HUARAZ BASICS
Language: Huaraz was surprisingly more English-friendly than Lima, but I still recommend learning some basic Spanish phrases. Our Airbnb host, and most restaurant staff and shopkeepers did not speak English.
Currency: The currency in Peru is the Peruvian Sol (1 USD = 3.35 PEN). You can use Visa for almost everything, but carry cash for the markets!
Where to Stay: Huaraz is super safe and walkable, so stay wherever you can find somewhere cheap! We stayed in this sweet Airbnb for under $50USD/night.
Transportation: Huaraz is only a few miles wide, so almost everything is walkable. You can get to Huaraz via plane or there is a bus station with connections to a ton of major cities.
Safety: Huaraz is quite safe during all hours! Just use common sense.
Average Cost per Day: Huaraz is super cheap. Accommodation starts at $10USD/night for a two person Airbnb, and food was as cheap as $2-5USD/person for a meal out. We bought an entire chicken at the grocery store for about $2USD. We probably spend around $40USD/day. Budget travellers can easily get by on $20USD/day.
THINGS TO DO
HIKE
Huaraz is an outdoors-person’s paradise. There are many full-day hikes that embark from town, including Laguna 69, as well as multi-day treks. If you’re looking for an even shorter excursion, just head to the outskirts of the city and climb up one of the roads to get amazing views of the city and the surrounding Andes.
VISIT THE PLAZA DE ARMAS
Huaraz’s beautiful and historic Plaza de Armas is a fabulous place to watch the sunset, shop and soak in the small-town vibes of Lima. There’s great people watching and it is surrounded by streets of small markets where you can buy alpaca sweaters and various other hand-made crafts. We happened to be there on the feast day of Saint Rose, and got to see a parade and chalk art festival.
SHOP
I’m not a huge shopper, but the markets of Huaraz are hard to resist. Everything is extremely affordable even on a traveler’s budget, and we were offered a brand new puppy for the low price of 5 Soles (about $1.50USD), so it’s safe to say there are some phenomenal deals to be found here.
Click here to visit our Huaraz photo gallery!