Getting Around

Getting Around

By Air: On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, AeroCóndor (www.aerocondor.com.pe) flies between Ayacucho, Andahuaylas, and Lima, from where you can catch flights to Pucallpa, Trujillo, Chiclayo, and other northern towns. You can also check LC Busre (www.lcbusre.com.pe) for flights from Lima to Ayacucho, Huancayo, Huanuco, and other major cities outside of the Central Highlands. Flights between Ayacucho and Cusco have resumed in small planes from Andes Servicios Aereos (www.andessac.com). Flights are often canceled in the rainy season. Always confirm your flight in good weather, too.

By Bus: Buses from Ayacucho run to Lima, including overnight services on Los Libertadores, Ormeño, Cruz del Sur, and Expresa Molina. You can also reach Huancayo from Ayacucho (10 hours) by overnight service on Turismo Central and Expresa Molina—but prepare for a very rough road. From Huancayo, ETUCSA, Ormeño, Cruz del Sur, and Expresa Molina—have many daily buses to Lima. Expresa Molina and Empresa Hidalgo have buses to Huancavelica.

By Car: The Central Highlands have some of the country's most scenic driving routes, and roads are paved from the capital north to Huánuco and south to Huancayo. It's five hours to La Oroya, from which a gorgeous Andes panorama stretches in three directions: north toward Huánuco, east toward Tarma, and south to Huancayo. Most sights around Huancayo in the Valle del Mantaro are accessible by car. The rugged road from Huancayo to Ayacucho, which takes around 10 hours, should be traveled only by four-wheel-drive vehicles equipped for emergencies. Except for the highway, there are mostly dirt roads in this region, so be prepared.

By Train: The train journey from the capital is the most memorable travel option. The 335-km (207-mi) railway cuts through the Andes, through mountain slopes and above deep crevasses where thin waterfalls plunge down into icy streams far below. The most logical route is from Lima to Tarma and Huancayo, then south to Huancavelica and Ayacucho.