Top 10 Glaciers in Peru
Peru holds more than two thirds of the world's tropical glaciers, almost all of them in the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Vilcanota. They are small compared to polar ice, but they sit above some of the most densely populated mountain valleys in the Andes, and their fate matters to millions of people downstream. Most are accessible from Huaraz or Cusco within a single driving day.
Pastoruri
The classic day-trip glacier above Huaraz. Once a beginner ski slope, it has shrunk dramatically since 2000 and is now marketed openly as a "climate change route." The walk from the parking area to the snout takes about an hour at 5,000 m.
Huascarán
Peru's highest peak (6,768 m) carries a complex of glaciers on its flanks. The north face hangs over the Llanganuco valley; the south feeds the basin where the 1970 ice-rock avalanche destroyed Yungay.
Alpamayo
Not the biggest but the most photographed — the near-perfect pyramid above the Santa Cruz trek. The southwest face is a classic ice climb; the surrounding hanging glaciers calve regularly in afternoon sun.
Quelccaya Ice Cap
The largest tropical ice cap in the world, sitting on a plateau east of Cusco at 5,500 m. Quelccaya's ice cores have provided one of the clearest paleoclimate records from the tropics anywhere.
Coropuna
A massive ice-clad volcano in southern Peru, 6,377 m high, with a broad summit ice cap that is among the most-monitored in the Andes for water-resource planning.
Ausangate
Sacred mountain east of Cusco, ringed by glaciers above turquoise lakes. The five-day Ausangate trek crosses several 5,000 m passes with direct views of the calving fronts.
Salkantay
The big snow-clad pyramid on the popular Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. Multiple hanging glaciers; ice avalanches into the lake below the pass are an almost-daily afternoon show in the wet season.
Chopicalqui
A 6,354 m peak on the Cordillera Blanca with an elegant ridge route that traverses a tongue of clean ice. Best viewed from the Llanganuco viewpoint road.
Yanapaccha
Smaller and more approachable than its giant neighbours — used as a training peak by guide schools in Huaraz. The standard route climbs the north glacier and finishes on a short ice face.
Pucahirca
A cluster of jagged peaks at the north end of the Cordillera Blanca, surrounded by little-visited glaciers that drain into the Marañón basin. A trekking objective for parties willing to skip the crowds.
From reading to planning
All ten plus access points, refuges and the road heads are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a Cordillera Blanca loop or a Cusco-region trek.