Mirador de Acuchimay
Ayacucho
Time spent: 28 days; 7 Feb 2026 - 7 Mar 2026
Elevation: 9,058 ft (2,760m)
Currency: Peruvian Soles
Lodging Cost: $18.81 per night; Airbnb
Arriving in Ayacucho
Well if you read my previous page, you would know that leaving Huancayo was kind of a nightmare, but if we forget that, arriving in Ayacucho was great. Everything for my arrival worked out awesome and coming into town mid-morning gave an awesome view because the city is slightly in a valley and you get a great view of the whole town coming in.
The town is a bit hilly (as in in it has a lot of hills) but I don't know...it is hard to explain...but breathing wasn't that hard. It is only (only?) about 2,000 feet lower than Cusco but after a couple years of dealing with the extreme elevation changes of South America, 10,000 feet (3,050 m) seems to be the cut off when breathing gets hard and when it is easy.
Whatever, I'm not a doctor. Believe me or don't.
Puca Picante, one of the signature dishes of Ayacucho
Exploring Ayacucho
I use the title of this section literally because there is a lot of exploring to do here. Outside of the city center which is laid out like a grid, the town is a labyrinth. Tons of great huariques to discover and find lunch, but Google Maps isn't very accurate on what is exactly open and the road map was designed by giving a young native girl with terrible vision a crayon and piece of paper and letting her draw for a while.
This was the area I stayed in and had a great apartment for a great price. It was actually one of the biggest places I had in my entire time in South America.
However, most of the hotels and hostels in Ayacucho are around the Plaza de Armas. This is where you will see Spanish colonial architecture. Like pretty much all Plazas de Armas, this one has a historic cathedral, Catedral de Huamanga. While it isn't as big as some, you can enter this one for free, but if you want to climb the towers, it does cost 3 soles ($.90).
I wasn't exaggerating about it being a mess of roads. It was pretty easy to get turned around in here
Catedral de Huamanga
This statue doesn't represent a specific person; it is a monument to the Wari warriors. These guys quietly built the first true South American empire long before the Incas, yet are entirely overshadowed by them in the history books.
While exploring the mess of roads, I'd suggest making your way up to Mirador de Acuchimay for a great view of the city and several restaurants serving asado.
I hiked through town to the top of the lookout and headed back down a different rougher hiker down.
Carnival in Ayacucho
I was in Ayacucho for my second time experiencing Carnival. You may think Rio de Janeiro has the biggest Carnival celebration in South America... and well, you would be right... but in Peru, you may have heard Cajamarca has the biggest celebration... well, again you would be correct. BUT Ayacucho does put on a hell of a good celebration. It doesn't have the same tourist numbers, but it is considered the most authentic Carnival celebration in all of Peru.
I even had a little bit of a problem with capitalism raising its head because I booked my Airbnb pretty far in advance and the person said, "Whoops, didn't realize you booked during Carnival so I'd like to charge you twice as much money." I declined that offer, but it worked out fine because, like I said earlier, the Airbnb I got ended up being one of the best ones I have stayed at.
I don't know what they were saying but it was a lovely song. And I was just amazed at how participants there were for the three day event.
It really felt like the whole town was involved. The parades were endless and had thousands of people. I ran into a guy from Miami whose family was from Peru, and he came to Ayacucho every year to participate with a dance troupe.
Some of the parades on the smaller streets were great, too. They didn't use spray foam as much as Cuenca did. The people on the ground mostly had baby powder, but people from the buildings above were dumping water from the windows.
For the parades, anyone is fair game, but you had to watch out for kids all week. Most were just throwing water balloons at each other, but you had to keep your eye out for "death from above." I caught a few eyeballing me while I was just going to lunch, but if you give them the "don't fucking do it look," they won't throw them at you, but collateral damage is always a thing.
I ducked into the Catedral de Huamanga for this storm but most people just rocked out in the rain.
From noon to night these parades went on for three days
I got got
One night was really special to me. I was out looking for stuff to do during the celebrations and I saw a bunch of people partying. At first I thought it was just a bar, but when I got in, the doorman just waved me in, but it felt like a wedding or something. It was a smallish party with a band and everyone seemed to know each other, but they were so welcoming.
It turned out to be a yunza celebration. While it isn't tied to a specific date, it is more like a private-ish party taking place during the Carnival season around Lent.
Everyone was drinking and dancing and there was a tree in the middle with all kinds of stuff in the
Thought this was a bar so I walked on in.
Everyone danced around the tree and then took turns taking a swing at the tree. I was happy just being a spectator for this part—I didn't want to intrude, but many people pulled me over insisting I take a couple whacks. It felt great to be a part of the celebration. When it eventually came down, people rushed the tree collecting prizes. It was kind of friendly bragging rights and fun to see people celebrating and cheering about getting a plastic stool or a t-shirt.
Notice all of the stuff on the tree
Now it is picked clean
The implement of destruction
Pikimachay Cave
This is a tour of a cave system that is pretty close by. It was 60 soles ($18) and takes less than half a day, three or four hours tops. I read in some places that you don't need a guide for this tour and you can just take a taxi. That may or may not be true, but I definitely wouldn't recommend that if you are solo, and I probably still wouldn't if you are with a partner if neither of you speak Spanish. The caves aren't entirely safe, lots of opportunity for busted ankles, and even if that isn't an issue, it's on the outskirts so cell service may be spotty and getting a ride back could be tricky. With just one or two people, the savings are going to be minimal anyway.
This was one of the stranger tours I've been on. Nothing was wrong with it, but usually tours like this will be canceled if there is only one person. When I showed up, the guide and I got in a taxi and headed out. It isn't unusual for them to put you in a cab to the main pick-up, but after about 20 minutes we were getting out of town and I realized it was just us. So it was me, a driver, and a guide. I felt special and awkward at the same time because it was two people taking just little ol' me on the tour, and neither spoke English, but my Spanish was passable.
The cave system is cool, and there is even a spot where you can rappel down a cliff. I didn't do it because I just felt a little guilty being the only one and taking up too much of the guide's time. I mean, with the driver, the guide, and the tour agency getting a cut, for $18 for three hours I just knew these guys weren't getting paid much.
From the bottom you can see the sun peeking through
After this, you take a walk through the caves. It is more kind of like the slot canyons in that movie 127 Hours. It isn't like a dark underground cave, just a cool deep crevice that goes on for a little over a kilometer.
You will probably see some bats, and if you are lucky like me, you may get to see two bats having sex!
There is a bit of a steep incline at the end, but it isn't a tough hike at all. Like I said before, you will be stepping from rock to rock and there is a danger of fucked-up ankles if you aren't careful.
Here is the spot where you rappel down.
This is where you end up from rappelling, stupid me being courteous. I wish I did it.
The narrowest section of the cave.
The top line is an electric line, the bottom is water line
I thought this was a cool picture with the local woman carrying a load of crops.
Just a last picture before we left. The mountains in Peru are incredible.
Wari Ruins and Pampa de Ayacucho
This is probably the most popular tour from Ayacucho and was 50 soles ($15), but that doesn't include entrances to the sites, which are a few bucks more.
Now, Ayacucho is a popular tourist spot in Peru, but it is overwhelmingly domestic tourism, so you probably won't have a bilingual guide, and this was the one time I found that to be kind of a bummer. The guide had a lot to say about the Wari ruins, and from the little I know about the Wari people, I think it would have been a fascinating tour. Unfortunately, I just couldn't understand most of what he said, but the ruins were still very cool to look at.
Pampa de Ayacucho was even cooler, though. Luckily, I met a woman from the US who was originally from the area, so she explained a lot to me about this site. She moved to America in her early 20s and was visiting family for Carnival, and said how excited she was to see this site. The Battle of Ayacucho is widely considered the most decisive military battle in all of the South American wars of independence. It is comparable to Gettysburg for Americans.
Simón Bolívar and Antonio José de Sucre, who have streets named after them in pretty much every town in South America, fought in this battle alongside Chileans, Argentines, and people from what are modern-day Colombia and Ecuador. It is no exaggeration to say it changed the history of the Western Hemisphere in just one day.
An actual pre-Incan mummy on display
Wari ruins
145 foot (44 m) monument to the battle
Hell of a view from the battlefield. Can't imagine the Spanish army hiking through the mountains to the middle of South America
Final Thoughts on Ayacucho
I really enjoyed my time here. If I had more time on my visa, I would have extended my trip here. I had a great Airbnb and loved the food and everything about the town.
I loathe using the term "authentic." It's so condescending and cliché. Everywhere is "authentic" to the people who live there, but this is a great destination for people who want to get off the normal tourist track. There is a lot to do and the town is just nice. And it has an airport, so no major bus rides are needed to get here.
I mean, I can't honestly say I'd recommend it to someone who is just taking a vacation from the States, but this should be a prime destination for any slow travelers or digital nomads. There are a few more spots I want to see in Peru, and I'm strongly considering coming back here for my next visit.
The aftermath of another Yunza celebration. This time in the middle of the street. Don't ask how or why they though it a good idea to put a tree in the middle of the street for this.