Photo credit: Brad Mering
Alpamayo (Spanish: Nevado Alpamayo) is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range (which is made up of about 50 peaks), part of the Peruvian Andes. In 1966, the Alpamayo mountain was declared "the most beautiful mountain in the world" by UNESCO.
Alpamayo is a steep (sixty degrees), almost perfect pyramid of ice, one of a number of peaks that compose the Santa Cruz massif, the northernmost massif of the Cordillera Blanca. Although smaller than many of its neighboring peaks, it is distinguished by its unusual formation and overwhelming beauty. It actually has two sharp summits, North and South, separated by a narrow corniced ridge.