Abancay

Abancay is in the department of Apurimac, Peru in a valley over the Pachachaca river. The population is 58,000, and with an altitude of 2,378 m.

Abancay is part of Peru's Southern Sierra.

Understand

The Tourist Office is next to the Plaza de Armas.

Get in

All buses on the Lima-Nasca-Cusco Interoceánica Sur line pass through Abancay. The road is well paved.

There are daily buses from and to Andahuaylas, one of the closest airports . This journey takes 5 to 6 hours on an unpaved road. The closest airport is in Cusco, a 4½-5 hour drive on a bus or a 3½-4 hour drive in a "colectivo" (taxi car)

Get around

Distances are short, so walking is your best options for getting around. If you need a taxi, don't pay more than S/3 (soles) in the city.

See

• AMPAY (mountain and tree species) protected area (sanctuary). Get the collectivo 2 (70 centimos) to Sawanay. From there ask for "camino del ampay". You'll reach the park's house. If somebody is at the hut at the entrance the fee would be S/30 to enter, it's better to go because the way begin in this place, and they'll give you informations if you're going by yourself (you can also pay a guide in the municipalidad, S/30 for the day). The way is hard, 3 km for the first laguna, 4 more to the second and you'll see the Nevada Ampay. Possible to make a loop but long (more than 20 km). Better in dry season.

Do

• Swimming in natural water pool
• Take a hike. Mountains (foothills) rise abruptly from the North and South end of town, allowing you to be in a beautiful setting with stunning views very quickly. From the center of town, walk downhill and cross the river. Head for the radio tower up on the hill (south). From here, a large wide trail that's cut into the side of the mountains proceeds west along the side of the folded ridges. A lovely walk that goes on for miles. Nice at sunset. Bring a flashlight in case it gets dark as you're coming back - it's a steep drop-off the side of the trail. 

Eat

Avenida Arenas, which turns into Arequipa, is the main drag through town. You can find all manner of restaurants and bars along this strip. Also a market for picking up fruits and vegetables. There are also a couple of supermarkets along this street. Paralleling this street one block further uphill is another avenue with a fair amount of shops and restaurants, including a vegetarian one.

Sleep

• El Dorado, Av. Arenas, good and safe, ca. US$5.
• Hotel Turistas (old hacienda), splurge with hot water and dining-room.
• Hotel Paraiso, across from the bus terminal. S/30 for a matrimonial with bano privado. Nice place, television, but lacked hot water despite the claims.
• Saywa Hotel, 302 Av. Arenas, ☏ +51 83 32-4876. A good value for the price. Nice rooms with real, strong hot water showers, cable TV, and a fast connection of WiFi. Rooms on the front have fantastic views overlooking the park and mountains behind. Price includes breakfast. Price for a single room is normally S/50 per night, but can be talked down to S/40. 

Go next

You can visit the Canyon of Apurimac (Cañon de Apurimac) and cross it on a hanging bridge. Take a bus towards Cusco and exit after ca. 1h at the village of Curuahuasi. Then go to Cachora - you can rent mules, horses and guides (canyon depth approx. 1000 m - one of the deepest in the world)

If you have 3 days, you can climb the canyon at the other side and visit the ruins of Choquequirao, an Inca city, which have only been partly excavated. Guides are easily found via the tourist office in Abancay. It is similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu.

From Abancay to Puquio the bus costs S/40 and the first one of the day leaves at 12:00 (Palamino). The views and country along this route are great, but it is windy.