Things to do & places to visit in Ancash Region, Peru

Ancash Region #8 destination in Peru 2023. The average rating score is 4.50 based on 6.005 traveler reviews, of 107 attractions. Timezone: America/Lima, current date and time: Friday, May 03, 2024, 16:29.

Top things to do (35)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Laguna 69 (536 reviews)
- Impressive hike. Preparation is needed
Friday: 12:01 AM - 12:00 AM Bodies of Water

- Laguna 69 is impressive to say the least. It’s easy to understand why it’s right at the top of the list for most people visiting Huaraz in Peru. - I would personally rate the hike as moderate, though if not at altitude, it would be easy for someone who hikes regularly. The trail is gradual and there are no super steep parts, though you will gain 758 meters over 6 kilometers (≈ 2490 feet over 3.7 miles). - Acclimate first. I would advise leaving at least two days in Huaraz, at 3052 m, to get used to the altitude before attempting Laguna 69. - Drink coca leaf tea, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and give your body the time it needs. - Take a guided hike, mainly because of transportation. The guide makes sure you’ll be able to get back home at the end of it. See more..
5.0 Eco Ice Peru (397 reviews)
- Amazing hospitality and quality support
Friday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Multi-day Tours • Climbing Tours • Eco Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Photography Tours

Eco Ice was fantastic. Communication was excellent with Orlando prior to the trip & he provided a comprehensive overview on Google earth the day before the trek in his offices which are being renovated in Huaraz. Our guide Eric was fantastic. There were 7 in our group & of mixed exposure to the high altitude. He always ensured he was with the last of the group as we arrived into camp. He was courteous & most professional at all times. His English was excellent. Roberto our cook was also super amazing - his meals were fantastic. We also enjoyed our snack boxes every day. We were also very lucky in that a dog owned by our very lovely donkey driver joined us for the 3rd day on our hike to the lake. His name was Toby. He was the most lovliest of dogs..... Our group was fantastic & we were so lucky that the weather was incredible for our entire trek. The views on the hike are just beyond amazing. It was one of the best treks I have ever done (and I have done many in various parts of our beautiful planet). Would 100% recommend Orlando & his team for The Santa Cruz trek & for any other trekking in the Peruvian Andes. Thank you Orlando, Eric & Roberto. See more..
5.0 Inkaland Treks (322 reviews)
- JUST PERFECT!
Friday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Hiking & Camping Tours • Day Trips

I heard so much about Inkaland Treks in all places and blogs that I decided to choose them to make my hikings/trekkings in Huaraz. I have no words to describe their service which is door-to-door, using very good cars, driving very correctly and always departing and arriving in the right time to enjoy the days. Edita is such a lovely person and one day before of the hikings she always ask to meet us and explain everything which is superb! Mario, who was my guide is such an awesome person, very respectful (I am a woman traveling alone and felt really safe), very patience and joined me in all adventurous! In time, they served me everyday a wonderful home made meal, very delicious and Mario always very kind to settle the table with all the arrangements and the best locations ever! Beautiful places, beautiful people. I am seriously missing so much Huaraz. Next year I want to come back and without doubt will ask Edita to arrange me all my trekkings! See more..
5.0 Laguna Paron (194 reviews)
- Absolutely gorgeous lake and mountains
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Bodies of Water

The Laguna Paron is one of the most beautiful lakes, and the largest in the Cordillera Blanca. It stands at around 4,200 meters above sea level, so unless you are already totally climatized to the altitude, take it easy hiking around. The water is a blue turquoise color. The lake is surrounded by gorgeous mountains with snowy peaks, the most famous being the Artesonraju mountain. The roads everywhere are unfortunately horrible so the drive over is pretty miserable but definitely worth it. I would recommend going early in the morning, prepare your picnic before, and try to not stop anywhere to avoid losing time. (I went there with a group who made a stop to buy food, we got there when the clouds had already started to cover the mountains). See more..
5.0 Cordillera Huayhuash (103 reviews)
- Perfection
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Mountains

Los Amigos de Huayhuash family company exceeded all my expectations, everything was perfect! The guide new very good English, the food prepared by the chef was better than in a restaurant and everyone was very friendly, attentive to our needs and flexible. Not to mention the mountains, the views were really spectacular. I went for the full 15 days in Huayhuash and it was truly amazing. My favorite view was the Santa Rosa Pass, slightly bigger impression on me than the three lakes. And the contact with Anamin before the trek and staying at her house was excellent too. Just the best trekking experience I've ever had. Memories that will stay with me for ever. So thankful. See more..
5.0 Laguna 69 (64 reviews)
- Great, don't take a tour go private
Bodies of Water

The lake itself is beautiful though the trek up is hard if you are not used to the altitude. Takes about 3 hours up and 2 hours down. What I would strongly recommend is not going with a tour. Instead commission a private taxi or collectivo. We stayed in the town of Yungay (not Huaraz), you have to go through Yungay on your way to the start point. The town is cheap - much more so than Huaraz - and from the town you can get a taxi or collectivo return for 30soles per person. The taxi will wait for you as long as you like, but as with us we arrived at the lake about an hour before the fastest group from the tours, we were heading down as they were beginning their final climb. This way there is no time pressure, you get to take photos without anyone in the way and the start time is later (more sleep), but you still get there early. See more..
5.0 Craft Huaraz (30 reviews)
- Perfect - just go
Friday: 5:00 PM - 12:00 PM Breweries

Had a great night here! Tried about five different beers between us, loaded fries and tacos were delicious and the beers themselves were really well done! High alcohol percentage without being losing taste or nuance. This place deserves to expand and take off but for now it's a quirky, small and cosy room you'll love. Kisses. See more..
5.0 Mirador Punta Olimpica (21 reviews)
- Wonderful mountain pass to the world's highest tunnel
Lookouts

The new road between Carhuaz and Chacas was opened in 2013 and shortened travel time for the roughly 80 km stretch from 9 hours down to about 2.5 hours. The road is very well maintained and almost fully asphalted, with the exception of a small stretch through the village of Shilla. The road snakes up the mountains and offers some truly magnificent views on a.o. the Huascaran peaks. It passes through a tunnel at roughly 4,760 meters above see level, and hence it is advisable to only do this trip once you've gotten used to the altitude or take some medication against altitude sickness. The village of Chacas at the other end of the road is also very worthwhile, small but very picturesque with excellent wood carvings throughout the village and a very nice church See more..
5.0 Hatun Machay Rock Forest (21 reviews)
- Some of the best climbing in the world
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Forests

I spent 3 nights at the refugio here a couple years ago and was blown away by the amount of routes here. The diversity of different styles of climbing available is amazing. You could spend a couple seasons here and never get bored other than by the lack of people you run into. It is pretty much all sport climbing but you could explore with trad if you wanted. You will get worked as it is at about 14,000 ft above sea level but it makes the climbing that more rewarding. If you are in Huaraz, make the trip and check it out! See more..
4.5 Huascarán National Park (653 reviews)
- Laguna 69 !
National Parks

Right if you're staying anywhere Huaraz in Péru you need to do the one day hiking to Lake 69. The landscape is amazing and the lake is great ! How to do it. Take a private transport to get there because it's not much expensive than taking public buses. We got the return for 50 soles. You get picked up at your hotel at 6 in the morning then it takes 3 hours to get to the start of the hike. 5 soles to get in the park. It takes 3 hours approx to climb up to the lake wich is at 4500m high, then 2 hours to get down. See more..
4.5 Lake Llanganuco (582 reviews)
- Perfect place, but bargain hard for the tours.
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water

No need to say how well the scenery are but want to share some experience on how to choose your tour. Lonely Planet say that full day tour costs from 30-45S The first tour company charges 60S and eventually lowered to 40S, we wallked out. The second one offer 35S at start. We're kind of in a hurry (almost 9am finding the same day tour) and thinking this is much lower than the first one, so we happily took the offer. Once on the minivan, we saw another fellow traveller paying 20S for the same tour same car same company. I screamed wt* in my mind but nonetheless it's my problem. Just to give others an idea of what price to expect. The tour include a brief stop (15 mins) at Carhuaz, only have time to take some photo at the main plaza. Then before we get to the lake, our guide (Spanish speaking, with a sentence or two in English) offered to take the group to one more lake (5km away) with far less tourist for 5S per person. We're on a budget and want to spend more time in a place so we said no. Others said yes, so the guide dropped us off in the first lake (Llanganuco) and leave with the bigger group. We're kind of worried of being dumped there. But nonetheless had a gorgeous time walking along the amazingly beautiful lake shore. There wasn't much tourist there, didn't see more than 10. We returned to the drop off place after an hour and saw the others, seemed to have just arrived, with a lot of tourists from other tours. They are taking pictures but the guide is already calling everyone back to the car for the next stop. Back at the car, one fellow tour-mate told us we didn't miss anything nice. The other lake has not much to see and wished to stay longer in the one we visited. Yes we didn't see anyone of our group walking the trail along the lakeshore. Bet they spent time on the other lake and transport so missed the chance to appreciate the lake in full. So in case you are offered this on your tour, better save 5S and save your time. See more..
4.5 Archaeological Site of Chavin (348 reviews)
- Original Shamanic experience
Ancient Ruins

Once a place of worship, these ruins have been traced to one of the earliest known Andean cultures. See more..
4.5 Laguna Churup (282 reviews)
- Great one day hike - but start early
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Bodies of Water

This is a great one day acclimatization hike. Don't book with an agency, you can do this on your own. Take a combi (best at 7am) from Huaraz up to Pitek, buy your ticket there - if you are planning to do the Santa Cruz Trek, buy the "full" ticket for S./65 because it's valid for one week, the ranger said even a month - and start hiking up the well maintained, clearly visible path. Took us a little under two hours to get up there. There's a nice waterfall short before the end, a great place to sit down before you take the last part. That last one is a little tricky, because you need to climb with your hands, but nothing complicated. Stay on the left side of the waterfall, that way is easier. You should bring good hiking shoes and something for a picknick at the laguna. Then start your way down, whenever you feel like. Normally you should find a Combi for your way back at the top. If in doubt, ask the driver that brought you up, if there will be one. Be sure to start early, because clouds will come around noon and it's more fun to enjoy the laguna in the sun, than with a cloudy sky. Time is not the problem. See more..
4.5 Pastoruri Glacier (204 reviews)
- Easy, for everyone.
Geologic Formations

Probably about a 30-45 min hike up a superb path (Iceland style) or you could take a horse up and come back down walking or with a horse. Going up with a horse per couple so 2 horses costs 15 soles. Back down again 15 soles. Glacier is melting, so be fast. Go now. Going there the transport costs you about 40 soles and the entrance of the park 10 soles. See more..
4.5 Nevado Pastoruri (133 reviews)
- Pastururi, a great experience
Spent More than 3 hours Mountains

When you arrive to the check point, guides tell you that you have to walk more than a mile, it is not difficult as Laguna 69, or Rainbow Mountain, this hiking has some hills easy to overcome, the main atraction has changed a lot during the last 10000 years due to global warming, you have enough time to get there aand then go back. See more..
4.5 Chavin National Museum (85 reviews)
- Excellent museum
Spent < 1 hour Speciality Museums

This small modern museum holds a fantastic collection of artifacts found at the Chavin de Huantar archaeological site. The collection of tenon heads - monstrous, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic stone sculptures showing the different stages of the transformation of priests into jungle animals under the influence of drugs - is truly terrific. Here you will also find the original Tello Obelisk. Visiting the museum is essential when coming to Chavin as there are few sculptures left on the site itself. It will give you a great understanding of Chavin's unique and advanced artistic style. The museum is located just outside the town centre on the road to San Marcos. See more..
4.5 Cementerio de Yungay (67 reviews)
- emotions
Points of Interest & Landmarks

wow... if you in this region this is a place you should visit. there was a desaster here almost 40 years ago no one should ever forget.very peaceful See more..
4.5 Cordillera Blanca Summit (51 reviews)
- Favourite place in Peru, sorry Machu Picchu!
Friday: 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM Mountains • Valleys

Some of the most stunningly beautiful scenery in Peru, and relatively unknown among travelers. Plenty of options for trekking, anything from easy day treks to more technical treks that span several days and require a guide. I only spent ten days in the area, based out of Huaraz, could have spent another two weeks and not gotten bored. See more..
4.5 Cerro Sechin (46 reviews)
- Sechin is a huge complex of ruins in Casma!
Ancient Ruins

As you drive down from Huaraz to the coast, you enter the Sechin River basin and irrigation potential of Peru’s arid coast becomes apparent: orchards and farms and mango groves stretch to the desert mountains. This is where civilization may have begun for the first time in the Americas and it is even as old as Caral…or older. From the small town of Casma, we found easy access to the many important ruins of the Casma archaeological zone: Cerro Sechin and Sechin Alto, Chanquillo and Pampa de los Llamas, to name the most impressive. You would probably need a week to explore the fine complex of ruins that were inhabited from 4th Millenium BC to Spanish contact (!). At Cerro Sechin, the Max Uhle Museum is little more than an acknowledgement that much archaeological research and excavation has been done here. It is still in progress, and Peter Fuchs work at Sechin Bajo is pushing back the origins of Andean civilization. See more..
4.5 Akela Tours (43 reviews)
- A dream come true
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Cultural Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Private Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Archaeology Tours

Ever since I've seen the episode of Wonders of the Universe in which Chanquillo's 13 towers appears for a few minutes I wanted to go there. I wanted to stand there at sunrise and be stunned by the history and beauty of this palace. Be stunned by how many hundreds of years these towers withstand and still showing us the date. Thanks to Akela Tour's Monica and Karen, my girlfriend and I were able to live through these moments. They were really helpful to help us get to Casma from Lima, they know a lot about the place and are really good guides/speakers. They are just simply fantastic! Thank you ladies for this amazing experience! See more..
4.5 Duck Canyon (41 reviews)
- Wasn't smart enough to be scared
Geologic Formations

Cousin #2 did the driving. He is an excellent driver so I never felt worried when he would take all those curves at what seemed to be 100 mph (but I'm sure wasn't), nor did I feel concern when he would drive pretty close to the edge. The only thing that gave me pause was going through some of the longer tunnels where one must flash lights, honk the horn, etc., so the oncoming traffic is warned. There was very little traffic on the road so that probably contributed to my calmness. The canyon is very deep, the road very narrow and the guardrails non-existent. It was absolutely breathtaking, though. See more..
4.5 Plaza Mayor de Chacas (30 reviews)
- Charming mountain town
Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks

Chacas is a beautiful mountain located at 11,020 ft. The charming Andean-Andalusian architecutre is well preserved and very charming. See more..
4.5 Playa la Gramita (29 reviews)
- Beautiful Beach
Spent More than 3 hours Beaches

The beach is near Casma City, about thirty minutes in car. Near the beach little stores can be found. It’s important that you take your own umbrella. See more..
4.5 Catedral San Pedro (28 reviews)
- A modern and beautiful Cathedral
Churches & Cathedrals

Chimbote's Cathedral is a beautiful church built in modern style, it has paintings all over the walls and the roofs, there's also wood sculptures and it is good to visit to admire all of these art pieces. See more..
4.5 Chankillo (27 reviews)
- Ancient Solar Observatory in the desert
Spent 2-3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

Probably constructed in the 4th century BC, this archaeological complex gathers not only a probable fort on a hilltop and residential areas, but also the amazing Thirteen Towers of Chankillo. These towers mark the different sunrise and sunset positions from the summer solstice to the winter one. Really worth a visit. See more..
4.5 Callejon de Conchucos (27 reviews)
- just a good good place
Nature & Wildlife Areas

I like places with little traffic and this place is one of many places that is worth visiting, especially if you like to see birds and the outdoors. This place seemed great to me. See more..
4.5 Camposanto de Yungay (24 reviews)
- History
Historic Walking Areas

Visiting Yungay was interesting, you can pay someone in the entrance to show you the place and tell you the history. No more than 5 dollars necesary. The entrance is 2 or 3 dollars. See more..
4.5 Museo Municipal de Caraz (23 reviews)
- An interesting set of displays
Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums

It only takes about 30 minutes to see and appreciate what the museum has to offer. We learned some interesting facts about the area. The highlight is the smallest mummy ( of a fetus that is estimated to be 6 or 7 months gestation). Added bonus - there was no entrance fee. See more..
4.5 Laguna Chinancocha (19 reviews)
- On the way to other lagunas
Spent 2-3 hours Bodies of Water

I liked it, It was first big lake I have seen in Huazcaran and it is nice stay there. Blue, calm and energetic. See more..
4.5 Laguna Querococha (17 reviews)
- Lovely!
Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water

We stopped here for a short time just to enjoy the view and take some pics. The place is awesome! The lake actually is way bigger than expected and you can see that if you continue your way up to Chavin. It has cute spots for pictures and you can pose with llamas and horses (you have to pay a little bit but it's good since these people live from the tourism). There are restrooms right across the road which cost 0.50 soles. The weather was sunny but super windy. See more..