Sans nom
The place
A high-altitude shelter set on the shores of the Laguna Choclococha at 4621 m in the province of Huaytará (Huancavelica, Peru), between the districts of Santa Ana and Pilpichaca. The lagoon, at 4605 m, has a capacity of about 160 million m³ and is the source of the Pampas and Ica rivers. The lagoon's islands and islets serve as a refuge for wild birds — ujujuy, parionas, pihuis — and its shores, covered with ichu (Stipa ichu) and champa grass, host alpacas, llamas and vicuñas from the herds of the Andean communities. The ghost town of Choclococha, whose 50 to 80 houses are now covered by vegetation after the floods of the 1970s, bears witness to the changeable and threatening character of the lagoon. Refuge probably used by alpaca herders and trout fishermen, off the beaten tourist track.
Getting there
Approach from Pilpichaca or Castrovirreyna via the road to the Laguna Choclococha (4605 m). Altitude acclimatization mandatory.
The setting
Shores of the Laguna Choclococha (4605 m), dry puna, ichu and champa grass, alpacas/llamas/vicuñas.
