Country: Peru
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Cuyoc / Viconga Pass
Cuyoc or Viconga Pass at 5,000 m / 16,405 ft is one of the highest and most scenic passes of the circuit. The ascent runs through open alpine meadows and rugged terrain flanked by glaciated cliffs and moraine ridges, with views of the Puscanturpa Sur Glacier and distant ridgelines marking the border with the Cordillera Raura.
Read MoreLago Viconga
Lago Viconga at 4,407 m / 14,455 ft is a large man-made reservoir backed by snowy peaks, set among rolling puna meadows in the Viconga drainage.
Read MoreEarly morning soak in Viconga Hot Springs
An early soak in the steaming Viconga Hot Springs at 4,365 m / 14,320 ft, where a natural thermal spring feeds a man-made pool with constantly flowing hot water.
Read MoreSanta Rosa Pass and the Cutatambo Valley
Santa Rosa Pass at 5,060 m opens the Cutatambo Valley below and gives a direct line to the face of Siula Grande (6,344 m). Photographers work the scene with lenses from ultra-wide to telephoto through the best of the afternoon.
Read MoreTrapecio Pass and Trapecio Glacier
Trapecio Pass is a high, rugged saddle at 5,040 m / 16,500 ft, among the highest on the route, bringing close the jagged ice face of Trapecio Glacier where seracs hang in frozen motion. The route is quiet and seldom used, passing isolated alpine tarns and scree-strewn slopes.
Read MoreDescent through the Guanacpatay Valley to Elefante Camp
From the crest of Trapecio Pass panoramic views stretch across the Cordillera and down into the Guanacpatay Valley toward Elefante Camp. The descent passes a dramatic cirque of lesser-known peaks and wide meadows often dotted with grazing alpacas.
Read MoreEarly morning light over the Huayhuash valley
Early risers capture soft morning light over the Huayhuash valley, with the range's peaks catching first light before the day's ascent to Trapecio Pass.
Read MoreThree Lakes Trail
A string of alpine lagoons—Qanrajancacocha, Siulacocha and Quesillococha—beneath sheer rock walls and glacial debris fields, with turquoise waters, braided streams, icefalls and towering rock spires. The path is steep and rugged in places, and pack animals take a more moderate route.
Read MoreLocal Quechua families in the Carhuacocha valley
Quechua families live seasonally in the Carhuacocha valley, tending alpacas and sheep. Meeting them adds cultural texture and photographic storytelling to the valley.
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