Llanganuco Lakes

Chinancocha and Orconcocha, the two Llanganuco lakes, lie at about 3,850 metres in a gorge so narrow that the granite walls rise almost vertically from the water, with Huascarán - at 6,768 metres the highest mountain in Peru - on one side and Huandoy on the other. They are the easiest of the Cordillera Blanca lakes to reach, on the road that climbs from Yungay towards the Portachuelo de Llanganuco pass and continues to Chacas, and they can be visited from a vehicle with only a short walk. A trail runs along the shore of Chinancocha through quenual, the gnarled high-altitude polylepis trees with peeling red bark that grow higher than almost any other tree on earth, and rowing boats work the lake. The same road carries traffic to the Laguna 69 trailhead at Cebollapampa further up, so the lakes are often a stop rather than a destination.

What you actually see

• The two lakes - Chinancocha and Orconcocha, turquoise in a granite slot.
• Huascarán and Huandoy - the highest peak in Peru on one flank, Huandoy on the other.
• The quenual woods - polylepis with peeling red bark along the shore trail.
• The Portachuelo road - the pass route continuing to Chacas.

When to go

May to September for clear views. Half a day; often combined with Laguna 69 further up the valley. Rowing boats operate on Chinancocha.

Honest expectations

At 3,850 metres, altitude is felt even without walking. The road is narrow with heavy tour traffic in season. Busy at midday when Laguna 69 buses stop on the way down.

Nearby

Yungay and its memorial are below; the Laguna 69 trailhead is further up the valley.