What to see there

The Junin Region includes highlands as well as Amazonian jungle. To the west, at the border with the Department of Lima, the mountains are steep and snowy. Towards the east, he landscape is made of glacial valleys and high altitude plateaus. At the rim of the jungle, deep narrow gorges and mist forests abound.

The city of Huancayo is located in the Mantaro River valley, one of the most fertile valleys in the central Andes. Its inhabitants make a living from agriculture, cattle raising, trade, and tourism. Long ago, the area was the realm of the Huancas, a tribal enemy of the Incas who according to legend were finally subjugated by Pachacútec after ferocious resistance.

Half an hour away from the city of Huancayo, in the province of La Concepción, you come across the Convent of Santa Rosa of Ocopa. Franciscan missionaries built it in 1725 for the purpose of establishing a base for evangelizing the jungle peoples. There are still preserved old, Colonial cloisters and an impressive library with more than 25,000 volumes.

From the city of Jauja, the first capital of the Peruvian Vice-royalty, you can visit the lovely Paca Lake. The city of Tarma, the city of flowers, is celebrated for its attractive countryside and excellent climate. However, the department is not only mountainous. It also contains jungle valleys with splendid countryside and typically tropical climate like Satipo and Chanchamayo, where the cities of San Ramon and La Merced are located.

The department is also home to the Chacamarca Historic Sanctuary and the Junin National Reserve, which protects the second largest lake in Peru where the Junin grebe lives, a bird nearing extinction.

Tarma

San Pedro de Cajas Town
41 km / 25 miles northwest of Tarma (1 hour by car). This town is famous for its artisans’ skills in creating tapestries. 

Guagapo Grotto
33 km / 21 miles north of Tarma (40 minutes by car).

The term “guagapo” means “weeping”. The cave was given this name because of the continuous flow of water that goes through the Racasmarca hill. The entrance to the cave is on the lower part of the hill and there are stalactites and stalagmites along the way. A subterranean stream runs inside and flows out as a small waterfall into a swamp covered with local flora. It is highly recommended to go there with a guide and special equipment.                  

Lord of Muruhuay Sanctuary
11 km / 7 miles north of Tarma (20 minutes by car).

It was built in 1972 on the hill where people say the crucified Christ had appeared. The main altar is decorated with three large tapestries created by artisans of San Pedro de Cajas.