Laguna Paron, Huaraz
Peru
Nearly everyone who wants to visit Laguna Paron joins a tour, where the bus drops you off at the lake and it's just a short walk to the lookout. I was up for more of an adventure, so instead I planned to take a colectivo from the city of Caraz (where we stayed the night before) to the village of Paron and hike 10 km up to the lake. Although there was a clearly marked hiking trail on the map, a tour was recommended due to the unreliability of colectivos returning from Paron to Caraz afterwards. I decided to ignore that advice and risk a long day out in the mountains.
I was lucky to bump into 2 other tourists at the colectivo station in Caraz, who were catching a taxi all the way to the lake. Although there was a colectivo waiting there, the driver told me it could be over an hour before he left. Thankfully the couple said I could jump in the taxi with them and be dropped off in Paron to begin my trek. It ended up only costing me 5 soles more than the colectivo, with no waiting time.
The taxi driver was kind enough to let me out the entrance gate to the park, saving me a kilometre of walking along the road from Paron. By 7.45 a.m. I was on the barely lit path, the sun not yet above the mountains. It appeared as though not many people hiked this trail, as I was bent over double trying to duck under branches and spider webs. It wasn't long before I was covered in both.
The path alternated between overgrown path and dirt road, running alongside a raging river that I could always hear but rarely see. It was unusual to be surrounded by so many trees, as most of the hikes I had completed so far had been completely exposed. Occasionally I glimpsed icy peaks ahead, but for the most part I was looking at my feet. Only once did I lose the trail, and even with Maps.me I couldn’t work out where it had gone. Instead I forged my own path, cutting out part of a loop that the map was asking me to take.
Just before the trail joined the road again, I had a choice: take the longer route, which was a disused road, or walk straight up a near vertical slope made of a loose jumble of rocks. Of course I chose the latter, with no visible path to guide the way. I could see cars parked on the road directly above me and I aimed for them, using my hands just as much as my feet as the rocks slid down with every step. I'm sure not many people were stupid enough to take this option; somehow I made it in one piece.
Two hours and 20 minutes after starting out I arrived on the shore of Laguna Paron (4,200 m), the largest lake in the region. My 10 km hike had been reduced to 8.5 km thanks to my shortcut, but with almost 900 m of ascent I wasn't complaining. The water was sparkling blue and looked extremely inviting - if it wasn't freezing cold I might have jumped in. The scene was reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, with tall mountains running down either side, rowboats lined up on the shore, and a white triangular peak at the other end. It was stunning.
Twenty minutes later I had navigated up a steep path and along a narrow crater rim to the mirador, hopping across gigantic boulders that had entirely covered the original path underneath (I guess this was why several tour companies in Huaraz said they no longer take people to Laguna Paron - it did seem highly dangerous). The mirador wasn't one specific site, but a test of wits to see how many rocks you were willing to clamour over and how close to the edge you were prepared to get. Laguna Paron looked even more spectacular from above. However, the gale force winds meant that standing upright was difficult, let alone trying to jump between the rocks or take a steady photo. Five minutes later I was heading down.
From my research I knew there was a smaller lake at the other end of Paron, but it was 5 km away and I didn't think I would have time to get there and back again. Instead, I decided to walk only part of the way, following a path around the edge of the lake that revealed a series of snowy peaks in the distance. It was hard to believe that just beyond the mountains on one side of the lake was Laguna 69, while behind the opposite mountains was the Santa Cruz trek. About 1.5 km in I hit a dead end, with the trail completely disappearing from sight. If it did continue higher up the slopes, it was definitely too perilous to attempt. Two other hikers turned around here too. I sat on a rock and ate lunch, soaking up the mesmerising blue hue of the lake while listening to the water lap gently on the rocks.
I was more than happy to hike back down to the village of Paron, but with no idea if or when a colectivo might arrive, I decided to try my luck with one of the several tour buses parked near the lake. With incredibly good fortune, the first driver I asked said he had a spare seat, and in less than 5 minutes I was on my way down. The lift also saved me from the attack of the horseflies, which had just started making their presence known. By 2.30 p.m. I was back at my hotel in Caraz, having only hiked 13.5 km out of the 20+km I had prepared myself for.
