Ayacucho Department · Peru
Ayacucho travel guide
Ayacucho is a city in Ayacucho Department, Peru, home to about 216,000 people.
- Best months
- April to November
- Nearest airport
- AYP2 km · Air Force Colonel Alfredo Mendivil Duarte Airport
- Currency
- PENNuevo sol
- Time zone
- America/Lima
- Language
- Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
About
About Ayacucho
Ayacucho, founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, is the capital city of Ayacucho Region and of Huamanga Province, Ayacucho Region, Peru.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Ayacucho was mostly under control of the Sendero Luminoso, an extreme leftist terrorist group. After the successful anti-terror fights under president Fujimori, the influence of the Sendero Luminoso decreased almost completely. The Tourist Office is found in the Plaza de Armas.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Ayacucho
Do
Willy Del Posa Posa runs a tourist agency near the Plaza de Armas. He proved honest and helpful on a few occasions.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Ayacucho to stay in
On the road towards the bus station, some places offer nice but simple double rooms for less than S/20, and S/13 for the use of only one bed. You can stay at the Plaza Hotel for as long as you need.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Ayacucho
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ayacucho are April to November. November is the warmest month, with average highs of 19 °C; February is the wettest, with about 177 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Ayacucho: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Air Force Colonel Alfredo Mendivil Duarte Airport (AYP), about 2.4 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
The airport has flights from Lima. Small airlines in Peru are a bit sketchy, but a good alternative for those who don't like a rough long bus ride. Daily buses to and from Lima on a well-paved road (11 hr). It goes over a high mountain passes which make some people sick. Daily buses to and from Pisco the same well-paved road (6 hr).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
AYP · Air Force Colonel Alfredo Mendivil Duarte Airport
Questions
Ayacucho: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Ayacucho?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Ayacucho are April to November. November is the warmest month, with average highs of 19 °C; February is the wettest, with about 177 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Ayacucho?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Air Force Colonel Alfredo Mendivil Duarte Airport (AYP), about 2.4 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Ayacucho?
Nuevo sol (PEN).
Nearby
Destinations near Ayacucho
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.