Huánuco: A City with the Best Climate in the World

Hi all! I hope you are very well. Today I want to tell you about a city that I got to know in the region of Huánuco within its capital city that has the same name and is known for being the city of the Knights of León.

Huánuco is a city that is located in ​​the Sierra mountains with a warm climate. Huánuco is considered one of the cities with the best climate in the world and is very close to another city, Tingo María, where lies the famous Sleeping Beauty.

Despite being in the mountains, the city of Huánuco is only 1800 meters high so it's perfect in order to breathe pure air and not feel the pains of altitude sickness, also known as "soroche" (mountain sickness). Huánuco is a land which surprises because it is a commercial city and has beautiful countryside around it.

My trip to Huánuco was then visiting the city of Pozuzo where I could disconnect from the modernity of Lima and be in contact with nature. I arrived around dawn, and while looking out the window of the bus I could realise the beauty of the region. Dear readers, allow me to I share a photo of the preamble to my visit to this land that is proud to have the best climate in the world:

I simply felt that I was magically being transported back to the Andean region, a city that keeps a lot of history and happy people, as well as colonial art and its streets and markets, its Calicanto bridge and so many other things.

The bus station was very close to the centre of the city; in truth, the times I travelled to inner Peru I was very experienced since I have not been afraid of walking through its streets either at night or at dawn while my friends regularly are. That is why I remember that my friend had some fear of going out but I felt that Huánuco was a very quiet city from the first moment I got off the bus, so from there we took a motorcycle taxi and stayed in accommodation around the Plaza de Armas; when you go to travel to the middle of the country the best you can do is stay near the Plaza de Armas of the city since there are the majority of shops, activities for tourists and you can also find many restaurants and tourist information that can help you have a trip that's much richer in experiences, just as I did in Huánuco and without spending almost anything.

The lodging where I spent the two nights I stayed Huánuco is as I indicated at the beginning of my story, exactly in the main square of his city. I can't remember the name of the lodging but it's on the right side of the police station. It's a 4-story building and it was quite simple and cheap since I did not spend more than 15 sols per night to stay in this beautiful city that had many things to offer.

As I arrived a little tired and still the blue morning sky had yet to make an appearance, we decided with my friend to stay and to sleep until ten o'clock in the morning. After that we got ready, we took a shower and went to visit part of this Huanuqueña city that I remember with love.

In the Plaza de Armas, there was a lot of movement and there was a police station where we decided to ask for tourist information, and I'm telling you this experience because it stayed in my memory, as I was very surprised by the kindness with which the people there treated us. I'm not saying that in other parts of my country they have not treated me like this, but I felt very comfortable talking with the police and giving me the indications that it was what I could get to know during my stay here, and because of that I always recommend going to the police station in Huánuco since they are people who were born for the service without a doubt, people will always be willing to help you.

Information about the location of Huánuco and ways to get there:

On the other hand, let me tell you that Huánuco is only about 8 hours by bus from Lima, the department borders Lima, Pasco, Ucayali, San Martin and Ancash. That's why, with my friend, we hyped ourselves up to travel through the central jungle in search of new adventures and also to know a city of the Peruvian sierra which was Huánuco!

Another option of getting to Huánuco is with airlines such as LC Peru in less than an hour and a half and you arrive at the airport of the city which is called David Figueroa F. In my case I didn't take the plane to save money, but if you want speed and you find an offer do not hesitate to buy a flight ticket or buy a bus ticket from 28 de Julio Avenue in the centre Lima or Javier Prado Avenue in Lima where several transport companies are located which bring the people to the Amazonia and to Huánuco. The routes can be found at different prices for example from 30 sols in the off-season.

The Danza de los Negritos de Huánuco:

Huánuco has many colorful houses and roofs with tiles as well as churches and is known for a dance in particular called "los negritos de Huánuco", a dance where the men wear a black mask representing colorful costumes that look like the Spaniards. Normally it is danced in the seasons of Christmas and Easter, it is a very popular dance in Huanuco patronal dates since the people are full of joy and share their streets in these festivals where men move like Spanish soldiers in an elegant and graceful way, wearing great hats and in addition to boots and shiny suits that can be seen as a syncretism of the dances of this area of ​​Peru.

Normally, the children of the schools in this area of ​​Peru learn it since it is part of their traditions. It is also like a play because inside it you can see characters like the woman dressed in colonial costumes and a man with his Spanish costume, the instruments that are played are trumpets that sound on all the streets encouraging people to be part of the party.

Los Negritos de Huánuco is a dance that will leave you in awe and you will also find in the Plaza de Armas a black head that is the mask of the Negritos of Huánuco. I'm just telling you about this dance because when we went, we found an adornment in his parade ground, so I took the opportunity to take a picture in the night with it. Here you go:

This image stands out in a special way in the pavement of the square since the people of the province are very tied to their festive traditions and this dance is received with affection in the land of the lions, that is why I suggest you buy some adornment of the Negritos in Huánuco. I bought one when I went to visit the archaeological centre of Kotosh, also known as the temple of the crossed hands. There I bought a beautiful adornment for less than 15 sols that today looks like a decoration in my room in house in Lima, Peru. Dear readers, here's a photo of the adornment that I bought in my house that is in my living room today:

The dance of the Negritos is thanks to the presence of blacks that were in the city of León de Huánuco and it would be great if you went to a dance presentation so that you could see their fun and elegance.

Huánuco is a city founded in colonial times and that is why it has a fountain in its centre with European influences. Also, the city was founded on August 15, 1539. My initiative for visiting this city was because at university I was doing my degree and my friend had told me a lot about this tour so it was that in our marketing course we decided to talk about the Huánuco region and it was so that little by little I began to absorb all the information that this area of Peru has to offer to know.

It is a pity that there are not as many flights as Lan Peru, I hope that later there may be a better plan for it because I am sure that tourism is an important means to create sustainability and development in the different areas of Peru and even more if it is a city ​​as beautiful as Huánuco with the best climate in the world!

The coat of arms of Huánuco:

In the Plaza de Armas of Huánuco, I could also find an image of majolicas where the city's coat of arms is represented. I could clearly see why it is known for its lions as well as a flying bird that represents its flora and the eagles on the sides that represent its provenance as a Spanish city, however, like many other parts of Peru, Huánuco has much more than just a colonial past in its surroundings. For example, one can visit the archaeological centre of the crossed hands where there is a magnetic field that left me perplexed.

Here is the photo that I took in the square with the coat of arms of the city and myself with my long hair at the time:

Touring the city of Huánuco:

So because I had long hair, that night I decided to go to a hairdresser in the area that was a couple of blocks from the square and I paid about 10 sols to cut my hair since I'm not one for having heaps of hair. And that is the advantage of staying near the Plaza de Armas as everything is around it as I was mentioned before, in addition to also finding a casino, also known as a slot machine, that are in the main square but in my case I did not enter there since I am not a good player and I don't understand the rules of how these slot things work that well.

Where I did enter was the Church, as you know dear readers I am a lover of religious architecture and if I see an open door I always try to enter to see what things I can discover and stay to look at each of the details of the cloister.

In the square I found a quite modern church compared to what I expected to find, so from here I took a photo to share it now that I have the opportunity to know this part.

After that, we also visited another church which had an interior carving that reminded me of the Cathedral of Lima with its vaulted ceiling and in the background its gold leaf altarpiece, a beautiful church that is worth knowing in its journey to the City of Huánuco.

The benches and their side naves look modern, but there are still remains that make this place a wonderful point of contact with religious architecture such as its altarpiece that is worth taking a good photo of in order to remember this trip to Huánuco.

The Calicanto bridge of the city:

Another point that we also toured was the bridge of Calicanto. This is the oldest bridge in the city and was a bridge that was already built in the final times of the colony; below the bridge passes the Huallaga river in addition to a boardwalk next to the river where with my friend we decided to walk. We found different simple houses looking at the parks. We decided to take a seat on some of their benches and also to buy Copacabana ice cream of Donofrio brand from a forklift driver.

The sun that was rising over the Huánuco sky was necessary to be able to cheer me up at that moment to enjoy a rich, inexpensive ice cream until we reached an avenue where we also found a church with its painted bricks. With my bad luck, my camera's battery had died and I couldn't take pictures. Crossing the view of that small oval we found another sculpture of the Negritos of Huánuco and a painting that welcomed you to the city. We had walked a lot to this area and it was time to return back to the centre of the city.

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The bridge of Calicanto of Huánuco is one of the icons of this city, for example in one of the restaurants where I went to eat, I found a local program where Andean music was playing and people dressed in their typical costumes while in the background was this bridge where the waters of the Huallaga river flow peacefully. Crossing the bridge you can also find some stalls selling fruit on the way, such as pieces of fresh pineapple for fifty centavos.

On the other hand, the bridge is also the protagonist of the festivities that take place in Huánuco, because when the party is over, a doll is thrown into the water, ending the celebrations.

If there is something you must do every time you visit a city in the middle of Peru then that is to know its market, and this was what my friend and I decided to do we went to the market to see what we found on the road. This market was big, full of many things to eat, and that was where we decided to eat our lunch. The market is not so far from the main square of Huánuco, it took us about 15 to 20 minutes, and while you talk time flies by and you no longer feel the journey anyway.

In the city, we also came across a park where we found a beautiful lake that matched the mountains. This park was very close to the stadium of the city and it is precisely in this park where at night the young people of the city start to meet up with big speakers and making noise that reached all the way to where I was. If you go to have fun in this park it is better to be careful because I remember at least that a person told us that we stayed there for so long but, as I am stubborn in a good way we went in the afternoon and there I could see a nice view of the city that I want to share with this image here:

In this lagoon there is enough grass in the park so that one can get around to enjoy a little more of the wonderful landscape of Huánuco, besides seeing the other settlers who take a nap or walk with the children in the afternoons.

Get to know the archaeological centre of Kotosh:

When you go to Huánuco you must go to Kotosh, a thousand-year-old place, and to get there you simply have to take a motorcycle taxi from a local and in a couple of minutes you arrive at the doors of the archaeological centre of the crossed hands. Once there, do not forget to do the magnetic field test so you get so surprised that one can hear your voice in a surprising way. I can still not understand, as my ancestors could have built a work of engineering of great magnitude that scholars of today would love to know and 100% of all the mystery that it contains.

The temple of Kotosh is almost 4 thousand years old and it is a temple where today people come to ask for a miracle to be able to cure their health, and it is only a few steps away from the city of Huánuco, I really enjoyed its journey and I recommend it.

The melody of the condor passes through with Huánuco origins:

Within the city of Huánuco is the house of Daniel Alomia Robles, a person that perhaps very few Peruvians know, but if I turn on the radio and play some music, I am sure that many of the Peruvians will recognize this melody as it is one of the best known in Peru, and who's to say even the world. This beautiful melody called "the condor passes" was composed by a Huanuqueño and today his house is a cultural centre of music where many young people learn to play instruments such as the violin, guitar and others.

On the other hand the Condor Passes has also been known as one of the songs referring to humanity, because in the year of 1977 the United States sent a voyager and within it the hymn of humanity which was nothing more and nothing less than our "Condor passes" without a doubt a reason to feel very proud and even more so for the Huanuqueños.

The place where the Perricholi was born: Tomay Kichwa

After touring the city of Huánuco we also decided to go to a town very close by taking public or collective transport. In about 35 minutes we arrived in the area that according to some saw the birth of Miquita Villegas, do you know who I mean? Well, I mean no one else and nobody except the famous Perricholi, one of the actresses who conquered the heart of one of the Viceroys of Peru, and by that I mean the Viceroy of Amat.

Miquita was a young girl and came to Lima to conquer the city and also to conquer the most important man of those times in the city and probably Peru at that time. Miquita was a girl who liked to act a lot and it was so that in one of his presentations he met who would later be his partner, Viceroy Amat and who in Lima in my city.

Today, thanks to that love that is told in the stories of Lima, several monuments and parks were built with the desire to conquer the heart of Miquita by Viceroy Amat, mentioning for example the water walk and the barefoot mall that is located in the Rimac which tells the story that the Viceroy took Miquita to see the moon at night at her feet because she wanted that to happen and the Viceroy complied with said "whim" creating this park which has been recently restored in the district of the Rimac, it would be great if you also come to discover them if you have not yet been to that part of Lima.

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There are many versions about the origins of Perricholi such that it is said that Miquita was well known because her name meant "bitch and half-breed" a derogatory way that the high elite of Lima treated those who with effort wanted to be part of this society of those times.

Today Miquita Villegas is a character rescued among the stories of Lima and look, it's also in some way related to this part of Peru!

When we visited his town we found a small square where they are still working on a monument to Miquita and the Viceroy, the town is small and there is no way to get lost. From there, inquiring, we arrive at the Perricholi house and it is a simple house where you can see a well, a carriage, some recreational clothes and information printed on the walls of the history of Miquita in Lima, this was what I liked the most because as you know I am a lover of my city; everything about the story attracts me and I stayed reading each of its pages that were about 15 detailing each passage of the life of Miquita in Lima. Today as I said at the beginning there are many theories and it seems that Miquita was from Lima and not from here according to the latest research but do not say it in the town! For them, Miquita Villegas was born here, period! History will be responsible for rebelling more passages of what happened and how it is related to this place, besides being a nice town where you can see the mountains and listen to Andean music in the square while you eat in your restaurant for a cheap menu where you can sit quietly and listen to the locals and feel amazed by a spicy chicken or the food you want to choose.

La Perricholi is a wonderful character and one of my favourites in colonial history today until two Peruvian novels already came out, speaking about the history of the Perricholi and what she did in her life. A character that rambles the Lima cucufata of those times and that made the most important man of the city of the kings tremble with her sensuality, who for a lot of people could have been even her father due to the age difference between the two of them.

What I can tell you for those who do not know the story of Miquita is that in the end, she was alone, the Viceroy returned to Spain and died there, and Miquita spent the last years of her life without scandals, far from the tables that made her known as the Perricholi of Lima.

Finally, allow me to share with you, dear readers, that within the town of Tomay Kichwa is one of the houses of the Peruvian writer Lopez Arbuja, but unfortunately, we could not enter his house since it was closed but we still enjoyed walking through its quiet mountain streets.

After eating at the restaurant in the town square we decided to return to Huánuco to rest in order to continue our journey, and we still had many more things to experience in this adventure of the Selva and Central Sierra of Peru.

Time to depart for Tingo Maria:

Already on my last morning we were ready and to start heading to Tingo María, a city of the jungle where the green is intense and to get there we had to take a few buses that in about two hours of travel we were entering an area so different yet at the same time so close to the city of Huánuco. There is no doubt that the people of this area have a, let's say, funny way to call attention to their employees before taking the collective bus. I approached this announcement that caught my attention and is very funny, read it yourself and laugh a little:

Dear friends, thank you for having read this tour of my visit to the city of Huánuco, no doubt a pretty big city and with many more things that remain to be visited, I invite you to visit it and fall in love with it as much as I did with its plaza, its mountains and its surroundings.

See you on another adventure in Peru! And long live Peru!

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