The lake, formed by glacial action, is located on the western slopes of the Raura mountain range and the Cordillera Huayhuash which rises to elevations of more than 6,000 metres (20,000 ft).

[5] It is 7 kilometres (4 mi) long, 1.5 kilometres (1 mi) wide and has an average depth of 75 metres (246 ft)[2] [6] The lake is part of the basin of the Lauricocha River, A Jesuit priest named Samuel Fritz drew a map in 1707 which showed the Marañón River as the main stream of the Amazon River.

[8] The bridge is part of the Qhapac nan, the Inca road system, which passed here enroute from Cuzco to Quito in present-day Ecuador.

[9] Overlooking the lake is Lauricocha cave, an archaeological site with evidence of human beings residing there 12,000 years ago.

[2] Among the fauna present around the lake are birds like ducks, tinamous and hawks; and mammals like tarucas, vizcachas, foxes and skunks.