Nevado Coropuna

Coropuna is 6,377 metres and carries the largest tropical ice cap in Peru, spread across a broad summit plateau with several distinct high points rather than a single peak. It was among the most important apus of the southern Andes: Inca ceremonial sites have been found high on it, and the mountain features in colonial accounts of Andean religion as a major shrine. Its practical importance now is water - the glaciers feed the rivers that irrigate the valleys of Castilla and Condesuyos, and their retreat, which has been measured and is substantial, is a direct threat to agriculture below. Climbing it is non-technical by the standard route but involves real glacier travel with crevasse risk, camps above 5,000 metres and a summit day at nearly 6,400, so rope, crampons and a guide are needed. Access is by rough track from Chuquibamba or Viraco.

What you actually see

• The ice cap - the largest in Peru, across a broad summit plateau.
• The Inca sites - ceremonial remains found high on the mountain.
• The retreat - measured glacier loss threatening irrigation below.
• The summit - 6,377 metres, non-technical but requiring glacier travel.

When to go

May to September. Full acclimatisation beforehand is essential - camps sit above 5,000 metres and the summit is near 6,400.

Honest expectations

Glacier travel with crevasse risk - rope, crampons and a guide are required despite the mountain's non-technical reputation. Rough four-wheel drive access. Very cold at camp. Rescue from the mountain would be slow.

Nearby

The Valle de los Volcanes is east; Cotahuasi canyon is north-west.