File:La_Laguna_patarcocha_en_cerro_de_Pasco.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Weather now
cached 205h ago7-day forecast
via Open-Meteo
Place details
- Locality
- Chaupimarca
- Region
- Pasco
- Country
- Perú
- Population
- 58,899
- Timezone
- America/Lima
via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames
Key facts
- Country
- Peru
- Region
- Pasco
- Province
- Pasco
- Founded
- 20 October 1578
- Mayor
- Marco Antonio De la Cruz Bustillos, (2019-2022)
- Elevation
- 4,330 m (14,210 ft)
- Total
- 58,899
- Estimate 2015
- 66,272
- Demonym
- Cerreño (a)
via Wikipedia infobox
Travel guide
Understand
Cerro de Pasco is predominantly a mining city. A prominent feature of the city is the ever-growing hole in the center — an open-pit mine. The city is heavily polluted, with lead poisoning causing developmental defects in some local children. Nearby lakes are not at all fit for swimming. In addition, the city's extremely high altitude makes it a difficult destination for those not yet acclimatized to the elevation. Yet, it offers a unique stopover, especially for those interested in urban decay. While the sun can burn during the day, it is often freezing cold at night. Alas, hot water is often unavailable.
Get in
You can take a collectivo (shared car) from Huancayo or Huanuco (2-3 hours).
See
Walk along the open-pit mine. Although there is a covered fence, you will find spots to take a peek inside. In addition, you will see entire abandoned neighborhoods and old buildings. Visit the Bosque de Piedras de Huayllay. Visit the main square (Plaza Daniel Alcides Carrion) and see the large statue of Daniel Alcides Carrión García, injecting himself with a disease to advance our understanding of it (he soon died of it).
Sleep
Most hotels receive bad reviews, in large part due to their lack of hot water. This reflects the state of the city: the hotel owners are often not at fault. Ask about hot water; it may be that hot or lukewarm water is available only in the mornings and evenings.
Hotel Wong. A simple place with friendly hosts. Central location, close to the bus station (which is where collectivos arrive and depart from).
Stay safe
It makes sense to visit the city once you've spent some time at high altitude. Also, make sure you have a jacket and hat handy, as it will get very cold at night.
Go next
Take a collectivo from the bus station (Terminal Terrestre) to Jauja, Huancayo or Huanuco.
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~20 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Location of Cerro de Pasco and the Atacocha Mine Cerro de Pasco is a city in central Peru, located at the top of the Andean Mountains. It is the capital of both the Pasco Province and the Department of Pasco, and an important mining center of silver, copper, zinc and lead. At an elevation of 4,330 metres (14,210 ft), it is one of the highest cities in the world, and with a population of 58,899, it is the highest or the second highest city with over 50,000 inhabitants. The elevation reaches up to 4,380 metres (14,370 ft) in the Yanacancha area. The city has a very intense cold climate and it is connected by road and by rail (via Ferrocarril Central Andino) to the capital Lima, 300 kilometres (190 mi) away. Its urban area is formed by the districts of Chaupimarca, Yanacancha and Simón Bolívar.
Mining center
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cerro de Pasco” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.