TOURS ANCASH

Altitude

3,100-m/10,000 ft above sea level.

The Department of Ancash is located in northwest Peru and has the privilege to include in its territory all natural landscapes known in the world. In this city you can take wonderful tours ancash. To the west, the waters of the Pacific Ocean shore Ancash and to the east it is rimmed by the Andes Mountains. Ancash is home to more than 980,000 people.

The capital is Huaraz, located at 3,100-m.a.s.l./10,000 ft. The coastal city of Chimbote is one of the world’s largest fishing ports and the capital of Peru’s iron and steel industry.

Geographical diversity gives Ancash a varied weather that is warm on the coast but cold in the mountains with mild, crisp mornings all year round.

A Brief History

Civilization in this region bloomed around 400-600 AD at Chavin, the cradle of an intensely religious local civilization that stands out for its stone ceramics and sculptures and who opposed strong resistance to the Incas’ expansionist drive.

At their arrival to modern-day Huaraz in search of gold and silver, the Spanish conquerors caused great destruction to quell strong local resistance against submission.

The Huaylas and Conchucos native ethnic groups’ resistance to Francisco Pizarro’s pillaging led to their massacre and near extinction thus enveloping in mystery the actual date of the city’s foundation.

Huaraz never achieved the importance of other Colonial cities and few typical Spanish-style mansions were built there. However, the area did become a prominent site for confrontations between the local Spanish magistrates known as Corregidores, noted for their bad treatment of local Indian populations, and the clergy who opposed them.

Main Attractions for Tours Ancash

Callejon de Huaylas Circuit
After visiting the Plaza de Armas or Main Square and the Cathedral, the typical tourist sites in Huaraz, a tour of the nearby Vallejo provides a unique opportunity to get in touch with nature and the region’s people and culture. Along the route, travelers will see pieces of sculpture and architecture that reveal the area’s magnificent cultural past, such as the chullpas or graves at Willcahuin and Honcopampa; a tomb at Janku; and sites like Huallac, Kekamarca, Marcun and Keyash.

Huascaran National Park
Created in 1975 to preserve the area’s flora and fauna, geology, archeological sites, and the beauty of the Cordillera Blanca, the Park comprises the famous Huascaran snow-capped mountain and a surrounding area encompassing more than 3,300 km².

Yungay
Buried together with its 50,000 residents by an earthquake in 1970, the town was rebuilt in the same place.

Lake Llanganuco
Natural wonder with blue waters and idyllic scenery.

Conococha Lagoon
At more than 4,100 m.a.s.l./13,400 ft, the lagoon is the headwaters of the Santa River and the Callejon de Huaylas.

Monterrey Hot Springs
Barely 7 km from Huaraz, its waters heat up to 49°C/120° F.

Chavin de Huantar Archaeological Complex
Located in the Callejon de Conchucos, Chavin de Huantar was once one of the main religious and cultural centers in the Western Hemisphere. An example of its outstanding stone architecture is the castillo or castle and its labyrinth, a mysterious construction of narrow paths and multiple enigmatic figures in carved stone, such as the ferocious-looking ‘Cabezas Clavas’, stone carved tenons that decorate the temples’ walls.

Chancos Hot Springs
Located 30 km (18 ml) from Huaraz, water temperatures range from 68° to 72° C/155° to 160° F.

Paramonga Fortress
This impressive mud brick structure served as a religious ceremonial center. It is located on the border between the departments of Lima and Ancash along the coastal strip, and is believed to have been the last bastion of the Chimu civilization before Inca Pachacutec conquered them in the mid-fifteenth century.

Nepeña
A valley 35-km from Casma on the Coast, Nepeña is home to the Pañamarca tomb, in which adobe walls display unique paintings that reveal the site’s Mochica past.

Sechin
Located 5 km from Casma, the 3,000-year old Archeological Complex of Sechin features impressive architecture and stone ornaments, rarely seen in coastal civilizations of Peru.