Huascarán: the mountain of ice

Post by Johanna

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Huascaran

On one of the voyages of Italian traveler, Antonio Raimondi, who dedicated part of his life to traversing the Peruvian Andes in search of new species of plants and animals, he described Huascarán as a mountain of ice that keeps an imposing vigil over the towns that develop within the Huaylas Alley. Actually, that same sensation experienced by the scientist is the one that many tourists who have been able to visit the snow capped peaks of the Huaraz Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range) have felt when seeing how the morning sun illuminates the highest tropical snow capped peak in the world

In order to preserve it, the Huascarán National Park was created in 1975, whose main function is to protect the flora, fauna and geological formations which have been shaped through millions of years of evolution and now find themselves in danger due to global warming. Declared, in the same year, as Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, the Park is abundant with forests of native trees and local fauna, such as the High Andean deer, the raccoon and the puma.

Around 80 thousand national and foreign tourists visit the Park every year in order to see the snow capped peaks that they can climb, such as Pastoruri, and to see how nature has created places where ice and greenery live together harmoniously. Furthermore, diverse picturesque villages make our visit enjoyable, showing a part of their culture through succulent Andean foods and recuperative soups for those coming back from climbing.

If Huascarán, who rises far above 6 thousand msnm (meters above sea level), is not scalable, the aficionados of Alpinism look upon it with respect and admiration since from Pastoruri point one can see an impressive view of the imposing snow capped peaks that look down on us from the heavens.

Image: Sendero de paz

Blogalaxia Tags: Huascaran, Ecology, Nature, Snow, Peru, Huaraz, Photos, Tourism, Huaylas Alley