The High Andes Environment

Like many alpine environments, Peru's high country is very beautiful, but can be rather stark.  Although our expedition concentrated on the vertically-bedded limestones in the area, most of the mountains are igneous or metamorphic and often exhibited bright colors associated with volcanic rock.  Some of the surface karst we encountered was very beautiful and well-developed.  We walked many  punas (broad valleys above 4000m elevation) devoid of trees but carpeted in dry brown grass and sometimes dotted with very tiny flowers.  Many types of  cacti abound, some with brilliant flowers.  Other succulent plants occur where even the grass wouldn't grow.  Occasionally, high side valleys are treed with stands of polylepis trees, a member of the rose family whose distinctive soft thin bark is in a constant state of peeling.  Also known as queñoa de altura, poylepis trees are the highest woody plant in the world.  

It is impossible to visit the high Andes without encountering the llamas and alpacas it is famous for, which often share pastures with sheep and cattle.  Colorful yarn threaded thru their ears help identify them to their owners.  More elusive were the pumas though we didn't mind not seeing them.  We often encountered strange (to us) birds, but were not knowledgeable enough to identify most.  Exceptions were some of the distinctive larger birds including the Andean Condor, Andean Goose, and Andean Ibis.  The latter kept us awake with chimpanzee-like calls amplified by its nighttime roost inside the entrance of Tragadero Puyo.  (For photos of these and other birds, try this link and do a 'search' by bird name.)

Our three expeditions were all conducted during the 'dry' season, when high-country temperatures varied between 15 and 20C during the day but fell to below freezing most evenings.  But in typical alpine fashion we also encountered midday snowstorms with thunder when temperatures were not so agreeable.  The combination of high altitude and snow gave rise to sunburn after only a few minutes exposure, giving us incongruous complexions in the cave.

Although well-constructed roads run everywhere mining activity has occurred, a robust four-wheel-drive vehicle is a definite asset.  Roads are often narrow and precipitous with many switchbacks and blind curves, and great caution must be exercised where active ore-hauling or other traffic exists.   Rain can cause small washouts or bank collapses, and stones on the road are a constant concern.  So is livestock, particularly at night.  Even a little snow can make steep grades challenging.

The people we met were for the most part friendly and interested in what we were doing, although we did run into a few suspicious shepherds in the high valleys.  Villages were picturesque and with neat, well-kept schools and town squares.  Ball sports such as soccer and volleyball are quite popular.  Much of the mid-elevation agriculture is achieved through extensive terracing dating to pre-Inca times.  Above 3500m farming gives way to grazing, and structures are limited to corrals and shepherd's huts made from undressed stone with grass roofs.

And finally, the stars... cavers from northern continents are always thrilled to see different constellations, and the night sky is exceptionally bright and clear when viewed from 4500m elevation through the thin clean air and far from artificial light sources. 

Visitors to the Andes should be aware of the effects of altitude on the human body. 

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