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THE CORDILLERAS BLANCA AND HUAYHUASH
This is an incredible climbing and trekking area, with fascinating flora and fauna and the remains of several pre-Inca and Inca cultures. The focal point of the area is the Callejón de Huaylas, the name given to the Río Santa valley which separates the Cordillera Negra (west) from the Cordillera Blanca (east) in the department of Ancash in Peru's northern highlands.
The department capital, Huaraz, is at the southern end. A paved road runs through the length of this valley, linking the villages and providing spectacular views of the Nevados Huandoy and Huascarán.
The Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash are the highest of the country's astonishing total of 20 glaciated mountain ranges. The largest concentration of tropical-zone glaciers in the world is found in the Cordillera Blanca, including Peru's highest mountain, Huascarán, at 6,768m (22,206ft). The second highest mountain, Yerupajá (6,634m, 21,759ft), is in the Huayhuash.
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