The two lakes
Female and male in Quechua.
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Two turquoise-green mountain lakes in a narrow, deep valley between towering rock walls, beneath Peru's highest peaks, among them Huascarán at nearly 6,770 metres. The first is Chinancocha, «female lake», about 3,850 metres up; the second, Orconcocha, «male lake», lies a kilometre further on. A dirt road runs right to the shore of the first lake, so no long walk is needed; small rowing boats wait on the shore, and a short trail passes through a grove of quenual trees with red, peeling bark. The road itself is one of the finest mountain roads, climbing past the lakes in tight hairpins to a high pass with close views of the glaciers. On the way from Huaraz you pass Yungay, buried by a huge avalanche after the 1970 earthquake, its site kept as a memorial cemetery. The lakes are a good acclimatisation trip before the Laguna 69 hike, being easier and lower. They are usually visited on a day tour from Huaraz; it is cold and sunny in the dry season from May to September.
Female and male in Quechua.
Red, peeling bark.
Glaciers up close.
Llanganuco valley, Huascarán National Park, about 25 km north-east of Yungay; two hours from Huaraz
Yes: they are lower and need no long hike, so they help you acclimatise. A day tour from Huaraz is enough.