Plan on about 10 h 58 min of driving for the 480-mile (772 km) trip from Caraz to Huacachina, before any stops.
Full advisory: Peru. Advisory issued: Peru September 04, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Peru: “Roads are often poorly maintained and may lack crash barriers, guard rails, signs, and streetlights.”
| Distance by road | 480 mi (772 km) |
|---|---|
| Drive time without stops | 10 h 58 min |
| Main roads, in order | PE-3N → PE-16 → PE-1N → LM-101 → PE-1S |
| Regions on the route | Áncash, Lima, Lima Province, Ica |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 19.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Driving Caraz to Huacachina: the shape of the trip
PE-1S (181 mi) and PE-1N (120 mi) carry about 63% of the 480 miles. It runs through 4 regions: Áncash, Lima, Lima Province, Ica. Of the 8 stops listed below, 5 are within a mile of the road.
Road-by-road breakdown: Caraz to Huacachina
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Áncash |
| PE-3N | 1–93 | 92 | Áncash |
| PE-16 | 93–168 | 75 | Áncash, Lima |
| PE-1N | 168–197 | 29 | Lima |
| LM-101 | 197–204 | 7 | Lima |
| connecting roads | 204–205 | 1 | Lima |
| PE-1N | 205–296 | 91 | Lima, Lima Province |
| PE-1S | 296–477 | 181 | Lima Province, Lima, Ica |
| local roads | 477–480 | 3 | Ica |
- Mile 146 of this route: Áncash → Lima (region line)
- Mile 259 of this route: Lima → Lima Province (region line)
- Mile 329 of this route: Lima Province → Lima (region line)
- Mile 404 of this route: Lima → Ica (region line)
Stops between Caraz and Huacachina
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Choquerecuay (mile 58), Bandurria (mile 209), Chancay Museum (mile 245), Tambo Inga (mile 279), La Centinela (mile 414)
- Nature and outdoors: Huascarán National Park (mile 38)
- Museums and history: Choquerecuay (mile 58), Bandurria (mile 209), Chancay Museum (mile 245), Tambo Inga (mile 279), Garagay (mile 287), Metropolitan Museum of Lima (mile 291), La Centinela (mile 414)
Huascarán National Park
Protecting most of the Cordillera Blanca in the Ancash region, Huascarán National Park covers about 840,000 acres of the central Andes and is managed by Peru's SERNANP.
Choquerecuay
Choquerecuay, also called Pueblo Viejo, is an Inca archaeological site in Recuay Province, Áncash, notable for a ceremonial pyramid known as an ushnu.
Bandurria
About 3 km south of Huacho on the Huaura River, Bandurria is an archaeological site in the Lima Region that has been dated to 4,000 BC.
Chancay Museum
Chancay's municipal museum opened in 1991 inside the Castillo de Chancay and in 2012 moved to a new home facing the town's Plaza de Armas.
Tambo Inga
Declared national cultural heritage in 2007, Tambo Inga is an archaeological site in Lima's Puente Piedra district that served as an Inca administrative center.
Garagay
Dating back 3,500 years, Garagay in Lima's San Martín de Porres district holds the remains of a ceremonial center with Chavín-style clay reliefs of probable deities.
Metropolitan Museum of Lima
In a neoclassical building designed by French architect Claude Sahut and built in 1924, the Metropolitan Museum of Lima stands next to the Park of the Exhibition.
La Centinela
Between Chincha Baja and Tambo de Mora, La Centinela was the main late settlement of the Chincha lordship and later became the seat of Inca administration in the valley.
Arriving in Huacachina
St. Jerome Cathedral, Ica
Also called Ica Cathedral, St. Jerome Cathedral is a Catholic church in the city of Ica, Peru.
Regional Museum of Ica "Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins"
Ica's regional archaeological museum, named for Adolfo Bermúdez Jenkins, focuses on the different Indigenous cultures that lived in Peru.
More drives to Huacachina
- Lima to Huacachina
- Huaral to Huacachina
- Barranca to Huacachina
- Churin to Huacachina
- Tarma to Huacachina
- Cerro de Pasco to Huacachina
From Caraz to other places in Peru
- Caraz to Huanchaco
- Caraz to Malabrigo
- Caraz to Churin
- Caraz to Aguaytía
- Caraz to Oxapampa
- Caraz to La Merced
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Caraz to Huacachina?
About 10 h 58 min of driving without stops, over 480 miles.
What is the driving distance from Caraz to Huacachina?
About 480 miles (772 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Caraz to Huacachina drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Peru Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Caraz to Huacachina?
In order: PE-3N, PE-16, PE-1N, LM-101 and PE-1S. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Caraz to Huacachina?
Closest to the road: Choquerecuay (archaeological site, mile 58, 0.4 mi from the route); Chancay Museum (museum, mile 245, 0.4 mi from the route); Tambo Inga (archaeological site, mile 279, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.