Laguna Llanganuco

Tags: Andes 2011, Latest, Peru, South-America, Travel

Just in case I'll never return to Peru, I decided that I at least had to see the Laguna Llanganuco, a stunning turquoise lake between the Huascaran and Huandoy mountains in the Cordillera Blanca.

I found out that for 30 Soles (11 USD) only, I could get a whole day of sightseeing including a lot more than Laguna Llanganuco. So I signed on this good deal in Huaraz.

The tourist bus departed from Huaraz shortly before 10am. First we had a brief stop at Carhuaz, a small town that claims to have to most beautiful Plaza in the entire valley. The next stop was the memorial and cemetery in Yungay where thousands of people were killed by a debris avalanche caused by the 1970 Ancash earthquake. This earthquake triggered an unstable mass of glacial ice about 800 meters across at the top of Nevado Huascarán to fall. More than 50 million cubic meters of debris slid approximately 15 kilometers downhill at an angle of about 14 degrees. 25.000 people in Yungay were killed, only 92 survived.

Froom Yungay (2500m) the bus continued almost endlessly uphill on a dirt road, but eventually reached the incredible Laguna Llanganuco (3850m). It was a bit cold and windy, but the location and beauty of this turquoise lake is nothing less than spectacular. No doubt worth the long drive from Huaraz!

After spending 1 hour by the lake, we drove down to a local eatery where a couple of young musicians entertained us while we ate our lunch. At the end of the day, we visited Caraz and had some magic views of the Huandoy mountains by sunset. See all photos below.

Photo Album