The Central Highlands: Places to Explore

Tucked into the folds of the Andes, 2,740 meters (8,987 feet) up on the slopes, Ayacucho is a colorful, colonial-style town. Though its looks are Spanish—all glowing white-alabaster mansions with... Read more

Spread out high in the Andes, Huancavelica was founded in the 16th century by Spanish conquistadors, who discovered the rich veins of silver and mercury threaded through the rocky hillsides. The abundant... Read more

It's not hard to see how the modern city of Huancayo, which has close to 260,000 residents, was once the capital of pre-Inca Huanca (Wanka) culture. In the midst of the Andes and straddling the verdant... Read more

At first glance Huánuco is just a picturesque collection of colonial buildings and churches along the Río Huallaga amid rocky, forested mountains: an archetypal Spanish settlement, but history... Read more

Jauja has the distinction of having been Peru's original capital, as declared by Francisco Pizarro when he swept through the region; he changed his mind in 1535 and transferred the title to Lima. Jauja... Read more

The Battle of Ayacucho, the decisive battle against Spain in the Peruvian War of Independence, took place on the Pampas de Quinua grasslands 37 km (23 mi) northeast of the city, near the village of Quinua... Read more

This compact Andean village is a collection of mud-brick and clapboard homes and shops where you can watch craftspeople and farmers at work on the highland plains. For many visitors, the town is a starting... Read more

The fields around Tantamayo are rich with pre-Inca ruins, some from the oldest cultures to settle in Peru. Most notable are the thick, seven-story stone skyscrapers of the Yarowilca, who flourished from... Read more

The hidden mountain town known as "The Pearl of the Andes" has grown into a city of 155,000 whose Peruvian roots are held close in its traditions and sights. Long before the Spanish arrived, indigenous... Read more

The warmth and humidity in the Andean foothills hit you as you descend from the Huánuco highlands. Not many travelers visit this settlement at the border between mountains and jungle, as it has... Read more

One of the longest surviving stretches of Inca road, the Qhapaq Nan, passes through the massive rocky outcrops and deep meadows of the Valle Yanahuanca. Forested hills threaded by shallow, pebbled rivers... Read more