Must-see attractions in Central Highlands

A well-preserved Inca road runs from Jauja to Tarma. The most spectacular section is from Tingopaccha (30 minutes from Jauja by taxi) to Inkapatakuna (30…

A church with intricate altars – 11 of them.

This 180-sq-km park lies to the south of town, around the mouth of the Río Monzón, a tributary of the Río Huallaga. Its most distinguishing feature is the…

The 'Cave of the Owls' is, despite its name, known for the colony of oilbirds that lives inside. In addition, there are stalactites, stalagmites and bats…

This former Inca stronghold was once considered the geographical center of the Inca empire. It was believed to have been a city constructed in the shape…

A dramatic hilltop testament to both the power of the pre-Inca peoples and the extent to which their cultures are barely known about. The buildings here,…

This ruin is also known as the Temple of the Crossed Hands because of its highlight, a life-sized mud molding of a pair of crossed hands that dates to…

A stunning bosque de piedras (rock forest) standing out of a plain in surreal, conical shapes. The village of Pampachiri, about 2½ hours' drive south of…

Dazzling on a sunny day when the surrounding mountains are mirrored in its waters, Laguna de Choclococha at 4700m is one of many lakes adorning the…

A small astronomical observatory above Hospedaje Central takes advantage of Tarma's high-elevation location, where the clear nights of June, July and…

Wari ceramics make up most of the small exhibition here, along with relics from the region’s other various civilizations. The museum buildings are set in…

This museum has displays about the area, plus a bundle of interesting information if you catch the right attendant on the right day and ask. There's a…

This small lakeside resort offers restaurants, rowboats and fishing. A boat ride around the lake will cost S5 to S10 per passenger (depending on how many…

This huge limestone cave ranks among Peru’s largest subterranean systems. A proper descent into the Gruta de Huagapo requires caving equipment and…

A huge monument and tiny museum mark the site of the Battle of Ayacucho (1824) above Quinua – a small pueblo (town) once famous for marking the end of…

Backed by sweeping pine forests, this lake is a wonderful watery weekend escape for locals; the rest of the time, it's a very quiet place. In the lakeside…

This museum in the Casona Vivanco, a gorgeous 16th-century mansion, houses maps and military paraphernalia from the period of its namesake, a local man…

Quinua's wonderfully named Casa de la Capitulación (House of Capitulation) was where Spanish Royalist troops signed their surrender after the War of…

The most impressive of numerous Inca ruins peppering the road above Canta, the buildings at Cantamarca – a series of circular dwellings skittering down a…

There's a trio of waterfalls here, the most famous of which is Catarata Gloriopata. A track leads up to the falls from a bridge about 14km out of Tingo on…