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The latest in our Tour Operators That Give Back Series meets the adventure travel pioneers specializing in remote and rural Peru.

Hiked the Lago 69 loop to the lake of the same name. It was a breathless hike with the high altitudes, but the views were worth it!

Lake 69 is a large aquamarine lake at 15,256 feet (4650 meters) above sea level. It lies at the end of the Demanda Valley, the continuation of the Llanganuco Gorge. The lake’s pure color and crystalline waters lend this place a near-mystical beauty. Getting here is no easy feat, with a cold, four-hour trek at high altitude, but the view is well-worth the journey. If that doesn’t sound spectacular enough, a large waterfall crashes down into the lake from the glacier above.

The Chavin civilization is considered one of the first major pre-Inca cultures. The Chavin de Huantar, which was constructed beginning around 1200 BC, may have been a hub of this culture. Archaeologists believe that the site once served as a ceremonial and pilgrimage center for the religious Andean communities of the time. You will find buildings and plazas decorated with lush anthropomorphic and zoomorphic symbols carved in bas-relief on tombstones, columns, beams, and monolithic stone sculptures. Some of the most famous lithic art pieces include The Chavin Lanzón, the Raimondi Stela, the Tello Obelisk, the Circular Plaza, and the tenon heads. You must take a full-day tour from Huaraz to get here.