The city of Huaraz is Peru’s heart of the Andes mountain range. Situated a touch over 3,000m above sea level, Huaraz is a hiker’s and climber’s paradise, sporting easy access to a wide range of natural wonders.

Many of the most spectacular sites in the region involve icy peaks located close to stunning turquoise blue lakes formed as a result of glacial runoff. One of the most popular is this one – Huascaran National Park’s Laguna 69.

A relatively simply day trip from Huaraz, a visit to Laguna 69 involves a two hour bus ride and then a few hours of hiking depending on your fitness level. However, you’ll want to ensure you’re well-acclimatised as the final destination is breathtaking in a very literal sense – located at 4,600m above sea level.

Sadly, there’s no interesting story behind the lake’s name. When Huascaran National Park was established, they needed a simple way to denote its more than 400 lakes, so each of them was given a number – and this particular lake just happened to be number 69.

While spectacular, Laguna 69 is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region, so be prepared to share it (and to wait for the slowest member of your tour group to get back to the bus). If you’re looking for equally stunning sites without the hordes, tune into our next series starting tomorrow…

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Laguna 69, Huascaran National Park, Peru