• Peru Guide

  • Introduction to Peru
  • Weather
  • Things not to miss
  • Entry requirements
  • Money
  • Getting around
  • Public holidays

• Explore Peru

  • Lima
  • Around Lima
  • The south coast
  • Arequipa
  • Around Arequipa
  • The Titicaca Basin
  • Cusco
  • The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
  • Around Cusco
  • The Central Sierra
  • The North
  • The Jungle

• Cities

  • Arequipa
    
  • Ayacucho
    
  • Cusco
    
  • Huánuco
    
  • Iquitos
    
  • Lima
    
  • Trujillo
    

Peru Guide

The Central Sierra

Huánuco

• Accommodation
• Restaurants

The charming modern city of Huánuco, more than 100km east of the deserted Inca town of the same name, and around 400km from Lima, sits nestled in a beautiful Andean valley some 1900m above sea level. It's a relatively peaceful place, located on the left bank of the sparkling Río Huallaga, and depending for its livelihood on forestry, tea and coca, along with a little low-key tourism. Its old, narrow streets ramble across a handful of small plazas, making for a pleasant environment to spend a day or two preparing for a trip down into the jungle beyond Tingo Maria or exploring some of the nearby archaeological sites, such as the Temple of Kotosh and the ruins at Tantamayo.

The city contains no real sights, save the usual handful of fine old churches and a small natural history museum, but if you can, you should aim to be in Huánuco around August 15, when carnival week begins and the city's normal tranquillity explodes into a wild fiesta binge.