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Pastoruri Glacier and Puya Raimondii plants.
This day tour offers a great opportunity to visit and walk on a glacier. The
glacier is fairly flat and you don't need any special equipment but, at 5240m
in altitude, you need to be well acclimatized before going (best to spend 3 days
in Huaraz first). The trek up to the glacier takes about 45 minutes, although
horses and mules are usually available to help the weary.
Many Peruvians even bring their skis and
snowboards along, although it's nothing
compared to other skiing areas in South America. Remember to bring along a spare
pair of shoes as yours will probably get wet on the glacier.
This trip is usually combined with a visit to the valley of
Pachacoto, 57km
to the south of Huaraz, where you can see the Puya de Raimondii plants. These
strange plants, looking more like mutated cacti, are actually the largest member
of the bromeliad family (relative of the pineapple). This species is considered
to be one of the oldest in the world, and can be found in only a few isolated
areas of the Andes.
The low bushy base of the Puya Raimondii forms a large rosette of spiky, long
leaves, about 1½m across.
The plant flowers just once in its life which can be up to 100 years. This
usually takes place in the month of May, when a huge central stem is pushed up to 12 meters
into the sky, covered in many thousands of blooming flowers. The plant dies
shortly after it blooms. If you are lucky enough to witness this event, it's an
unbelievable sight set against a spectacular snowy mountain back-drop.
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