Cordillera Blanca, Peru, is home to the highest tropical mountain range on earth, with 50 major summits of more than 18,000 feet.

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Every Thursday I write about place I'd love to visit, if I had the time and the money. I just got an email from Adventure Life that has me drooling over a new 14-day northern Peru backcountry trekking tour.

Here is the email:

This tour journeys to the highest tropical mountain range on earth, with 50+ major summits of more than 18,000 feet. Travelers will spend two days acclimatizing, biking, rafting, and exploring in the mountain town of Huaraz before departing on the challenging eight-day trek. This expedition takes adventurers on an unparalleled alpine undertaking of towering peaks, turquoise lakes, flower filled meadows, and isolated villages seemingly lost in time.

"This is a serious trekking expedition for the true adventure traveler and a great alternative to Inca Trail trekking," said Adventure Life Operations Director Jonathan Brunger. "There are eight days of 3 to 6 hour treks at very high elevation in some of the most beautiful alpine terrain on the planet."

The Cordillera Blanca is without questions one of the most magnificent mountain ranges in the world. No other range combines its easy access and generally excellent climate with an alpine utopia of towering, ice-covered peaks.

Highlights of the Cordillera Blanca Backcountry Trekking tour include: Visiting indigenous villages and bargaining in the colorful local markets.; Class III rafting down the Rio Santa; Exploring the pre-Inca ruins of Chavin de Huantar Conquering the high pass of Punta Union at (15,585 ft.); Climbing to the highest pass of your trek Punta Yananacu (15,900 ft.); Witnessing the mountains of Santa Cruz, Chacraraju, Huandoy and Huascaran; Soaking in glacial hot springs.

Prices start at $2,495.