Snow-capped Cordillera Blanca, or White Mountain Range, is Peru's mountaineering mecca. It boasts nothing less than 50 peaks over 5,500 m.a.s.l., including mighty El Huascarán mountain, the highest in the country at 6,768 m. To the west, parallel to the Cordillera Blanca, unrolls the smaller Cordillera Negra (Black Mountain Range) and, in between, extends the picturesque Callejón de Huaylas, or Huaylas alley, a 40-km wide valley stretching for 150 km in the Ancash department.

An unbeatable destination in Peru for mountain climbing and trekking --perhaps the best spot in the entire South America--, the Callejón de Huaylas also offers excellent possibilities for white water rafting, mountain biking, and paragliding. The main base for expeditions in the area is Huaraz, an unattractive modern city (consequence of a terrific earthquake occurred in 1970).

Huaraz, though, is spectacularly set at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca, amidst two dozen white-capped peaks, and can be considered as the Adventure Sports capital of Peru. Most expeditions depart from the city, even those to the beautiful Huaylash Mountain Range, further south, particular renowned for its trekking circuit.

The Huascarán National Park is probably the most prominent attraction in the Huaylas area (as its name suggests, the impressive Huascarán mountain rises within its borders). The 340.000-hectare Park contains almost the entire White Range: something like 660 glaciers, 300 lakes and, as stated before, 50 peaks over 5,500 m.a.s.l.

Placed on the UNESCO Natural World Heritage List in 1985, the Huascarán National Park gives shelter to a wide variety of Andean plants, in particular the Puya Raimondi and the queñual trees. It's also home to jaguars, guanacos, marsh deers, condors, and many other highland animal species. A particular mention goes to birdwatching, as the White-cheeked Cotinga and the endemic Plain-tailed Warbling Finch --two very rare species-- are a common sight in the park (specifically in the high Andean polylepis forests around Llanganuco).