Mountains and lakes of the Cordillera Huayhuash

The Cordillera Huayhuash possesses an own and typical flora of the Andean region, a place like Huayhuash would be estrange if does not have a great diversity inlora, in the months of winter and especially in the first weeks of the Andean Spring "April", the landscapes are seen like celestial gardens, because the greenery of the mantel that form the Ichus (Stipa ichu), with the blue of the sky, the whiteness of the snow-peaks reflected in the mirrors of water of the multicolor lakes form the most spectaculars views anywhere seen.

Flora

In Cordillera Huayhuash there are many plants, each one of them with singular characteristics, there are from those that grow up to the floor level like Kalua kalua (Wemenia nubigena); as those that form forests challenging the high level areas like Quenual (Polilepis werberaueri) that grows up to the 5000m in some cases; those that inhabit in the lakes like the Totora (Scirpus riparius); those that have the beautiful inflorescences like Hatasuku (Gentianella weberbaurei), others that easily can confuse us with small grapes, by the way they taste like grapes, but if you eat more than 150 grams you would get drunk, it is the case of the Macha-macha (Pernettya prostate); also there are those that are medicinal, like Ezcorzonera (Homoiantus multifloras) used for bronchial inflammations treatment. We could continue mentioning more plants, but there are a lot of them; according to the studies made by Roberto Arevalo in the Cordillera Huayhuash have been identified 272 species of plants, grouped into 148 genera and 55 families. Below we metion some plants that can be found near to the trekking trails.

Achupalla (Puya angusta)
Awinchu (Gaultheria brachybotrus)
Cachua-calhua (Wemenia nubigena)
Coñaq (Werneria dactylophylla)
Cuchi-cuchi o Curicasha (Matucana yanganucensis)
Escorzonera (Perezia multiflora)
Hatatsucku (Gentianella weberbaurei)
Ichu u Oqsha(Stipa ichu)
Macha – macha (Pernettya prostata)
Mula Ishanca (Loasa gandiflora)
Qola Wiru (Senecio canescens)
Quincha (Barnadesia dombeyana)
Siete sabios (Mutisia mathewsii)
Totora (Scirpus riparus)
Tsipi (Cassia sp.)
Wamanpinta (Chuqiraga spinosa)
Wamanripa (Senecio tephrosioides)
Waqru (Opuntina flocosa)
Yareta(Azorella yarita)

Fauna

Imagine be wakened up in the mornings by the trills of the birds, birds like Pichuychanka (Zonotrichia capensis), being welcomed by the caracteritic songs of Akakluy (), see at noon flying a Condor (Vultur griphus), the king of birds in the Andes, that is real does exist in Cordillera Huayhuash, also you can see Vizcachas (Lagidium peruvianis) taking sun in the place where there are small rocks, take care they are nervous; if you are lucky also you can se Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna) and in the lakes you will find trouts (Oncorhynchus mykiss), if you like fishing almost all the lakes and rivers have trouts, etc.

In Huayhuash mountain range have been identified 61 species of bird, 14 mammals, two amphibians and two fish. Ten species of bird threatened by extinction have been identified. We have chosen some animals that could be seen in the trekking days between them are:

Ahuash (Áulica gigantea)
Colibrí (Colibrí coruscana)
Condor (Vultur gryphus)
Huayhuash o Comadreja (Mustela freanata)
Picaflor (Oreotrochilus estella)
Pichuichanca (Zonotrichia capensis)
Sapo (Bufo spinulosos)
Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis)
Trucha (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Venado (Odocoileus virginiaus)
Vizcacha (Lagidium peruvianum)
Wachua (Berniola meloneptera)
Wiskur (Cathartes aura)
Zorro (Duscicyion culpaeus)
Zorzal (Merula gigantea)