Huancavelica Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Huancavelica can be a bit hard to get to directly, but can be approached from Huancayo (the easiest option), Pisco and (indirectly) from Ayacucho. The most interesting way to get to Huancavelica is by train from Huancayo, which is marginally faster than the buses and follows in the main the river valley, taking a rather circuitous but necessarily less challenging route. Buses are of the local variety – filled with locals and their goods and produce – and take their time. Not all take the scenic alpine route.

If you are in a hurry, from Huancayo it’s a good idea to take a colectivo taxi, which takes between 2½ and three hours, and runs through some spectacular scenery. From Huancayo there is a fast new road as far as Izcuchaca, at which point the road skews right and upward along an unsealed section for 78km. It first heads up following the mountains’ contours, then ducks into a narrow valley with tiled-roof villages and a running river. It then opens out into lush alpine meadowland with thatched-roof settlements and freely wandering herds of llamas. It then spirals downwards into the narrow valley where Huancavelica lies. It’s a highly recommended trip.

Local transport

Taxi

Colectivo taxis for Huancayo (US$8, 2½ to three hours) leave when full (four-passenger minimum) from the Terminal Terrestre.

^ Back to top

Land

Bus

All major buses depart from the Terminal Terrestre, inconveniently located about 2km to the west of the town center. A taxi here costs US$1. Bus tickets are sold in downtown offices and though there are ticket booths at the terminal, none were in operation at the time of research.

Companies serving Huancayo (US$3, five hours) include Transportes Ticllas (75 1562; Prado 56) with six daily departures. Other companies go less often or at night, or may go via Huancayo en route to Lima.

For Lima (about US$9, 12 to 15 hours) some companies go via Huancayo while others go via Pisco. Via Huancayo is usually a little faster but it depends on road conditions. The Pisco route goes over a 4850m pass and is freezing at night; bring warm clothes. Transportes Oropesa (75 3181; O’Donovan 599) departs for Pisco at 6pm (US$8, nine hours), Lima at 6pm (US$8, 12 hours) and also has an overnight bus to Ica (US$8.50, 11 hours). Expreso Lobato (75 2964; M Muñoz 489) has comfortable overnight buses via Huancayo. Also try Expreso Huancavelica (50 3171; M Muñoz 516).

For Ayacucho things are a little trickier. The ‘easiest’ option is to take a 4:30am (!) minibus to Rumichaca (US$3, six hours) and wait for an Ayacucho-bound bus coming from the coast – usually from Lima. The trouble is that most day buses from Lima don’t get to Rumichaca until about 2pm so you might want to try your hitchhiking skills rather than waiting for 3½ hours in what is by all accounts a pretty bleak place. Ensure, however, that there are at least two of you, and remember that hitchhiking always contains an element of risk. The other more adventurous option is to minibus it to Lircay, find another onward minibus passage to Julcamarca and finally seek yet another minibus from Julcamarca to Ayacucho. Allow a full day to execute this option.

You can get to Lircay by minibus from Huancavelica (US$2, 3½ hours).

Train

Trains leave from Huancavelica station (75 2898) for Huancayo at 6:30am daily and 12:30pm Monday to Saturday. A faster auto­vagón leaves at 5:30pm Friday. Buy tickets in advance if possible.

^ Back to top