of elevation to reach the Portachuelo
Pass summit. Sitting at the viewpoint
provides views of Nevado Huascáran
and other peaks in the area such
as Nevado Chopicalqui, Nevado
Huandoy and Nevado Pisco.
Further south along the valley
highway 3N, the turnoff for the road
to visit Chavin de Huántar is found in
the town of Catac. This road is paved
until the summit and is a nice smooth
road that boasts views of the Cordil-
lera Blanca on either side and large
open grasslands before you start the
climb into the mountains. En route
lies Laguna Querococha, a glacial lake
with stunning surroundings. Pointed
mountain peaks, with just a hint of
white snow, guard the lake from the
northern side and the shoreline is
dotted with pampas grass.
Following the road further into the
mountains through a series of switch-
backs will have you grasping for the
throttle and whooping with joy, mind
the buses and trucks though as they
tend to make use of your lane around
the many corners.
The road summit is punctuated by
the Tunel de Kahuish which lies at
4,516 metres above sea level. Once
through the tunnel the road turns to
dirt and is a bit rough from all the bus
and truck traffic however, it’s not far
to the ruins of Chavín de Huántar,
which date back over 3,000 years
and was a ceremonial centre for the
Chavín culture. Walking the grounds
of the ruins one can appreciate the
stonework and intricate sculptures of
the pre-Colombian culture. Among
these sculptures are temple guard-
ians known as Cabezas Clavas, mythi-
cal humanoid stone-heads with feline
features, and can be seen up on the
surrounding walls of the main tem-
ple.
Starting from the town of Carhuaz
there is a excellent paved road with
plenty of smooth turns that leads to
another entrance to the Huascarán
National Park. The valley is more open
than the entrance to Llanganuco,
TRAVERSE 22