THE ANDES -Peru and the Cordillera Blanca

Well it's been a few years since I was in the Blanca, but the information you'll find here has been checked to make sure it is still current and useful.

From Australia you'll fly either to Lima via Chile or via Buenos Aires (Argentina) Buenos Aires is generally the cheaper way over and you spend a night in B.A. The accommodation is at your own expense but Buenos Aires is a great place to visit, though a little expensive. You don't have to speak Spanish in Buenos Aires or Peru, bu it will help to have even the basics. Especially once you get up into the the Andes proper......organising a taxis and prices will be much easier!

Once you arrive in Lima, Peru you'll need to make your way to Huaraz, the town closest and most convenient to access the Cordillera Blanca range.

If you wish to spend some time in Lima, the beach areas known as Miraflores/Larco Mar is the most tourist friendly, and safest. Peru is the area the Inca, and numerous other pre-Inca cultures made their home, so the National Museum (Museo de la Nacion) in Lima is definitely worth visiting.

Getting to Huaraz from Lima is ridiculously easy, several bus companies go direct from Lima to Huaraz twice a day, it's that easy. The two main companies are Cruz del Sur and Movil tours:

www.cruzdelsur.com.pe has an easy to use site to find the current prices and schedules.

www.moviltours.com.pe site is also in Spanish, easy enough to use, look for the tabs on the left hand side "mapa de rutas" for their destinations, and " itinerario" for reading their schedule.

I've travelled with both companies through out Peru and Bolivia. The buses are always in good condition, you get a meal on board, movies (often in english with Spanish subtitles) and I've never had any problems with safety.

Upon arrival in Huaraz there'll be people there trying to get you to stay at their hostels etc, I found the people in Hauraz to be generally helpful so if you don't already have a place to stay organised don't discount them as annoying tourist traps. We found a great place to stay in this way ans the old lady who ran the hostel even drove us  from the bus station back to the hostel with all our equipment. Alot of the hostels in Huaraz have locker rooms of some description for storing your excess gear while you're out in the hills.