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As a city, Huaraz itself isn't the most beautiful town in Peru, after many of its buildings were destroyed in an earthquake in 1970, but it has a great atmosphere which belies its small size and is packed full of nice restaurants (including the best British-Indian food in Peru!) and bars which are usually full of people celebrating their successful return from treks.
The valley Huaraz sits in is also exceptionally beautiful with a mixture of verdant hillsides and alpine streams. And of course, whenever you look up you can see some of the most beautiful snow-capped mountains in the world. To cap everything, local agriculture specialises in the cultivation of flowers for export, which not only looks fantastic, but also gives the whole area a very pleasant perfume!
Just on the edge of Huaraz are the hot springs of Monterrey. The waters are famous for their healing properties and are a great place to relax and unwind - especially after you've spent a few days trekking! If you're looking for something more intellectual then the Regional museum (Museo Regional de Huaraz) is fairly small, but has an interesting collection of Recuay, Huaylas and Chavin pieces.
Huascaran and the Cordillera Blanca
The main reason for visiting Huaraz, however, is to travel into the Cordillera Blanca. This Andean range is packed with crystal-clear lakes, breathtaking mountains and, because it's off the beaten track, it has remained remarkably unspoiled. A visit to the Llanganuco lagoon or a trek part-way up the Nevado Pastouri give you not just beauty but a real sense of tranquility.
The Cordillera is also the mountaineering (or andinismo) centre both for Peru and the whole of South America. It contains Huascaran - the highest mountain in Peru at 6,746m above sea level - and 34 other peaks above 6,000m. As well as climbing and trekking, it's also the destination for winter and adventure sports such as mountain biking, paragliding, snowboarding and skiing.
Trekking in Peru in the Cordillera Huayhuash
Those of you who want a Peru holiday which really gets out there into the Real Peru should look no further than the Cordillera Huayhuash. Situated to the south-east of Huaraz, this sub-range of the Andes has fewer huge peaks than the Cordillera Blanca but offers some superb opportunities for high-altitude trekking. In particular, we offer a 9-day trek which takes you all the way around and then through the Huayhuash range and is consistently rated as one of the most beautiful treks in the world, let alone Peru. For more details about trekking in the Huayhuash have a look at our detailed Peru trekking information.
Chavin de Huantar and the Chavin Culture
The Chavin culture was one of the most powerful of pre-Inca Peru, and lasted from around 1500BC-500BC. It possessed advanced stone-working and masonry techniques. This is best expressed in examples such as the Estela de Raimondi and the Lanzon Monolitico, which are both located in the temple of Chavin de Huantar.
The archaeological complex at Chavin de Huantar is well worth a visit and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1985. It features the oldest carved stone buildings in Peru and also shows signs of having been constructed to a clear architectural plan. The stone itself is granite - which is unavailable locally and was brought to the site from great distances away. Ecuadorian shells and lapis lazuli from Chile attest to the wide-ranging reach of the Chavin culture. 
The main temple building at Chavin de Huantar consists of three stone platforms with curved columns and stairways connecting them. In the sunken courtyard, you can still see one of the famous 'cabezas claves' - the gargoyle-like heads which archaeologists believe represents the transformation of a shaman into a prophet under the influence of one of the several natural hallucinogenics which played a central role in Chavin religion.
Although the Chavin culture eventually appears to have fallen apart, it had a great infuence on the Recuay and Huaylas cultures of the first millenium AD, particularly in terms of sculpture and religion. Eventually, the Incas conquered the area around 1450 and it became part of their empire and tribute system.
Other Places of Interest Around Huaraz
Apart from the Chavin de Huantar site, there are countless other sites of historical interest in area around Huaraz. The temple of Wilcahuain is a reasonable 3-hour walk (or 30 minutes in a taxi!) from Huaraz and shows interesting Wari culture influences. The ruins at Waullac are also thought to be Wari and, although less impressive, have the advantage of only being half-an-hour's walk away!
Meanwhile, those of you who are after a great photo opportunity should head to the Rataquenua Watchtower to the east of the city for some great views of the city and the valley.
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