La Sierra

Peru's central highland is dominated by the Cordillera de los Andes. The Andes range, together with its foothills, forms the part of Peru that is called La Sierra. Some of the worlds highest mountains can be found here, like the Huascaran (6768 m) and the Yerupaja (6634 m).

The Andes range is a vast mountain area covering not only Peru but also parts of Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador. Peru's Andes is divided into some cordilleras. One of the most impressive are the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Huayhuash.

Nevado Cashan, 5723 m, Cordillera Blanca.
Image © Guillaume Dargaud

In the southern mountains of Peru is the mysterious lost Inca city Machu Picchu. Close to Machu Picchu is the city of Cuzco and the beautiful Valle Sagrado, the Sacred Valley. Deeper south is the Colca Canyon. Though not world-famous like the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, the Colca Canyon is twice as deep, making it the deepest canyon on earth. In the same region is the beautiful city of Arequipa.

Cordillera Raura

The most important cities in La Sierra are Arequipa, the beautiful white city, and Cuzco, the city of the Incas. Other important Andean cities are Ayacucho, Cajamarca and Huancayo, Huaraz, Juliaca and Puno at the shores of the spectacular Lago Titicaca.

Pictures of La Sierra
Pictures of Cordillera Blanca
Pictures of Cordillera Huayhuash

Lake Titicaca. Image © Andrys Basten