From the sleepy fishing village of Tortugas, Mark, Maya, and I headed inland again, back to the Andes Mountains. After traveling around Northern Peru for three weeks in our truck camper Thirsty Bella, our first impressions of the country had not been positive. Fellow overlanders kept telling us “It would get better further south.” We were both looking forward to “better,” “prettier,” and, above all, “quieter.”
Map of our sights in the Cordillera Blanca
Huaraz
We drove from sea level to 14,000ft (4,200m) in one day, so, as you can imagine, the scenery changed drastically as we climbed from littered roads and uninspiring plots of dirt to green fields, pine trees, and, above the tree line, views of the impressive snowy peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
On our first night in the hectic town of Huaraz, we decided to camp at its viewpoint (11,000ft or 3,350m) for a more peaceful experience. We failed to learn that the road up was narrow, rocky, and stressful. I can’t say the view was that special, but we did, at least and at last and despite a vague headache, have a quiet night – after trying to level up a bit, getting dressed for and dealing with a police visit at 11pm, and meeting expat and missionary Larry, who thought it was a good idea to scream “Good morning, Liesbet and Mark” on his 5am run the following day.
