Huanuco, A City Off the Beaten Path in Peru

Written by: Clara the Exploradora

When I initially planned my trip to Peru, I planned it with the intent of maintaining a very strict budget. It was my first true international trip via airplane, alone. I was nervous and excited and very budget oriented. I only wanted to spend $500 USD the whole trip (transit, food, lodging included). That may seem like a strict rule, but it’s not. It is a good idea to go into a trip with a budget in mind. In this article you will read about my experience in Huanuco and how I began my Peruvian adventure with a vague idea and lots of gumption.

How did I find out about Huanuco?

At the Lima Airport, I was picked up by my friend, Olivia. Olivia and I met during our missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka LDS or Mormon back in 2011. We were paired together for 3 months in Argentina and I knew hardly any Spanish and she knew no English. We were there during the Patagonian spring time (October-December). Our area was a coastal town called Caleta Olivia and it was beautiful. When we met back up in Peru 3 years later it was such a great reunion! She and her husband let me stay at their home off the beaten path of tourism to experience how Peruvian life is. This was a great start for traveling on a budget.

To get to Huanuco…

We took a double decker bus from Lima directly to there. Buses, depending on the distance and purpose your travel are one of the best way to travel on a budget in Peru. Obviously, if you’re crunched for time, you can’t take 20+ hour rides everywhere. But if you plan your trip right, you can save big bucks on transportation that way!

The ride to Huanuco was long, boring and humid! Add that to the crying of a two year old and you have the makings of a perfectly sleepless night. Despite all of that Huanuco is amazing. It is nestled amongst these huge mountains that look a lot like the mountains from Emperors New Groove. It’s a bigger city, but not alien invasion and superhero big. The sun there is strong, as well as the pincers on the little bugs that feasted on my ankles. Those little buggers can bite and they can bite hard… Please oh please bring bug repellent with you! I searched long and hard and found NONE.

Travel Tip:

If you are planning a trip

to Peru, bring the best repellent

you can find. Spare no

expense in this department.

BUDGET THIS INTO YOUR

TRAVEL EXPENSES! 

It is easy to forget that…

South America has opposite seasons than the Northern Hemisphere. I was there in December which means that is their Summer. Thus, it was a bit hot and sunny. Anticipate this if you travel in Northern Hemisphere winter.

The first day, after a full 8 hours of sleep, Olivia took me to this beautiful river through the city. People go there to  wash their clothes. We went to relax. That is where I discovered those demon bugs. And that is when my search for bug spray began while wishing I had added this to my budget.

Huanuco is where I really let myself dive into Peruvian culture.

Olivia took me to the local Friday market by moto taxi to buy food . Moto taxis are little three wheeled motorcycle carts that somehow fit more people and things in it than seem possible. This market was nuts. There were haphazard tents set up all over the place, all selling their own thing. I watched a lady destroy a fish with her bare hands and another lady break a chickens neck and then toss it in a bucket. It was beautiful chaos.

Budget Hint:

Moto Taxis are the most

convenient and efficient

form of transportation 

in Peru. They provide

cheap transportation for 

budget travel within

Peruvian cities. 

With that destroyed fish, Olivia prepared me Ceviche. It was pretty good and I think it made me sick. After lunch we went to a park in the city with fountains and stuff. It was nice.

Tingo Maria is a fun day trip you can take from Huanuco.

From Huanuco you can take a carro for about 25 soles to Tingo Maria for a day. If you have time to do this, do it. It is a really beautiful place and has beautiful things to do and see. Olivia and I went to La Cuava de Lechuzas which is a giant awesome cave full of stalagmites and stalactites. It only costs 5 soles for a local, so if you can pass as Latin, don’t speak while purchasing your ticket and you’ll get the discount price. From there we went to a waterfall that I for some reason cannot remember the name of. That was only about 5 soles as well and worth it. Many of the locals go there and you can jump off rocks and swim around and just enjoy the refreshing coolness the water offers.

I will write a separate post with more details about Tingo Maria with more details. But for now, we will continue with the city off the beaten path!

Huanuco has so much more to offer! Like…

Churches to see, ruins to explore, and parks to relax in, but as I was visiting my friend and her family I spent my time helping around the house and running errands. (Staying with people you know is the ultimate best way to budget travel.)  But from what they told me, there is a lot to do there if you have time and money.

My grand departure from Huanuco, that would make any budget traveler proud was on the back of a moped with my back pack somehow wedged in there. It was truly terrifying and at least caused one car accident, and definitely got me where I needed to be.