Peru - Mountains

Itinerary: High and Mighty

Spin the globe and you'll see that Peru has the highest tropical mountains in the world. Don't miss them. Trips can centre around Huaraz, Arequipa and Cuzco.

An eight-hour bus ride takes you from Lima to Huaraz from where you can see many of these tropical summits, including the highest, Huascaran (6768m). Travelers don't need to climb that high - hiking, mountain biking or even simply riding a bus can bring you closer to the peaks than your camera lens can handle. Travelers not into tents and breathlessly high camp sites can take day trips out of Huaraz to visit pristine lakes, 10m-high bromeliads, ice caves, and 3500-year-old archaeological sites, all dominated by the spectacular peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.

The classic and favorite trekking route is the four-day Llanganuco to Santa Cruz trek, climbing the 4750m Punta Union pass surrounded by ice-clad peaks. Allow a few days for acclimatization first. Longer treks include the northern route around Alpamayo or the Cordillera Huayhuash, both needing almost two weeks.

In the south of Peru, there is no shortage of highs. Arequipa offers the possibility of scaling El Misti (5822m), which, despite its height, is basically a very long, tough walk-up. Near Cuzco, a six-day trek around awesome Ausangate (6384m) will take you over 5000m passes, through huge herds of alpacas, and past tiny hamlets unchanged in centuries. Or, if you are looking for an easier trek, the four-day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu might be the way to go.