Huascarán is the highest peak in South America’s tropical Andes, rising to 6,768 metres in Peru.
The mountain is in the Cordillera Blanca of the Peruvian Andes, within Huascarán National Park. Its southern summit is the highest point, while the northern summit is lower. The massif is heavily glaciated and rises above the Santa River valley, creating a dramatic landscape of ice, rock and high-altitude lakes.
Huascarán is named for Huáscar, an Inca ruler. The mountain’s surroundings have also been shaped by major natural disasters. In 1970, an earthquake triggered a massive landslide and debris avalanche from nearby Nevado Huascarán, destroying the town of Yungay.
The peak is sometimes confused with Alpamayo, another celebrated Cordillera Blanca mountain. Alpamayo is famous for its elegant pyramid shape, but it is substantially lower than Huascarán.