Photos

One of the most incredible things I did during my stay in Peru (almost 11 months), was a trekking through the mountain range of Huaytapallana, near the city of Huancayo (close to the village of Acopalca). We only walked a couple of hours (I would say about 7 or 8), but it was absolutely worth it. We had a great guide, Marco, which knew everything about the region and was very enthousiast. He told us that the etimology of the word "Huaytapallana" can be found in the Quechua words "huayta" (flower) and "pallar" (to pick) or "pallana" (picker). Huaytapallana thus means something like "Flowerpicker" or "Place where flowers are picked".

We began walking at 4440m from the departing point called Virgen de las Nieves. After walking a while, we arrived at a pass (4880 m), which was the highest point we would reach that day. At this point, we had an amazing view of peaks, lagoons and valleys. Then we went down towards the Big Lagoon (Laguna Jatunccocha), and continued all the way back to the beginning point, passing the Lagoon of Carhuaccocha (which you can see on this picture) and the ravine of Yuracyacu.

I like this shot a lot, because of it's POV and colors. I hope you'll like this photo too. Comments and critiques are welcome. (To see the exact location from which I took this shot, click here.)

Greetings,
Thomas


*** The "Cordillera de Huaytapallana" covers about 378 km², from which 30 km² are covered with perpetual snow. The mountain range of Huaytapallana is located at approximately 29 kms of Huancayo. Its height varies from 4500 to 5768 meters above sea level. The "Cordillera de Huaytapallana" is a 60 kms branch of the Eastern mountain range ("Cordillera Oriental") of the Central Andes of Peru. The mountain range of Huaytapallana includes 6 rivers, 25 lagoons, 14 ravines and 12 "nevados" (mountain peaks covered with snow). Some of this 12 peaks are Lasuntay, Chuspi, Putcacocha, Tello, Yanaucsha, Yanacancha, Anchigrande, Puihuan and Pacaco. ***
(Information traduced from www.huaytapallana.com)