Travel Guide to Ayacucho and the Central Highlands
When the tarmac gives way to dirt tracks contouring the steep, stark slopes of the Andes mountains, when laden donkeys and herds of alpacas become the principal traffic, and when towns and villages start closing their main roads to traffic for spontaneous fiestas, that’s when you’ll know you have arrived in Peru’s Central Highlands.
This tradition-revering region has ticked to the same beat for hundreds of years, and if you want to discover the country’s soul there is no better place to search.
Despite this, few travelers explore the region and it remains one of the greatest places in Peru to get off the beaten tourist trail. A visit to the Central Highlands is an opportunity to enter a land of colorful festivals, ancient sites, and astounding hikes.
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Why visit the Highlands
Peru’s Central Highlands makes up the largest chunk of the Peruvian Andes: it’s a rugged massif stretching 1000km from Tingo María in the northwest to Andahuaylas in the southeast. It’s one of the nation’s most isolated and least-visited regions, and for travelers approaching from popular Cusco (to the southeast) or Lima (to the west), a trip here will seem like a big step further back in time.
The Central Highlands are Peru at its most iconically Peruvian: an area where the tourist gloss is absent. Villages, towns, and cities move to a local rhythm, colorful celebrations carry on in exactly the same way that they have for centuries, and stunning Inca ruins flank the mountainsides with scarcely a soul to disturb the tranquillity.
Roads are rough and transport bone-shaking, meaning the act of traveling alone here is a huge adventure.
On the vast high plains (altiplano) below the peaks, there is nevertheless plenty of civilization, despite the relative remoteness. Enchanting colonial cities and towns enclose beautiful churches, put on the country’s best traditional festivals, and produce Peru’s finest handicrafts.
Peru’s Central Highlands are the perfect destination for intrepid travelers wanting to experience authentic Peru and get far away from curated tourist experiences.
Where are the Central Highlands
The Andean mountains run across Peru like a bumpy backbone from the northwest around Chachapoyas to the southeast at Lake Titicaca. The Central Highlands make up the middle section of the range, tumbling down to the west onto Peru’s sandy coastal strip and to the east into lush cloud forest that in turn spills into the Amazon rainforest.
The big regional metropolis is Huancayo, seven hours’ drive east of Lima and also the nearest major Central Highlands city to the capital, although the most important city for travelers is Ayacucho, ten hours’ drive southeast of Lima and 15-17 hours’ drive northwest of Cusco.
How to get here
Located smack in the middle of Peru, the Central Highlands have various access points.
The main point of departure for visitors heading here is Lima, on the coast. From Lima, there are several daily flights to the region’s main cities of Ayacucho (southern Central Highlands) and Huancayo (northern Central Highlands). You also have a few direct flights to the city of Huanuco.
Outside of Lima, you also have flights to various Central Highlands cities from Cusco, althought most are not direct. Often, you’ll only have 1-2 direct flights per week (if any), so if coming from outside of Lima flying may not be a very viable option.
The most common way of getting to the Central Highlands is by road. Highland cities are connected to each other via a network of buses and colectivos (shared taxis/transfers) and some have bus service to cities in other regions.
From Lima
Buses from Lima to Huancayo, a major Central Highlands city and the nearest to Lima, run at least hourly. A luxury bus for the 7-hour run costs S50-S95. Second-class buses are a little cheaper, but provide a more bone-shaking ride.
From Huancayo, you are well-poised for onward travel throughout the Central Highlands by either bus or colectivos.
If you’re flying, you have daily direct flights from Lima to various airports serving the cities of Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Huanuco, and Huancayo. You usually have from 1-4 flights each day, tickets cost about $50-70 USD, and flights take 1-2 hours.
From Nazca
From Nazca, you can reach Andahuaylas (a town in the south of the Central Highlands), via a multi-stop 13+ hour bus journey. You’ll first need to take a 9-hour bus ride to the city of Abancay, where you’ll transfer to another bus for the 4-hour journey onward to Andahualyas.
You usually have 2-3 departures per day with larger bus companies, most of which run the Nazca to Abancay leg by night.
From Cusco
The other main bus routes into the Central Highlands are from Cuzco. It’s five hours from Cusco to Abancay, from where it’s a four-hour run to Andahuaylas.
You can also fly from Cusco to the Central Highlands town of Ayacucho. Direct flights from Cusco to Ayacucho depart 2 times per week, on Mondays and Fridays. The flight is 1 hour and tickets usually cost around $60 USD.
Although you don’t have any other direct connections, you can access other Central Highlands cities by plane from Cusco via a layover in Lima.
From the Amazon
It’s also possible to arrive to the Central Highlands if coming from the Central Amazon.
La Merced (Amazon) to Tarma
You can travel from La Merced to the town of Tarma (two hours north of Huancayo), via bus or colectivo. The trip to Tarma takes 1.5 hours and there are departures every hour.
Pucallpa (Amazon) to Tingo María
From Pucallpa, you can reach Tingo María in the northern Central Highlands via a few daily bus departures. The journey takes around nine hours.
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When to visit
You never need worry about crowds in the Central Highlands, which is probably the Peruvian region least frequented by other travelers. This leaves the weather – and the rather packed calendar of tradition-rich festivals – as the two main factors to consider when making a trip.
Dry season runs roughly from May to November. It’s cooler at this time but more pertinently, drier: perfect for trying some of the region’s many marvelous hikes, and ensuring that the mountain roads are more likely to be in decent (passable!) condition.
In the wet season the rain and the mud makes getting about tough, and often impossible, making a visit during this time period very complicated.
The highlands also hosts some of Peru’s biggest parties and if you’re a festival-lover, April through June are excellent months to visit.
Ayacucho holds some of South America’s best Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations in the week leading up to Easter (late March or early-mid April). El Señor de Muruhuay is one of South America’s biggest pilgrimage sites, and during May becomes a colorful scene of music, dancing and feasting. May is also when Huancavelica’s Fiesta de las Cruces (Festival of the Crosses) takes place.
How long to spend
No matter how you do it, travel in the Central Highlands takes a while. Most transport is for locals (and their often-considerable luggage), and is slow, with many stops, rough roads, and breakdowns common. Because of this, you’ll need time to do the region justice.
5-7 days - The bare minimum
You need 5-7 days at the bare minimum. Assuming you have a week (or close to it), start your journey in Huancayo. With some of Peru’s most interesting markets, this is a great base to spend your first couple of days market browsing and making trips to the handicrafts-producing villages of the Río Mantaro valley.
A typical itinerary might then head south by bus, or via one of Peru’s few remaining train rides, to Huancavelica, known for its thermal baths and pretty churches.
Spend two days here before continuing on to vibrant Ayacucho, where you’ll spend your last couple of days. Ayacucho has a lovely core of captivating colonial architecture and is also a good base for a number of interesting side trips to ruins originally raised by the indigenous Inca and Wari peoples.
The reverse order of this trip is possible too, but traveling northwest-southeast gives the greatest sense of theatre.
Two weeks - A rugged adventure
Few people allow two weeks for the Central Highlands because of the lure of Cuzco and Machu Picchu to the region’s southeast. Yet those that do often find that their rewards are some of Peru’s most authentic and un-touristy experiences.
In this festival-rich region you will invariably find some celebration or parade in one of the communities you pass through.
With this amount of time, allow a day extra to each of the destinations listed above and then consider adding in enticing off-beat places like the unusual rock formations of Santuario Nacional Huayllay, the town of Tarma which lies at the transition point between Andes and Amazon, and poignant Inca ruins like Huánuco Viejo.
Where to stay - best bases
In the northern Central Highlands, Tarma makes the best base, while in the middle of the region, Huancayo is a great place to spend time. Heading southeast, the best travelers’ hubs are Huancavelica and, further southeast again, Ayacucho.
Huancayo: Treat yourself to three days in the capital of the Central Highlands, adapting to the slower pace of life. Take a trip out to some of the nearby handicrafts-producing villages and sample the outstanding local cuisine.
Tarma: Handily located at the intersection of major roads to the northern Central Highlands, Central Amazon and Huancayo, Tarma is a great base for activities in the ceja de selva with a colossal cave system, a major handicrafts village, and jungle trips close by. Stay three days to do the area justice.
Huancavelica: A useful stop-off between Huancayo and Ayacucho, Huancavelica has some interesting hiking, churches and thermal baths. Allow three days here.
·Ayacucho: The most intriguing city for travelers in the Central Highlands, Ayacucho can waylay you for days with its excellent cuisine, charming churches and nearby ruined civilizations. Spend 3-5 days here.
Places to visit
Huánuco Viejo
Not to be confused with the city of Huánuco, Huánuco Viejo is an extensive complex of Inca ruins on a hilltop near the town of La Unión, from which it’s a 2-hour walk to the site entrance. You’ll need a whole day to reach La Unión and hike out and back from town, and probably a night in otherwise-unspectacular La Unión, five hours’ drive from Huánuco.
Obrajillo
This fetching little village is one of the few spots in the Central Highlands you could explore on a day trip from Lima, although staying at least two days is advised. It’s a billboard for idyllic Andean life, bunched around a mountain river with donkey rides, walks to waterfalls and pretty places to eat traditional Peruvian mountain food.
Get a bus from Lima to Canta (2.5 hours), then take a taxi down to nearby Obrajillo.
Huancayo
The biggest city in the Central Highlands is a surprisingly modern place, compared to other regional centers, but offers some of the best cuisine in Peru (try dishes like papa a la huancaína, a delicious mix of potatoes and egg in a spicy cheese sauce).
It compensates for its slight lack of history with its fabulous traditional market and proximity to pretty nearby villages in the Río Mantaro valley well-known for their quality handicrafts. Allow two days to explore the city.
Río Mantaro Valley
This fertile valley fanning northwest from Huancayo is a treasure trove of trapped-in-time villages famed for making some of Peru’s best handicrafts – such as Cochas Grande (for decorated gourds) and Hualhuas (woolen products).
In Concepción, you can also visit one of the Peruvian altiplano’s loveliest convents, Santa Rosa de Ocopa. There is excellent hiking around Laguna Ñahuimpuquio. Allow at least two days to fully explore the valley.
Huancavelica
Huancavelica is an underrated but attractive city halfway between Huancayo and Ayacucho. Even if not originally on your itinerary, it makes for an excellent place to break the journey between those two better-known highlands towns.
Here you can soak in the city’s several thermal baths and explore a clutch of alluring churches. Allow at least two days here.
Ayacucho
The sparkling jewel in the crown of the Central Highlands, this dazzling and dynamic city mixes the colonial splendor of its many fine churches and plazas with a standout culinary scene. It’s a city you could easily spend 3-5 days in altogether.
Andahuaylas
The southern gateway city for the Central Highlands will be your introduction to the region if coming overland from Cuzco. Its main attraction is the hilltop ruins of Sondor, once a key center for the Chanka civilisation and an easy half-day trip away.
One day in Andahuaylas is advised, as it’s a grueling journey on to other Central Highlands destinations from here.
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Things to do in the Central Highlands
Relax in scenic swimming spots in Tingo María
On the cusp between highlands and jungle, this city feels different to elsewhere in the region because of the surrounding lush jungle. Nearby Parque Nacional Tingo María has some lush waterfalls and pools for a splash-around.
At the northern end of the Central Highlands, it’s a sensible journey-breaker before long trips on to the Northern Highlands or Amazon. Give yourself 1-2 days here.
Marvel at the rock formations of Santuario Nacional Huayllay
From the breath-sappingly high-up mining city of Cerro de Pasco, this is by far the most compelling day trip: out of some of Peru’s most incredible rock formations. The mighty rocks in this stark altiplano setting twist into some phenomenal shapes, like a grazing alpaca and an elephant. It’s the world’s largest bosque de piedras (rock forest).
Do a guided day trip from Cerro de Pasco or travel one hour by bus to Huayllay, from where you can explore independently.
Hike to Minas de Santa Barbara
Hiking above Huancvelica to these poignant old mining ruins over beautiful mountainside is one of the Central Highlands’ best hikes. The hike there and back to Huancavelica will take half a day.
Take the scenic train ride from Huancayo to Huancavelica
Journey between these two compelling Central Highlands cities by one of Peru’s last historic rail rides: a local run more than a tourist train, and thus a fascinating insight into Andean life. Allow half a day for the journey.
Explore caves and handicrafts in Tarma
This pleasant, clement city perches on the ceja de la selva, caught in the transition between stark, weather-beaten Andes and sticky jungle. It’s a base for trips to one of Peru’s largest caves, Gruta de Huagapo, the weaving village of San Pedro de Cajas and jungle trips around nearby San Ramón. Allow 3-4 days here to see all this.
Browse Ayacucho’s museums
Save a half-day to see Ayacucho’s moving museums. The Museo de Arte Popular showcases Ayacucho’s artistic legacy, while the Museo de la Memoria remembers the city’s time under the Sendero Luminoso or Shining Path movement, which terrorized the Central Highlands in the 1980s and 1990s.
Take a trip into the mountains above Ayacucho
The mountains around Ayacucho harbor a couple of wonderful sights, both commonly explored on the same day trip. First up on the road from Ayacucho are the extensive ruins from the ancient Wari culture. The road then continues to the charming village of Quinua, where you can check out the obelisk marking the Battle of Ayacucho, the last battle in the Peruvian Wars of Independence. Buses and taxis will take you to both sites.
Explore the Center of the Inca Empire at Vilcashuamán
The ruins of Vilcashuamán were once deemed by the Inca to be the cultural center of their empire and, while many buildings are now in a dilapidated state, the usnu, a 5-tiered pyramid crowned by a throne, remains. Coming from Ayacucho, it’s a 5-hour drive to Vischongo, with the turn-off to Vilcashuamán just before Vischongo: Vilcashuamán is 22km along this road.
You will need to overnight in either Vilcashuamán or Vischongo, meaning that seeing the ruins takes a full 24 hours.
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