close to the mountains; In fact, from the center of the city you have a splendid view of snow-capped mountains such as Vallunaraju or the imposing Huascarán. This proximity to the snow-capped mountains makes this city the ideal place to organize expeditions to the massifs. Walking through the streets of Huaraz you can appreciate how the history and tradition of the Andean culture of Peru is kept alive, resisting the attacks of the Western world and the effects of globalization, refusing to die in oblivion. It is not uncommon to see the shepherdesses offering their products in the street in Quechua while the bars are overflowing with Anglo-Saxon-speaking tourists. The cultural shock is notorious, especially in high season when thousands of visitors arrive from all over the world to this picturesque and touristic city, attracted not only by the wonderful surrounding mountains, but also by a large number of attractions such as its many rivers and lakes, and the endless possibilities for outdoor sports. The kindness of its people, the beauty of the environment and the cultural contrast found in Huaraz, enchant. I sincerely believe that it is a place worth knowing, even if you are not a mountaineer.
