Most travellers will arrive from Piura, about 200 km away. Direct buses to Ayabaca take at least six hours. Las Vegas and Poderoso Cautivo run daily services. A more scenic option is to take a minibus first to Sullana (in Piura province), then find a shared car at the Ayabaca terminal there — typically a Toyota Corolla that leaves when it has five passengers. This route climbs through at least three distinct types of landscape and vegetation and is more interesting than a direct bus.
Ayabaca can also be reached from Ecuador by crossing from the border area near Macará and walking an hour or two to the town of Huancabamba, from which there is onward transport. The road from the Ecuadorian side is rough.