38 Best Sights in The Central Highlands, Peru

An all-in-one amusement complex 1 km (½ mile) northeast of the city, the Parque del Cerro de la Libertad lets you picnic in the grass, watch the kids at the playground, swim in the public pool, dine at a restaurant, and stroll through the on-site zoo. Folkloric dancers and musicians perform at the park's amphitheater on weekends. A 15-minute walk from the park brings you to the site of Torre Torre, a cluster of 10- to 30-meter (30- to 98-foot) rock towers formed by wind and rain erosion.

Just south of Tingo María, in the midst of the Huallaga Valley, you'll find this small but verdant bio-reserve, which in recent years has seen a growing influx of eco-travelers from all over the world. The 47-square-km (18-square-mile) park is home to numerous highland and rainforest species, including parrots, primates, and bats, but its star residents are the guácharos (oilbirds), who inhabit a huge system of limestone caverns known as La Cueva de las Lechuzas (Owl Cave). The rare, nocturnal guácharo is a black-and-brown, owl-like bird with a hooked beak and a 1-meter (3-foot) wingspan. The best time to see them is at dusk when they take flight toward the cave's mouth. The cavern also has abundant stalactites and stalagmites for geology aficionados, as well as a network of platforms to facilitate viewing.

In addition to its subterranean charms, the reserve boasts numerous waterfalls, swimming holes, and hiking trails. Locals swear by the therapeutic qualities of the Jacintillo sulfur springs, and there are campgrounds where visitors can pitch tents or rent one of the park's bungalows.

Locals believe that these hot-spring mineral baths, found in the tree-covered slopes north of town, have healing powers. Hundreds of pilgrims come from the surrounding villages during holy days.

Huancavelica's main gathering spot is a showcase for some of the town's delightful colonial architecture. Besides the cathedral, there are several buildings with Spanish-style arcades and balconies as well as a 19th-century fountain surrounded by park benches where you can relax and soak in the sun.

Also known as the Boza and Solís House, the Prefectura is tucked into a two-story, 1740 casona histórica (historic mansion). Local independence-era heroine María Prado de Bellido was held prisoner in the Prefectura's storeroom until her execution by firing squad in 1822. The balcony opens out onto a lovely view of the Plaza de Armas.

This reserve is at the center of the Peruvian puna, a high-altitude swath of the Andes which, at 3,900 to 4,500 meters (12,792 to 14,760 feet), is one of the highest regions in the world inhabited by humans. Its boundaries begin about 10 km (6 miles) north of the town of Junín along the shores of the lake of the same name, which, at 14 km (9 miles) wide and 30 km (19 miles) long, is Peru's second largest, after Lake Titicaca. Most visitors arrive via day tours from Tarma, but anyone traveling overland from Huánuco via Cerro de Pasco will pass through the parkland.

Flat, rolling fields cut by clear, shallow streams characterize this cold, wet region between the highest Andes peaks and the eastern rainforest. Only heavy grasses, hearty alpine flowers, and tough, tangled berry bushes survive in this harsh climate, although farmers have cultivated the warmer, lower valleys, turning them into an agricultural oasis of orchards and plantations. The mountains are threaded with cave networks long used as natural shelters by humans, who hunted the llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas that graze on the plains. The dry season is June through September, with the rains pouring in between December and March.

The reserve is also the site of the Santuario Histórico Chacamarca (Chacamarca Historical Sanctuary), an important battleground where republican forces under Simón Bolívar triumphed over the Spanish in August 1824. The battle consisted entirely of hand-to-hand combat, without firearms, and the routing of the Spanish cavalry by patriot forces virtually assured Peru's independence, which came in December of the same year at Ayacucho. A monument marks the victory spot. The sanctuary is within walking distance of Junín, and several trails lead around the lake and across the pampas.

Bird fans stop here to spot Andean geese, flamingos, and other wildlife on day trips from Tarma.

Begun in 1548, the Templo de Santo Domingo is now a national monument. Legend holds that the first bells ringing out Peru's independence from the Spanish after the Battle of Ayacucho were sounded here. The church's unusual facade displays a mix of late Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements, along with mudéjar (Moorish-inspired) accents such as the slender wooden posts along the upper gallery. The interior features a sumptuous altarpiece coated in pan de oro (gold leaf). 

This tiny village was reportedly the birthplace of Micaela Villegas, a celebrated Indigenous actress in the 18th century and the mistress of Viceroy Manuel de Amat y Junyent, one of Peru's most capable colonial administrators. Also known as La Perricholi, the spunky peruanita was the basis for Prosper Mérimée's comic novella Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement before becoming an important character—along with the viceroy—in Thornton Wilder's The Bridge of San Luis Rey. In reality, Villegas was most probably born in Lima, but no matter: the Casa de la Perricholi, a colonial house in town that purports to be her onetime residence, is delightful, as is a festival in July with parades, music, and danzas folklóricas celebrating her vitality. In any case, the area's gorgeous mountain views are the real reason to come.