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CORDILLERA
BLANCA (Cont.)
If
you count the multi-peaked mountains, 33 peaks rise above 6,000m
(19,686ft), crowned by Peru’s highest peak Huascarán (6786m).
The range is an important hydrological reserve, much of the
extremely arid coastal area directly to the west depends on
glacier meltwater, from some of its 722 glaciers, for survival.
The
range includes seven life zones which give it great biodiversity
(almost 800 species of flora, 112 of birds, 10 of mammals) and
over thirty pre-Inca archaeological sites have been found in the
area.
The
glaciers are retreating and rarely extend much below 5,000m; the
valleys below are grasslands, puna, usually grazed by cattle.
There are very few llamas in this region.
As
the range is quite narrow all the hiking areas are easily
accessed from roads. Most hiking routes run from west to east,
crossing the cordillera at a high pass and descending to a road.
These trails were created centuries before the arrival of
recreational hikers, being the main thoroughfare for the Andean
inhabitants. Some of the trails have recently been made into
roads for vehicular traffic. The
rural population living around the park speaks Quechua and still
maintains many aspects of traditional Andean culture.
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