#55 Laguna 69

We got up at 4am to get on the bus to the national park near Huaraz. The journey was fairly grim, partly because it was 4am and partly because the roads were so bumpy. After a breakfast stop and an explanation of the area from a local guide, we set off on the trek up to the lake. It took about 4 hours in total to get there, with windy paths and some steep rock clambering along the way. About 5 minutes from the top a cheeky American man told us that we had an hour of walking to go, meaning seeing the lake for the first time was even more of a surprise. It looked like someone had photoshopped it before we got there, it was so blue and probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We spent about 45 minutes resting and admiring the lake and the mountains above it before it was time to walk back to the bus. Going back took about half the time since it was mainly downhill and we were all knackered by the time we finally got there.

When we arrived back in Huaraz, we all crawled into bed for a wee nap.