Climate at the Huascaran National Park: Heavy rain from December to March and a markedly dry season from May to October, with sunny days reaching temperatures of 25°C and extremely cold nights.
Climate at the mountains: Heavy rains from December to March and a markedly dry season from May to October, where sunny days post temperatures of 25°C and freezing nights.
Access to Huaraz: The best overland route is via Lima-Pativilca-Huaraz (408 km), which takes around 7 hours. Other routes include Casma- Huaraz (149 km), which takes around six-and-a-half hours by car; and Santa-Huallanca-Huaraz, which takes around five-and-a-half hours. It takes 35 minutes to fly there from Lima, although there are no regular commercial flights.
Access to Chavin de Huantar: The site lies 110 km southeast of Huaraz (around three-and-a-half hours).
Access to the Huascaran National Park: The most recommended route to get to Huaraz and the entire Callejón de Huaylas is by the road that runs from Pativilca (Kilometer 210 of the North Pan-American Highway) and climbs up to the highlands, crossing over altitudes of up to 4,100 masl (Lake Conococha, the headwaters of the Santa River). The route runs for 410 km from Lima (6-8 hours) along a winding road in excellent condition. There is also an airfield that receives charter flights.
Access to the Cordillera Blanca: From the city Huaraz, one can drive to the towns of Carhuaz (32 km / 30 minutes), Yungay (39 km / 40 minutes) and Caraz (67 km / 50 minutes), towns which lie at the foot of the massif.
Access to the Cordillera Huayhuash: The mountains are generally reached from the town of Chiquián (360 km northeast Lima), an ideal place to stock up on provisions.
Health matters: Visitors are advised to take precautions against high altitude sickness, and will need a minimum of 3-4 days to be able to tour the park without undue haste.
Snow Conditions: Glaciers are also receding in the Andes, where the snowline loses two meters every year. This sparks continuous changes in the aspect of the mountains, access routes and how to tackle them. Large chunks of compact snow called seracs constantly break away from the mountains. Rain in the valley generally turns to snow above 4,500 meters. Snow generally sticks well to steep Andean slopes, and often forms cornices on cliffs on the windless side of the summit. Occasionally one comes across cornices on both sides of a cliff. Another characteristic of the region is the formation of layered walls of snow. Because the mountains are located in the Southern Hemisphere, the consequences of the directions the various mountain slopes face change compared to the Northern Hemisphere.
Climbers can get information in Huaraz on recent climbs and learn about snow conditions on the mountain. Climbers are advised to pack plenty of winter clothing, as the cold and winds are intense in the evening.
