Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [265]
Change your money at BCP (Arenales 162), which has an ATM. It’s below Hotel Arenales. Emergency health care is available at Clínica Gonzales (42-1515; Carrión 99).
On the Plaza, Hostal Santa Rosa (42-2120; Libertad 269; s/d without bathroom S14/20) has basic, spacious rooms sharing three bathrooms and one highly prized hot shower. There’s a self-catering kitchen; the owner is a guide with information on how to visit the rock formations at Santuario Nacional Huayllay (see below).
Hotel Yaban (42-1964; jose18_95@hotmail.com; Circumvalación Mza D-Lote 1; s/d S35/50) is the tall red-colored building by the bus terminal entrance. This spick-and-span hotel boasts a restaurant and 41 rooms with 24-hour hot water and cable TV. Nearby, long-standing Hostal Arenales (42-3088; Arenales 162; s/d S25/35) has hot water in the mornings. Opposite the bus terminal.
In the suburb of San Juan, Cerro’s best digs are at Hotel Señorial Class (42-1026; hotelsenorial@hotmail.com; San Martín; s/d S50/80), where smart rooms are on the smallish side but have the standard hot water and cable TV. The city’s best (practically only) restaurant is here.
The bus terminal five blocks south of the Plaza de Armas has buses to Huánuco (S10, three hours), Huancayo (S15, four hours), Lima (S15, eight hours), La Oroya (S10, 2½ hours) and Tarma. There are also minibuses to Tarma (S6, three hours). Faster colectivos from the bus terminal charge S20 to either Huánuco or Tarma: however you might have to change up to three times.
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SOUTHWEST OF CERRO DE PASCO
An infrequently used road runs southwest of Cerro de Pasco to Lima, passing west of Lago de Junín and close to Huayllay, a village near the 6815-hectare Santuario Nacional Huayllay or bosque de piedras (forest of stones). It’s the world’s largest and highest rock forest: a fascinating place with rock formations looming out of the desolate pampa in such shapes as an elephant, a king’s crown and an uncannily lifelike grazing alpaca. The area is highly rated for rock-climbing. The sanctuary also has thermal baths and prehistoric cave paintings: you might need a guide to find these. Señor Raul Rojas of Hostal Santa Rosa (Click here) in Cerro de Pasco is a recommended guide. You can get here independently (the sanctuary entrance is just before Huayllay village, a 25km run from the Cerro–Lima road) by taking a colectivo from Parque Minero in Cerro de Pasco, near the bus terminal (S6, 1½ hours).
Five hours further southwest the road descends into the lushly rolling Chillón valley and the town of Canta, with basic hotels. The area around Canta was the hotbed of the pre-Columbian Atavillos culture: remains of the civilization can be seen at Cantamarca, a three-hour hike from town. Two kilometers north of Canta, Obrajillo is another scenic small town oozing faded colonial charm with camping, horseback riding and hiking opportunities along the shady river banks and hills nearby. The area is a popular weekend getaway for limeños but otherwise rarely visited. From Canta it’s 105km to Lima: buses leave three times daily (S8, three hours). Canta-bound buses leave around 6am from opposite the Universidad de Ingeniera in the San Martín de Porras district of Lima.
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HUÁNUCO
062 / pop 170,000 / elev 1894m
Huánuco lay on the important Inca route from Cuzco to Cajamarca,