Paron: The biggest lake in the Cordillera Blanca
The Paron Lake is located in the Cordillera Blanca, 32 km away from Caraz village, and 100 km north of Huaraz town. This lake is of glacial origin, formed from the melting of the snowy mountains: Huandoy, Chacraraju, Artesonraju, Aguja and Garcilazo Pyramid. Paron Lake was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.
The Paron lake is the biggest lake in the Cordillera Blanca. It’s a peaceful place with a privileged viewpoint of the snowy mountains: Garcilazo Pyramid, the famous Artesonraju (known as the mountain of «Paramount Picture»), Caraz, Chacraraju and Huandoy.
Paron Lake is an increasingly popular destination for tourists who enjoy nature and short hikes. This beautiful turquoise lake is also frequented by climbers seeking to acclimatize before a higher altitude expedition.
Paron Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Cordillera Blanca of the peruvian andes and one of the most impressive sceneries of nature worth a visit.
Huaraz (Google Map)
8:30 am (Pick up at your hotel)
Participants should have experience in altitude, which ensures adequate acclimatization and conditioning of the body to the altitude. It’s suggested to be above 3,000 m.a.s.l., so we recommend staying in Huaraz one day before the tour to Paron.
This adventure will start in Huaraz, we will pick you up at your hotel with transportation. After pick up we will head north of Huaraz. On the way we will be able to appreciate the landscapes and villages of Huaylas valley along the Santa River. During the trip we will have a panoramic view of the mountains of the Cordillera Blanca: Huandoy Huascaran, Chopicalqui, Hualcan, Copa, Urus, Ranrapalca, Ocshapalca and Vallunaraju.
Our tour continues to Carhuaz town, this village is characterized by its traditional andean customs and typical costumes and if you wish you could taste the rich handmade ice cream made from natural fruits from Huaylas valley. The tour continues through the old town of Yungay, today called Campo Santo, this place suffered one of the most catastrophic earthquakes in Peru, also an avalanche caused by the detachment of a giant block of snow Huascaran North peak that completely buried the old town of Yungay in 1970.
The tour will continue to the city of Caraz, here we turn to the east side to enter the Paron canyon and after 3 hours of travel we will arrive at the Paron Lake, here you can take a short walk around the lake or climb to the viewpoint of the lake located about 30 minutes from the parking. Finally we will return to the city of Huaraz.
Transfer by car: 4 hours
Walking time: 30 minutes to the viewpoint (optional).
Elevation: +1070 (3100 masl to 4170 masl)
