Peru (5,947 m) – The Most Beautiful Mountain in The World
Mount Alpamayo is one of the great mountain peaks of the Andes. Though shorter than some of Peru’s other great mountains, Alpamayo bears the distinction of being named the most beautiful mountain in the world, at least to some worldly mountaineers. Its name means “Slim and Snow Covered Mountain”.
Alpamayo was probably discovered during the early Spanish colonial era. It was first climbed in either 1951 or 1957, as the earlier team may not have actually achieved the summit. The mountain got its claim to fame in July 1966, when the magazine Alpinismus named Alpamayo the Most Beautiful Mountain in the World. This was based on a survey of mountaineers and the photographs of American photographer Leigh Ortenburger.
Mount Alpamayo is remote, even by Peruvian Andes standards, and not widely visited. Because of this it is one of the most pristine major mountain destinations in South America. It is accessible from the nearby town of Caraz, nearly 200 miles north of the capital of Lima.