Cordillera Negra, Peru

Though overshadowed by the snowy summits of the Cordillera Blanca, the brown mountains of the Cordillera Negra on the other side of the valley offer some of the area’s best hiking and biking. Routes often begin up in high-altitude grasslands and follow trails that have been used for centuries, passing Andean villages, old bridges, creeks, and fields along the way. There is a range of difficulty for bikers, ranging from broad traverses to dodgy, downslope single-track, and the views of the glaciers and snowy peaks are like something out of a fairy tale.

There are dirt roads leading into the Cordillera Negra from Huaraz and throughout the Río Santa Valley from Yungar, Carhuaz, Caraz, and Huallanca. Private transport can always be hired to ascend these roads and, because most trails lead downhill, it is almost impossible to get lost. Here are some hiking and biking routes in the Huaraz area used by mountain bike guides Julio Olaza (www.chakinaniperu.com) and John Lockwood (www.pedalperu.com):

Callán Pass to Huaraz
This pure downhill route begins with a combi ride to the high pass above Huaraz at 4,225 meters and makes for a good acclimatization day for climbers and trekkers. If you don’t mind improvising your route a bit, this route can even be done without a guide.

A network of foot paths and mule tracks leads downhill through russet fields of grains and potatoes, though the best route takes you through the villages of Culcururi and Atipallán. The bizarre rock formations along the way have earned the area the moniker of “Little Moab,” and the route finishes down steep, hair-raising shortcuts through the hillside suburbs above Huaraz.

Shecta to Huaraz
This route begins at 4,050 meters in the village of Shecta near Huaraz and follows a long traverse to the settlement of Huáscar before plunging 1,000 meters on dodgy single-track back to Huaraz. This strenuous, daylong route is best for the well-acclimatized.

Summit to Sea
This phenomenal route leads not west to the Río Santa but east toward the Pacific Ocean and includes a mind-boggling descent through remote countryside. A truck from Catac, a village north of Huaraz, takes you up to the start of the route at Huancapeti Pass (4,680 meters). From here nearly 40 km of stone paths and steep single-track lead to the mountain village of Aija, where transport awaits for the ride back to Huaraz. The adventurous can continue another 80 km all the way to the town of Huarmey on the coast.