Laguna Paron is the largest lake in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, located in Northern Peru. It sits at an impressive 4,200 meters and is located about 100km from Huaraz, the tourist capital of the region. It was not on our wish list before we came to Huaraz (of course Laguna 69 was), but when we saw pictures in a travel agency we just had to visit it! The turquoise blue water (due to high concentrations of dissolved lime) called out to us immediately, and we felt it would be a good day trip to start with as it isn’t a challenging hike to get there! Below is some information about our day trip to this amazing lake.
The views from the bus on the way to the lake.
How to get to Laguna Paron
We booked our trip to Laguna Paron with the company Andean Summit, located in Huaraz. The trip cost us 50 soles per person (~€13) and was one of our highlights of Peru.
You will stop on the way for this viewpoint of the Cordillera Blanca’s highest point – Nevado Huascarán (6,746 m)
To get to the lake we were picked up by the tour company at our hostel at 8.30am. From here it was a 3.5 hour bus journey to the lake. We stopped in the town of Carhuaz and got some ice cream, which broke the journey up a little bit.
The church in the small town of Carhuaz
Laguna Paron
We had to pay an entrance fee of 5 soles per person (~€1) before arriving at Laguna Paron. We have never seen a landscape like it! A beautiful turquoise blue lake surrounding by numerous white snow capped mountains – amazing!
A first look at the lake
Fun fact – this snow covered mountain is rumoured to be the mountain that Paramount uses in their logo
You have the opportunity to hike about 200m up to a viewpoint of the lake also. The trail is quite steep at first and then when it evens out there are alot of unsteady rocks which you need to climb over. Eventually you can see the lake and grab a nice quite spot to take some pictures and enjoy its beauty.
The hike to the mirador is ROCKY!
It is also possible to rent some kayaks on the lake (30 soles per hour). We skipped this as the view alone is just so amazing from the viewpoint that we are not sure if it would be as good from the actual lake itself! We only had about 2 hours at the lake, which was not much time to explore everything – so have this in mind when you arrive!
The most incredible view
The colour – wow!
We then had to hop on the bus for another 3.5 hours bus trip back to Huaraz. This was the definitely the worst part about the trip – so much time on the bus compared to off it, but it was definitely worth the effort!
7 hours on a bus was worth it for this!
Our Tips
- First off, if you are in Huaraz then do this day trip! We know people who skipped and we don’t know why. It isn’t a challenging hike like Laguna 69 but in our opinion it was much prettier (and less tourists).
- Less tourists than Laguna 69 but there was still quite alot of people! Keep walking along the mirador trail and find a nice quiet place for yourself – it is possible!
- There is a trail that goes left from where the bus drops you. We unfortunately did not have the time to explore all of it but it could be a different angle to view the lake from!
The Andes mountain range is so beautiful
- Take your picture of the entire lake when you arrive! The sun goes behind one of the mountains pretty quickly and so casts a shadow over the first part of the lake. It doesn’t have the same colour when this happens so act quick!
The shadow when it falls on the lake
[…] Honestly, it wasn’t on our list before we visited Huaraz. Now it is the one thing we tell people to do when visiting the region. We were discussing some day trips with a travel agency in town and saw pictures of this beautiful lake and booked to go there for the next day. A crazy colored lake surrounded by snow capped mountains (including the “Paramount” mountain) – incredible. We wrote a more detailed blog on Laguna Paron here! […]
Hi wonderful pictures!!
I’m planning a trip for june but I’m not sure if I’m taking a flight from Lima to Huaraz or to rent a car or even take the bus what do you suggest? I’ve heard the roads are a bit dangerous…
Hi,
Thank you! I think your transport decision depends how much time you have really. The plane is obviously going to be the quickest, although the most expensive. For us the bus was more then adequate. It takes roughly 8 hours, and it can be quite relaxing (not to mention the views you will get going from Lima to Huaraz). It is also possible to get the bus during the night, so you can even save money on accommodation! Check out the bus company Cruz Del Sur. Driving, I wouldn’t recommend!