Laguna de Paca, Lake in Junín Valley, Peru

Laguna de Paca is a lake in the Mantaro River Valley of Peru's Junín Department, spanning the districts of Paca, Chunán and Pancán. It sits at 3,418 metres, about 4 kilometres north of Jauja, and covers 21.40 square kilometres. Rushes and sedges float along its southern shore, and its centre reaches depths of over 30 metres.

The lake sits in a valley shaped by Late Pliocene and early Pleistocene uplift, with sediments, glacial and tectonic activity forming its basin. Around its shores lie the ruins of circular stone buildings of the Huanca culture, and legend tells of a sunken city beneath the water.

Remains of stone structures around the lake show traces of the Huanca people who lived here centuries ago. These archaeological sites shape how visitors experience the landscape today.

Restaurants line the west and south shores, serving fried trout and trout ceviche; the north end holds the small village of Paca. The lake sits at 3,418 metres, so allow time to acclimatise before walking the shore or taking a boat.

The lake has no outlet: it is fed by springs and loses water only through evaporation, which keeps its level steady all year. Floating mats of rushes and sedges cover the south side, and an island of totora reeds there is known locally as "La Isla del Amor".