Huancayo Peru Information

Please consider Huancayo Peru to become part of your Peru travel experience. Huancayo is an excellent base for exploring the Mantaro Valley, named after “Rio de Mantaro", that flows through the valley. Here you can experience the distinct culture of the Huancas, represented in colorful costumes, passionate dances and high quality artisan craftsmanship.

The Sunday market of Huancayo is a real happening and one of the most popular and famous markets in Peru.

Huancayo also is an excellent “base camp” to explore the Cordillera Huaytapalana.

Train from Lima to Huancayo
The train ride is really one of the best things you can do to enrich your Peru travel experience. The spectacular ride takes you from sea level over Ticlio pass, at 4,815 meters, one of Peru’s highest passes. No train on earth reaches a higher point than the train from Lima to Huancayo. The line winds 346 kilometers through some breathtaking sections of the Andes. There are 26 stations, 61 bridges and 67 tunnels blasting a path through the mountains. It is known as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world.

However since 2004 the train is not riding on a frequent, regular schedule. As soon as there is more clarity about the train schedule for 2005, we will publish the information on this site.

Main attractions in Huancayo
Capilla de la Merced, the colonial chapel where the Constitutional Congress assembled to sign the Peruvian Constitution in 1839. It has the status of National Monument and houses a great collection of Cusqueño style paintings. Cerrito de la Libertad, a natural observation point with a panoramic view over the city. It also has a site zoo. Torre Torre is a geological formation of enormous towers of clayey soil, molded by the winds and rain, located very near to Cerrito de la Libertad. Convento de Santa Rosa de Ocopa. This convent, located at 25 km from Huancayo, was built 250 years ago as part of the mission to evangelize the Amazon people. The library holds over 25,000 volumes, some from the fifteenth century. There is also a Museum of Natural History and a church, reconstructed in 1905, that houses wood carved altarpieces. Plaza Constitución is named in honor of the Liberal Constitution of Cadiz, 1812, and is the place where you'll find monuments in honor of Mariscal Ramon Castilla, who abolished slavery in Huancayo in 1854. Plaza Huamanga, closer to the heart of the city, is the site where Huancayo was founded in 1572. Another interesting site within the city center is the Museo Salesiano, located in the district of El Tambo, which has exhibits of local flora and fauna.

Interesting places in the Mantaro Valley, close to Huancayo.
Cochas Chico. A town located at 8 km from the Huancayo, where the artisans do beautiful work engraving gourds, big bottles (mates burilados). Hualhuas. A town of artisans specialized on textiles, rugs, ponchos from alpaca or sheep wool and ornaments. San Jerónimo de Tunán is a district well-known for its silver jewelry. The local church houses Baroque and Churrigueresque wood carved altars from the seventeenth century. Ingenio is famous for its trout hatcheries, surrounded by beautiful scenery. You can eat a delicious plate of fish here. Sicaya. A district with a beautiful landscape and with a church that houses wood carved Colonial altars. Chupaca has a belvedere to view the Cunas river. It also has a Saturday fair. Huayao Geophysical Observatory. At 17 km from Huancayo, this center registers the seismic movements that occur nationwide. Santuario Warivilca. A sanctuary, built in the Wari empire era. It keeps the sacred Molle tree and has a site museum. Sapallanga is well known for its natural beauty and the ruins of Ullacoto and Ahumaica. Pucará is a village of great historical significance. Here the people took part in the Breña Campaign against the Chileans. Jauja. The main church houses beautiful Baroque style wooden carvings. The Capilla de Cristo Pobre has paintings of the Via Crucis brought from France. Jauja has a excellent climate and an incomparable countryside. Laguna de Paca, at 4 km from Jauja, is surrounded by totoras, habitat for rich flora and fauna. It is formed by underground filtration.

Cordillera Huaytapallana
The Cordillera Huaytapallana, a glacierized mountain range, part of the "Cordillera Central", is 17 km long and trends in a northwesterly direction. It has 5 peaks, all over 5000 meters above sea level. The highest peak is the Nevado Lasuntay at 5,720 m asl. The Cordillera Huaytapallana drains its water into the Atlantic Ocean via the Río Mantaro.

Explanation of the word Huancayo
Huancayo comes from the original quechua words "huanca-ayllu".The Spanish changed the name as they did for cusco and other places. The meaning of Huancayo in the original words "huanca ayllu" is people or town of stone as "ayllu" means: people/town/community and "huanca" means: stone. In fact the small cities were also made of stone and there are many archeological sites from the Huancas around the valley. The given title to Huancayo is incontrastable, meaning a city with no comparison to others, due to the fact that the Huanca's were very heroic at the different wars, among others with the Inca's, in the history.

Huancayo is a safe place to be
In 1999, an extensive army operation captured the leader of Sendero Luminoso, Oscar Ramirez Durand, who had taken over from Guzman in 1992. This essentially cleaned up the area from terrorist activities. Since that time, Huancayo is a safe place to be.

Peru in a nut shell: visit the markets in Huancayo.
If you want to have a snapshot of Peru, than visit the markets of Huancayo. All of the good things of Peru are brought together there. You can observe the people, taste the food, feel the handy craft and get an idea of the rich products the land of Peru can yield. All of this in an Andean atmosphere, surrounded by a fascinating scenery and landscape. Most fascinating is the Sunday market on Huancavelica Street. Artisans from the surrounding villages gather to sell expertly engraved pumpkin pots, silver works, textile handicrafts, beautiful wall carpets and leather products. The Valle del Mantaro is one of the richest agricultural and cultural regions in the Andes; each village having a distinct style of dress, music and dance.

The festivals of Huancayo
Huancayo is well known for its festivals. It has more festivals than days: 400. One of the most famous is the splendid Fiesta de las Cruces that takes place each May. During this festival Huancayo erupts into a succession of boisterous processions, parties and festivities. When you are in Huancayo, please try Pachamanca, a typical Peruvian food, with marinated meat, vegetables, potatoes and spices, which is slowly cooked in a hole in the ground, covered with hot stones.