Full-Day Tour Of Paron Lake In The Cordillera Blanca & Huascaran National Park
Highlights
Huascarán National Park
nature, trekking, sightseeing
Group Tour
1 Day
Easy
English, Spanish
Description
Lake Paron, 4200 masl is the largest lake in the Cordillera Blanca, on the Peruvian Andes, 32km east from the city Caraz. It is nested and surrounded by several snow peaks, especially by Pyramid 5885 masl, from where the Paramount picture company logo was taken.
Paron Lake was formed as a natural reservoir and has a catchment area of 44.3 square km. It is 3.7 km long from east to west and has an average 7000 m width from north to south. The original depth was about 75 m, but today, the level has been lowered to 15 m to prevent the collapse of the moraine. The water from the lake was formerly used for the Canon del Pato hydroelectric scheme, but since 29 July 2008, this condition has ceased. The lake itself is within the borders of the Huascaran National Park. The water level is controlled by a tunnel and underwater gate, to keep water level at 4155 masl, aiming a double objective to prevent the overflow and the resulting risk for the downstream population and to manage the river discharge. The high concentrations of dissolved lime give the water of Paron Lake a turquoise color. It’s a popular day hike for those willing to acclimatize or even ride a mountain bike downhill (there is an almost 2000 m drop to Caraz). It's possible to camp on the west and east shores and from the east end.
Itinerary
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Paron Lake: The most wonderful tour in the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park
- Breakfast in the hotel around 6 am and depart in a private minivan around 7 am towards the north side, along the Callejon de Huaylas Valley. Our tour will start in Huaraz 3100 masl. Pass the typical small village of Paltay, Tarica, cross the Rio Santa to the left side, pass several typical villages, Jangas, Yungar, and Anta, where from here we can appreciate the beautiful white mountains of Huandoy, Huascaran, Hualcan, Copa and others. You may make a photo-stop point of view.
- Continue to pass the Marcara district and continue to Carhuaz. Some can walk around the Plaza de Armas. Carhuaz is located at 2650 masl. Continue to the historical province of Yungay, the ancient buried city at 2500 masl. A piece of Huascaran mountain's north peak broke and made a huge avalanche of mud and ice blocks and, in 6 seconds, destroyed Yungay province. A guided visit will take you around 45 minutes, then 1 km north side is located the new Yungay. Continue to Caraz, a small city.
- Start the unpaved trail going up along the Paron River full of eucalyptus trees and typical houses of peasants, in a few minutes, we will start driving up by a wonderful valley full of polylepis trees called quenuales, then arrive at Paron Lake and enjoy walking around the lake and take a short hike to the top of the lake.
- Enjoy time taking pictures and then, at the proper time, return to Caraz by the same route for lunch in a typical restaurant around 3 pm. After lunch, drive back directly to Huaraz, arriving around 6pm.
What's Included
What's Excluded
Know Before You Go
What To Bring
Meeting Point
Cancellation Policy
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For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 80% of the tour price.
Price
| Adult | |
|---|---|
| 1 to 100 | /person |
| Child | |
| 1 to 100 | /person |
|
This is a group tour |
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