When the sun sets, the sky turns orange and the snow-capped peaks seem to burn like a splendid fire, emphasising the beauty of a handful of nearby towns. Night falls slowly in the Huaylas valley, in the department of Ancash, the twinkling stars send the lakes to sleep and wrap the narrow paths, the robust mountains and the restless flow of the river, in shadow.

The Huaylas valley, 400 kilometers north of Lima, is a genuine quirk of nature, with its impressive scenes of wild countryside, and its colorful valley formed from the Black and White mountain ranges, the Santa River flowing powerfully between the two, watering the fields of the picturesque chain of villages ranged along the length of its banks.

This area of high peaks is a favourite of mountain climbers from all around the world, as there are 35 peaks in the Valley over 6,000 meters high. Among them of course is Huascaran, with its 6,768 meters, the highest snow capped peak in Peru and the second highest in the Americas after Aconagua, in Chile. Another famous mountain of the Huaylas Valley, Alpamayo (6,210m) is known as the "most beautiful snow-capped mountain in the world".

Huascarán and Alpamayo, are part of the highest tropical mountain range in the world, known as the White Mountain Range ("Cordillera Blanca"), not just due to its perpetual snow caps but also for the chemical constitution of its quartz and felspar rocks.

Adventures and challenges are to be had in this magical valley,where the chains of Black And White Mountains are formed and hidden towns, such as Recuay, Carhuaz, Caraz and Yungay are to be found. Challenges and adventures in a place whose beauty is overwhelming and where the sky goes orange when the sun sets.