2025 Peru

Sat 4 Jan. Arriving Lima on Silversea cruise

Pick-up from the port Lima (06.00 am)

Private transfer to Huaraz via Caral - lunch included

Drive 3 hours from Lima to the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site of Caral, a city 26km from the coast that was founded in about 2600BC, it is a monumental construction that is overturning many of the accepted theories of Peruvian archaeology. Indeed it is believed to be the oldest city in South America. The arid site lies on the southern fringes of the Supe Valley, where more ruins are continually being discovered. Enjoy lunch and time to explore this remarkable ancient city which, in complete isolation from other cultures, managed to reach an unparalleled degree of sophistication with religion as the binding factor of control and social cohesiveness.

From here, continue on to Huaraz (4 hours by car). The modern jumble of a city which is present day Huaraz (3,025m) represents the evolution of a settlement which has had a tempestuous history. Human presence has been recorded here for 12,000 years, but at the time of the Spanish Conquest the region was still isolated and inward looking, crushed between the dual untamed mountain ranges of the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra. The people here are still fiercely independent and suspicious of central authority, all the more so after the devastating earthquake of 1970. This apocalyptic event laid waste to towns and villages on the plains and valleys, obliterating some completely, and leaving a bite sized chunk in the flank of Peru's highest mountain, Huascarán, a sobering sight still visible today. Contemporary inhabitants of the somewhat chaotic town are friendly and welcoming to visitors, the majority of whom come to explore the majestic mountain scenery and embark on some of South America's most challenging climbs and magnificent treks.

Hostal El Patio de Monterrey (mid-range, 2 night stay) 1 x standard double room breakfast included. This hotel is located 6km outside of Huaraz, 10 minutes' drive from the city, and near the thermal pools at Monterrey. The rooms and cabins of this friendly, colonial style place are set either in the pleasant garden or around a patio. There is an extra charge for heating. Although facilities are limited, the hotel does have a coffee shop (with fireplace), bar and money exchange. There are regular buses that run from the hostel into town.

Sun 5 Jan Chavin Full-day private excursion lunch included

This tour takes you to Chavín de Huántar, a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site situated approximately 110 km from Huaraz. The Chavín culture is considered the oldest major, Peruvian culture and one of the most artistically advanced. Its influence began to be felt from approximately 800 B.C. when this complex was founded. The site comprises a complex of terraces, squares, walls and columns adorned with the ornate sculptures of symbolic figures for which the Chavín are famous. The main temple includes the 13m high Castillo built above a large sunken square with a remarkable system of drainage channels. Within the temple is a complex of underground tunnels constructed on several levels and thanks to a notable feat of 3000-year-old engineering, surprisingly well ventilated. At their heart the astonishing Lanzón de Chavín - a four metre high, dagger-like rock stuck in the ground at the intersection of four narrow passageways.

Hostal El Patio de Monterrey

Mon 6 Jan Private transfer to Trujillo via Sechin - lunch included

Leaving Chavin drive along the Pan-American highway for 3½ hours to the archaeological site of Sechín.

A ceremonial centre dating back approximately 3,000 years, Sechín is a small complex whose most striking feature is its façade: bas-relief carvings of fearsome warrior-priests and their mutilated victims depict a gruesome battle. No evidence of this battle has been found at the site and it is not known whether the battle actually took place or if the designs were in fact intended to ward off potential invaders. Afterwards, leave the desert landscape behind and continue through fertile agricultural terraces before climbing up the winding mountain roads passing over the Cordillera Negra before reaching Huaraz (approx 3 hours away). Trujillo is an elegant city on the coast: the richness of its colonial past is evident in the number of churches and mansions that remain from the period, particularly in the centre. Within easy reach of the city are several pre-Columbian sites - most notably the Chimú capital of Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world.

Costa del Sol Trujillo Centro (mid-range, 2 night stay) 1 x superior double room breakfast included This hotel is an attractive, three-storey colonial building located on Trujillo's central Plaza de Armas. The interior is modern with 73 rooms with cable TV and private bathroom. Many of them overlook the white-painted central courtyard. The hotel has a tiny octagonal open-air swimming pool, steam bath and sauna. The restaurant serves both international and regional dishe

Tues 7 Jan. City tour and archaeological museum of Trujillo Half-day private excursion

Visit the historical centre of Trujillo including the main square, the 'Plaza de Armas' and and its cathedral which was built in 1647. Afterwards, continue to the archaeological museum run by the national university of Trujillo. The collection is installed in a 17th century house featuring seven rooms of artefacts depicting a chronological order of pre-Columbian cultures of northern Peru.

Costa del Sol Trujillo Centro

Wed 8 Jan Private transfer to Cajamarca via El Brujo
The six to seven hour drive from Trujillo to Cajamaraca takes you through a diverse cultural landscape stopping en route at the El Brujo archaeological complex, known for its coloured mural on a Moche pyramid. The Peruvian Andes are famed for their soaring snow-capped peaks but there is a gentler, greener aspect to the mountain range; rugged hills and valleys cloaked in fertile pastures, forested cliffs and waterfalls.

This is the setting for Cajamarca, a whitewashed city full of colonial grace. The city sits at 2,720m above sea level but has a gentle, moderate climate; with its elegant baroque churches and elaborate former mansions and markets bulging with fruit and handicrafts it's a lovely place just to wander around, hosting a particularly friendly population. The lush pastures in the vicinity support dairy cattle and the cheese and yogurt produced here are famed and delicious. Aside from the farms, the hinterland is punctuated by remnants of the Inca and Pre-Inca past, with thermal baths, ambitious aqueducts dating back to the Inca era and petrogyphs predating both. It was here that the Conquistador Pizarro ambushed the Inca emperor Atahualpa: the Ransom Chamber survives to this day. Recently a gold mine was opened nearby, which has helped boost the city's prosperity. The main reason for a visit, however, is as a gateway to the Chachapoyas region with its rich pre-Inca heritage and impressive archaeological sites.

Costa del Sol Cajamarca. 1 x junior suite (double room) breakfast included
This newly renovated hotel is housed in one of the city's most important colonial buildings, situated opposite the Plaza de Armas and next to the cathedral. The hotel has 71 rooms, all with Wifi, mini-bar, cable TV and safe. There is also a swimming pool, large gym and spa and a restaurant offering local and international cuisine which can be enjoyed whilst overlooking the beautiful colonial centre.

Thurs 9 Jan . Cajamarca Tours

City tour Half-day private excursion The city tour of Cajamarca begins at the Cerro Santa Apolonia, from which there is an excellent view over the town and surrounding valley. The tour continues to the Plaza de Armas with its 350-year old fountain and 18th century Cathedral, before visiting the ornate 17th century church of San Francisco and the Complejo de Belén, a cultural centre comprising a museum, art gallery and church. One of the most historically evocative moments of this tour is the visit to the 'cuarto de rescate' - the room where the Inca Atahualpa was held prisoner by Pizarro. Even after accepting a ransom of a room full of gold, Pizarro had Atahualpa garrotted.

Cumbe Mayo Half-day private excursion Visit the colonial hacienda of La Collpa, a cooperative farm owned by the Ministry of Agriculture, which breeds cattle and is set amidst attractive lakes and gardens. The tour then continues to the picturesque Andean village of Llacanora, visiting the nearby cave paintings, before arriving at the pre-Inca aqueducts of Cumbe Mayo.

These water channels run for several kilometres and are said to be the oldest man-made structures in South America. From this isolated plain at 3,600m above sea level you can also appreciate the enormous and unusual rock formations of the area. The tour finishes with a visit to the pre-Inca ceremonial site of Layzon, which dates back to 200 B.C.

Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca

Fri 11 Jan . Private transfer to Leymebamba - lunch included

Chachapoyas lies at a highland crossroads between the Amazon basin and the coast and is named after the mysterious Chachapoyan civilisation, about which little is known but which has left a vast and rich archaeological heritage in the region, most notably the fortress at Kuelap. Reputedly blond and fair-skinned, the Chachapoyans have also bequeathed a section of the present day population with these characteristics. Chachapoyas is set on a plateau between two river gorges; the landscape here is scarred with cliffs over which tumble rivers such as the impressive Gocta Falls. The town itself is an unassuming place, everything except the huge main plaza is small scale: narrow cobbled streets are overlooked by heavily eaved, whitewashed colonial houses and tiny shops with wooden balconies and doors. It's worth perusing the market to survey piles of exotic tropical fruits brought up from the Amazon. The spectacular road journey twists and turns through varied scenery - rolling hills, verdant farm terraces and arid mountain scenery.

The spectacular road journey twists and turns through varied scenery - rolling hills, verdant farm terraces and arid mountain scenery. Drive up to the lip of the Marañon Canyon before the long descent to the river below. Crossing the river at Balsas, ascend 3,600m up the eastern side of the canyon. From the top, it is 50 minutes down to the village of Leymebamba. The drive takes about nine hours via the market town of Celendín, famous for its straw hats.

The drive takes about nine hours via the market town of Celendín, famous for its straw hats.

Kentitambo (mid-range, 1 night stay) 1 x standard double room breakfast and dinner included Kentitambo is an intimate little hotel set within a tranquil tropical garden and private plot of cloudforest. It is owned by Adriana (co- director of the Leymebamba Museum) and her partner Oscar. The building was originally set up to observe hummingbirds and the feeders dotted around the property still attract these beautiful birds in high numbers. There are just two attractive guestrooms, built from local stone, responsibly-sourced eucalyptus and reclaimed timber. Each has private terrace and its own bathroom. All of the water used at Kentitambo is collected rainwater. The adjacent café uses local produce and its ice-creams and sorbets made from fresh fruit are delicious

Sat 12 Jan, Drive Chillo

Leymebamba museum and Tombs of Revash Full-day private excursion packed lunch included In the morning visit Leymebamba museum which houses over 200 mummies found at Laguna de los Cóndores in 1997.

Drive to San Bartolo, followed by a 45 minute steady walk uphill to enjoy a close-up view of the spectacular tombs of Revash. This extremely photogenic site is perched on a yellow cliff and the tombs are like miniature houses with red pictographs dating back to 1,200 AD.

Continue on to Chillo, an hour's drive away.

Casa de Dona Lola (mid-range, 1 night stay) 1 x standard double room breakfast and dinner included This cosy family-run guesthouse is set back from the main road that runs through the Utcubamba Valley, 9km south of Kuelap. It has a lush, well kept garden and just four rooms with private bathroom. Meals are served in the dining room, which has views of the river and valley

Sun 13 Jan. Kuelap ruins . Drive Chillo/Chachapoyas

Depart early for a 2-2½-hour drive which will take you from one side of the Utcubamba Valley to the other, climbing the mountains towards one of the largest stone structures in the Americas: Kuelap. Situated on a ridge at 3,000m and with views across the valley, this pre-Inca walled city holds the ruins of over 300 roundhouses, which were inhabited by the city's architects, the Chachapoya, from the 6th century AD until the Incas' eventual conquest of the site in the mid-16th century. It is a spectacular 20min cable car ride up to the entrance (does not operate Mondays; let us know in advance if you prefer not to ride the cable-car and travel up by road) followed by a 1km walk to the ruins. Although it is currently not possible to enter the citadel itself due to the fragility of the structures, a brief visit to Kuelap remains worthwhile to appreciate its impressive high mountain setting, both during the approach via cable car and once outside the ancient city walls. Kuelap is one of Peru's most important archaeological sites and your guide will help to bring to life this prime example of Chachapoyan architecture.

Time permitting, a stop at nearby Macro will also be offered. Macro is a much smaller pre-Inca site dating from 1100-1300 AD, and reached via rope bridge.

Afterwards, continue to overnight. Hotel La Xalca (mid-range, 1 night stay) 1 x standard double room breakfast included Conveniently located a few blocks from the main square of the charming little backwater town of Chachapoyas, this purpose-built, two-storey hotel has been constructed in the traditional colonial style with wooden balconies, a red tiled roof and inner courtyard, where breakfast is taken. The 21 guest rooms are equipped with cable TV, Wifi and telephone (hairdryers are available from reception). Room service and laundry service are also available.

Mon 14 Jan. Karajia & transfer to Gocta (Cocachimba)

Full-day private excursion packed lunch included It is a 2-hour drive on mostly unpaved road to the tiny hamlet of Cruz Pata, the starting point for a 45-minute walk to the archaeological site of Karajía, the burial place of some of the elite Chachapoya warriors. The site is known for its human-like clay sarcophagi which stand 40m above ground level on a cliff face overlooking the valley (remember to take binoculars for a better view).

In the afternoon, drive to Cocachimba. Gocta Andes Lodge (simple, 2 night stay) 1 x standard double room breakfast and dinner included This lodge has a glorious setting in mountainous landscapes close to Gocta Falls, the third tallest in Peru and one of the longest single drops in the world. From a lounger on the edge of the open-air infinity pool, you can survey the falls as they tumble over a vertiginous cliff mantled in dense bottle green vegetation.

This amenable property is also a great base for a visit to the remote Chachapoyan fortress at Kuelap. There is an easy mix of traditional country guest house and a simple, minimalist contemporary style. To make the most of its setting - with captivating landscapes all around - rooms have huge floor to ceiling windows and each room has a terrace or balcony. The lodge also has its own restaurant and lounge. Owing to its remote location, Wifi is not available; there is a computer with Internet for guest use, but the connection is not reliable

Tues 15 Jan. Trek to Gocta waterfall

Full-day private excursion packed lunch included Head out into the forest for a 5-hour round trek (fairly challenging) towards the Gocta Falls. The forest is home to yellow-tailed woolly monkeys, mountain sloths and the Peruvian cock-of-the-rock. Follow the path upwards through Cocahuayco ravine to the base of the fall and its magnificent natural amphitheatre surrounding the limestone rocky peak over which the waterfall springs.

Gocta Andes Lodge

Wed 16 Jan. Private transfer to Chiclayo It is a full-day drive (approximately 9 hours) from Cocachimba to Chiclayo.

The landscape constantly changes, initially driving through mountain forests of the Chachapoya region and Utcubamba Canyon. Continue through the rice and coffee producing valley of Bagua before passing through the western Andean range at Abra de Porcuya pass and arriving at Chiclayo. Chiclayo is an energetic, rapidly expanding city and port on the Pacific north coast of Peru. It is the commercial centre for a wide hinterland, with a multitude of banks, but its main attraction for visitors is its position as the gateway to some of the archaeological jewels of the northern Andes, such as the Moche site at Sipán and the museum at Lambayeque. The city itself is modern in style and outlook but its tree-shaded main plaza is dominated by an impressive neo-classical cathedral designed by a British architect in the 19th century while the vast Mercado Modelo, which sells mountains of household goods and food items of every description, also has a so-called Witches market selling all manner of products and curios for use by local shamans.

Casa Andina Select - Chiclayo (mid-range, 3 night stay) 1 x junior suite (double room) breakfast included This six-storey hotel is located by a main road and about a five-minute taxi ride to the centre of Chiclayo. It has 130 rooms on seven floors, with private bathroom, cable TV and Wifi. Facilities include a restaurant and bar serving light meals and snacks as well as a gym, spa, hair salon and outdoor swimming pool.

Thurs17 Jan. Lord of Sipan, Royal Tombs Museum and Tucume

Full-day private excursion lunch included Visit the Moche burial site of Huaca Rajada, a pyramid complex where several royal tombs filled with 1700-year-old funeral offerings including precious metals, stone, pottery and textiles were uncovered. The most startling discovery of the original excavation was of an entombed Moche leader, who became known as the Lord of Sipán. There is a site museum which features details of the excavation work and replicas of some of the finds

But the original pieces are exhibited in the Royal Tombs Museum, which you will visit next and is around an hour's drive away, north of Chiclayo. An extremely impressive museum, its design mimics the Moche pyramid at Huaca Rajada and the treasures found inside are truly remarkable.

Next visit the archaeological complex of Túcume, around 25 minutes further north and known as the Valley of the Pyramids. Originally constructed by the Lambayeque people between 1000-1100 AD it was a vast settlement with the largest and most impressive structures found in the monumental sector to the north and northeast of La Raya Mountain. N.B. Photography is not permitted inside the Royal Tombs Museum.

Casa Andina Select - Chiclayo

Fri 18 Jan Chaparri Ecolodge Full-day private excursion lunch included Chaparri Eco-Lodge,

A 90min drive from Chiclayo on the coast of northern Peru. It is situated on the the Chaparri Conservation Are, a community-owned and managed reserve protecting a pristine area of grassy rolling hills, backed by vertical rock walls and studded with trees and cacti. The principal reason for a visit is to observe the wildlife - 15 mammal species, 28 reptiles and 283 birds have been recorded. The property is particularly popular with bird watchers: there are plenty of hummingbirds, finches, kingfishers, parakeets and condors (one is being rehabilitated). The main attraction among the mammals is the chance to see spectacle bears; some are being rehabilitated in open enclosures but there are more in the grounds which can be seen by trekking up to a higher point. Peccaries, deer and foxes are quite commonly spotted and there are also puma and ocelot in the area. Among reptiles, snakes, lizards and iguanas are found in the area and there is a reptile house on site.

Chaparri Ecolodge

Sat 19 Jan Witches' market and Ventarron Temple

Witches' market and Ventarron Temple Half-day private excursion Visit the Modelo market, one of the best in northern Peru, with a vast array of food, clothes and even live animals on sale. Wandering through the stalls of the witches' market with its herbal medicines, charms and remedies to cure any ailment or fulfil any desire, is a fascinating experience and you'll learn about the ancient rituals still practiced by local shamans. Afterwards transfer 10km to Ventarron, an ancient temple built by the Cupisnique society around 4,000 years ago. It is considered the cradle of northern Peruvian culture and, rather unusually, the temple was made with blocks of clay instead of the adobe brick used in later constructions. In the main area of this sanctuary stands a multicolour mural painting representing a deer captured in a net, a religious ritual practiced at that time.

Private transfer to the airport . A journey time of approximately 10-15 minutes.

Flight LA2275 Chiclayo to Lima 14:55 16:10 Economy LA=LATAM

Iberia have a reasonable Premium Economy that day Leaves 20.50 gets ot Mad at 14.00 . And Business is worth looking at when booking

Caral

Arguably the most mysterious archeological site in the Americas, the Caral pyramid complex, Peru. Abandoned 2000 B.C.

Caral is attributed an antiquity of 5,000 years and it is considered the oldest city in the Americas and one of the oldest in the world. No other site has been found with such a diversity of monumental buildings or different ceremonial and administrative functions in the Americas as early as Caral. It has been declared a Humanity Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. The Caral culture developed between 3000 and 1800 B.C (Late Archaic and Lower Formative periods). In America, it is the oldest of the pre-Hispanic civilizations, developing 1,500 years earlier than the Olmec civilization, the first Mesoamerican complex society. Closely related to the city of Caral was an early fishing city, Áspero or El Áspero, located on the coast near the mouth of the Supe River. There, remains of human sacrifices (two children and a newborn) have been found. In 2016, the remains were found of a woman, who presumably belonged to the local elite of 4,500 years ago.

Caral was inhabited between approximately 26th century BC and 20th century BC and the site includes an area of more than 150 acres. Caral has been described by its excavators as the oldest urban center in the Americas. This claim has been challenged by the discovery of other ancient sites nearby, such as Bandurria, Peru. Accommodating more than 3,000 inhabitants, Caral is the best studied and one of the largest sites known of the Norte Chico civilization.

Caral was a thriving metropolis at roughly the same time as the great pyramids were being built in Egypt, which is considered one of the earliest civilizations in the world. Caral is the largest recorded site in the Andean region, with dates older than 2000 BC. It appears to be the model for the urban design adopted by Andean civilizations that rose and fell over the span of four millennia. Scholars believe that research conducted in Caral may answer questions about the origins of the Andean civilizations and the development of its first cities.

Among the artifacts found at Caral is a knotted textile piece that the excavators have labelled a quipu. They write that the artifact is evidence that the quipu record keeping system, a method involving knots tied in textiles that was brought to its highest development by the Inca Empire, was older than any archaeologist previously had determined. Evidence has emerged that the quipu also may have recorded logographic information in the same way writing does. Gary Urton has suggested that the quipus used a binary code that could record phonological or logographic data.

The city of Caral was split into two sections, an "Upper Half" and a "Lower Half". These halves were divided naturally by the Supe River Valley. In the Upper Half there are six monumental complexes, each of which includes a pyramid, open plaza, and assemblage of residential buildings.In the Lower Half there are residential buildings, small pyramids, and one monumental complex called the "Temple of the Amphitheater".

Chavin

Chavín de Huántar is an archaeological site in Peru, containing ruins and artifacts constructed as early as 1200 BC, and occupied until around 400–500 BC by the Chavín, a major pre-Inca culture. At an elevation of 3,180 meters . Chavín de Huántar has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the Chavín relics from this archaeological site are on display in the Museo de la Nación in Lima and the Museo Nacional de Chavín in Chavín itself.

Occupation at Chavín de Huántar has been carbon-dated to at least 3000 BC, with ceremonial center activity occurring primarily toward the end of the second millennium, and through the middle of the first millennium BC. While the fairly large population was based on an agricultural economy, the city's location at the headwaters of the Marañón River, between the coast and the jungle, made it an ideal location for the dissemination and collection of both ideas and material goods.

This archaeological site is a large ceremonial center that has revealed a great deal about the Chavín culture. Chavín de Huántar served as a gathering place for people of the region to come together and worship. The transformation of the center into a valley-dominating monument made it a pan-regional place of importance. People went to Chavín de Huántar as a center: to attend and participate in rituals, consult an oracle, or enter a cult. Findings at Chavín de Huántar indicate that social instability and upheaval began to occur between 500 and 300 BC, at the same time that the larger Chavín culture began to decline. Large ceremonial sites were abandoned, some unfinished, and were replaced by villages and agricultural land. |No later than 500 BC, a small village replaced the Circular Plaza. The plaza was occupied by a succession of cultural groups, and residents salvaged building stones and stone carvings to use in house walls. Multiple occupation floors indicate the village was continuously occupied through the 1940s.

The temple is a massive flat-topped pyramid surrounded by lower platforms. It is a U-shaped plaza with a sunken circular court in the center. The inside of the temple walls are decorated with sculptures and carvings. During its heyday, Chavín de Huántar was used as a religious center for ceremonies and events, perhaps a home for an oracle. The site contains a number of major structures, including Temples A, B, C and D, and areas and buildings designated as the Major Plaza, the Circular Plaza, the Old Temple and New Temple.

The "Circular Plaza" appears to have been a sacred and ritually important, open-air space within a ceremonial center. Prior to 800–700 BC, this location had a number of functions, including serving as an atrium for entering Temple A through the temple's north staircase. The plaza in the classic period, after 700 BC, is bounded on three sides by major Temples A, B, and C. The plaza is perfectly circular and is close to 20 metres in diameter, with a floor consisted of pillow-shaped pavers of yellow diatomite. It appears that a center line of black limestone blocks runs on its architectural east-west axis. Walls of the plaza were constructed of cut stone, principally granite, laid in courses of varying width. The two broadest courses were carved in arcs closest to the western staircase and in two pairs of terminal stones flanking the eastern staircase.

Sechin

Cerro Sechín is part of an archipelago of archaeological complexes in the Casma Valley that includes Sechín Alto, Sechín Bajo, Manchan, Chankillo, and others located near the Pan-American Highway, and is one of the oldest coastal Andean civilizations in Peru. The ceremonial center was discovered in 1937 by Julio C. Tello, the father of Peruvian archaeology.

Early excavations at the ceremonial site uncovered 98 carved stone slabs along the outer wall of one building. The carvings date to 1770–1510 BCE and depict combat rituals as well as human sacrifice. Further studies determined that the site is made up of six structures that were part of a later complex that surrounded earlier earthen structures. Polychrome wall paintings dated between 2290 and 2020 BCE have been found on the surface of older earthen structures and depict stylized figures of felines, an animal revered in Peru’s Formative period (2000–200 BCE). In total, over 300 carved stone slabs have been uncovered at Cerro Sechín, representing one of the earliest ornamented sites in the Americas. Some of its iconography is used in the decoration of the main public buildings and plazas in the city of Casma.

Decades of archaeological explorations at Cerro Sechín culminated with the opening of a site museum in 1984. In 2018 vatious bodies collaborated to renovate the Regional Museum of Casma “Max Uhle,” whose facilities and displays required updates after more than 30 years of use. Renovations to the museum included new lighting systems, display cases, 3D models, and exhibition panels, and freshly painted walls. In addition, new exhibition content was created to feature information about Cerro Sechín, Chankillo, and other relevant archaeological sites in the Casma region.

Trujillo

Trujillo was a cradle for some of Peru's most important ancient cultures, whose people left a legacy of fascinating archaeological sites. Relatively few visitors make it to this region, but that's their loss and your gain – these hugely significant ruins are yours to explore in peace. On this archaeological tour you'll begin by visiting the 1,500-year-old Huacas del Sol and de la Luna, two religious structures whose walls are made up of thousands of moulded adobe bricks and decorated with extraordinary friezes. After briefly stopping to take note of a much more recent era in Trujillo's history at the Spanish-built Plaza de Armas, you continue to the Archaeological Museum to put the ruins into context. Next you visit the pre-Inca temple of Huaca del Dragón before taking lunch at Huanchaco Bay, where local fishermen still set sail in reed skiffs whose design dates back to the Mochicas. We visited Huaca de Luna on the Explorer so I will cut it out here

Trujillo bisects the remnants of Chan Chan, a sprawling adobe city built by the Chimú culture between 1000 and1476 AD and preserved by the desert conditions. As you drive in, you might notice clusters of reeds among the sun-baked earth — remains of ponds that once served as Chan Chan’s water supply. With the high mudbrick walls glowing golden in the late afternoon sun, it feels more Valley of the Kings than Peruvian edifice. It all seems inscrutable at first, but your eyes gradually home in on the details. Some areas have intricate friezes of geometric and zoomorphic designs along with lattice-like walling that lets in breezes from the nearby ocean.

El Brujo

We visited On the Explorer. From Chiclayo it’s around a two-hour drive to El Brujo, a truncated, stepped pyramid complex created by the Moche culture (200 BC to 600 AD). At moments on this journey, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d wandered into a desert-like version of Southeast Asia: the highway splices paddy fields, rice being a staple part of the diet in the coastal north. Look for great bags of it being sold by the roadside. You then follow the Pan-American Highway south, moving out of the desert and into the surprisingly verdant Chicama Valley with its maize and asparagus plantations. Snow-white cattle egrets pick their way through the stalks.

El Brujo archaeological complex, where an extraordinary mural adorns a Moche pyramid. Also visit the Señora de Cao Museum, housing the tattooed mummy of the first ruler of the Moche civilization, the Lady of Cao.

El Brujo rises out of nowhere at the end of a long minor road that comes out at the slate-grey Pacific — the background rumble of its waves accompanies you around the site. A lone armed guard stands watch at the top of the main ruin, the Temple Cao, like a knight prowling battlements. The Temple Cao itself is a 30 m (98 ft) high pyramid made out of adobe mudbricks. It’s a bizarre Russian doll of a structure in which outer temples were built around earlier ones by successive generations every time a priest (thought to have been the leaders of Moche society) died. El Brujo’s strangeness is immediate. An area in front of the Temple Cao appears sprinkled with bits of pottery and other archaeological detritus. But a closer glance reveals a white lump to be a human pelvic bone. Around it lie scraps of tattered cloth — original Moche textiles, preserved in centuries of dust. ‘We can’t walk there,’ said my guide, Janette, matter-of-factly. ‘A lot of this place is still being investigated.’ Archaeology in northern Peru is thrillingly in the raw. Giant friezes embellish the temple façades. One depicts a line of well-endowed prisoners being led to sacrificial slaughter. ‘We think the victims were made to drink a hallucinatory brew that made them… stand to attention,’ said Janette, with a wry smile. Then she pointed to another set of bas-reliefs. ‘Look: human foot bones.’ I squinted at some dancer-like figures. Sure enough, lumps of whitish bone slotted into the wall, forming the figures’ ankles.

Cajamarca

The drive from Leymebamba to Cajamarca , a boutique colonial town set in a fertile dairy-farming valley, is long — around nine hours of snaking mountain road. However, the only traffic you’re likely to encounter is free-roaming livestock. My driver pulled over at times to let me walk for a little way along the empty road and admire the views. The Andes rise up around you, the mountainsides flecked with splashes of magenta from wild bougainvillea and indigo blue from jacaranda. There’s also the odd brownish patch where farmers have lit fires, believing the smoke will bring rain.

This pleasantly walkable cluster of cobblestone streets has a large, fountained central plaza that acts as the town’s de facto living room. Just off this main square, hidden away amid plateresque churches and other colonial relics, is the Cuarto del Rescate (Ransom Room). Inca emperor Atahualpa bargained with Pizarro to fill this room with treasure in exchange for his freedom. Peek through the trapezoidal doorway and you’ll see niches where idols and war trophies were kept, as well as the stone on which Atahualpa was eventually executed. Precisely tessellated stonework aside, it’s an unremarkable ruin, but a good guide can bring it to life. Mine, Manuel, regaled me with (unapologetically biased) tales of how Atahualpa verbally sparred with Pizarro, exposing the conquistador’s illiteracy.

Cumbe Mayo. Reaching this site created by the Cajamarca culture (circa 500 to 1000 AD) involves a 45-minute drive out of Cajamarca up a bumpy, chicaning mountain road, the altimeter ticking up to 3,500 m . As you climb, you’ll glimpse highland women wearing traditional dress of wide skirts and rainbow-patterned shawls. They sport tall straw hats in place of the squatter, bowler styles seen in the south. Cumbe Mayo (‘thin stream’ in Quechua) is the well-preserved remains of a pre-Inca aqueduct or canal. Like Revash, it’s less of a ruin, more of a good walk. You pass through a winding dale peppered with gorse-like yellow bushes, the air ringing with the cawing of Andean rockpeckers. Spiked crowns of glacially sculpted columns known as Las Frailones (the Tall Friars) rise up around the dale, some standing up to 60 m (196 ft). Their surfaces have eroded into shapes resembling human faces. The local explanation for their humanoid appearance is livelier: they were originally wrongdoers who were petrified in an electrical storm sent by Pachakamac, the Inca creator-god. Manuel led me to an area where the canal disappeared under a weighty boulder, or rather an altar. Surprisingly, Cumbe Mayo’s water wasn’t used for irrigation but for religious rituals. Manuel pointed out where the straight-sided channel suddenly entered a couple of carefully crafted zig-zags, which represented the sacred staircase, or the path to heaven.

Leymebamba

Travel to the small mountain town of Leymebamba to see a cache of over 200 mummies discovered in a nearby cave by grave robbers. Believed to be between 500 and 1,000 years old, the mummies are extraordinarily well-preserved and many retain their original textiles and grave goods, painting a vivid picture of the ancient Chachapoya civilisation to which they belonged.

Revash is 90 minute drive from Leymebamba. and is less archaeological ruin, more scenic experience. The only way to witness this 13th-century burial site of the Revash culture is on foot. The wide, paved trail begins in a modest highland village, and you’ll pass through outlying homes and smallholdings before reaching a cliff-edge. Itinerant chickens, schoolchildren dwarfed by enormous backpacks, and the occasional villager leading a pony share the first section of path with you. You then traverse the cliff’s flanks on a narrow, stony track to reach a viewing platform. Opposite and slightly above sit chullpas (funerary buildings or tombs) constructed into an overhang on an impregnable-looking limestone cliff face. In fact, most of the tombs were looted by huaqueros (grave robbers or treasure hunters), leaving only skeletal remains inside. But the chullpas, which resemble miniature reddish mudbrick cottages, are largely intact, along with a series of red pictograms. Their meanings have been largely lost, but one is thought to represent a sacred feline figure.

Kuelap

The Chachapoya culture (800 to 1476 AD — the name roughly translates to ‘cloud warriors’, a possible reference to their foggy homeland) built this limestone brick settlement running directly north to south along an escarpment 3,000 m above sea level. It’s protected with backfilled walls 20 m high and looks like a fortress, though current thinking compares it to the Vatican, a religious or ceremonial nucleus whose walls signified power and prestige. All around the site lie yawning mountain passes, one with a great looping syncline visible in its exposed strata.

It is no exaggeration to say that in terms of archaeological significance, Kuelap is on a par with Machu Picchu. However, tucked away as it is in a little-visited mountain realm, it receives a tiny fraction of the visitors, meaning that those that do come are often met with the increasingly rare feeling of having an extraordinary treasure all to themselves. Leave the beaten track far behind to visit this remarkable site, quietly commanding a view from its mountain perch on the far edge of Andean civilisation. The complex contains around 400 circular stone houses, set across multiple levels and enclosed by a colossal wall – the largest stone structure in South America. Parts of the fortress are still thatched by a tangle of jungle plants, and bromeliads sneak between nooks in the stonework, all adding to the sense of stumbling upon an undiscovered ruin. The recently inaugurated Kuelap cable car adds a new dimension to a visit to the site and is sure to increase visitor numbers to the region - a welcome boost to the local economy. The telecabinas cross the valley in just 20 minutes, which means the overall journey time is about 30 minutes shorter than when travelling by road and the magnificent views across the valley ensure a scenic start to your Kuelap experience.

Inside the ramparts, cloudforest has partly reclaimed the ruins. Unlike Machu Picchu, Kuélap’s vegetation has been partly left to run wild. Trees, mosses, orchids and fuchsia have wiggled their way into the site’s drystone roundhouses in a way that reminded me of Cambodia’s Ta Prohm. The greenery helps wick away water, contributing to the site’s preservation. Other shapes emerge as you explore: a watchtower, buildings decorated with enigmatic friezes of zigzags and rhombuses, and an inverted cone-like construction named El Tintero (‘The Inkwell’). Its purpose has intrigued archaeologists; theories range from solar observatory to bone depository. Getting there is also fun: you take a 20-minute cable car trip over a forested gully with sweeping views of the surrounding mountains. Tip: minutes after you set off, look back at the rock face to glimpse some human remains — including a skull — stashed in difficult-to-reach burial niches. Kuélap is best visited en route from Gocta to the whitewashed highland town of Chachapoyas, which makes a pleasant base for exploring the area.

Chachapoyas

From the second you step out of the car in the Chachapoyas region the air feels moist, as if newly rinsed. Bromeliads cling to tree trunks, and you might catch hummingbirds flitting past, their wings beating a rapid tattoo. You’re now in cloudforest. It’s an area where weekly calendars revolve around the local cattle market. Legend and folklore abound: waterfalls are jealously guarded by mermaids, and the screech of an owl can curdle the blood of local people, for whom it signifies the ‘cry of death’. All mischief or unexplained happenings are attributed to sprite-like creatures called duende.

The mysterious figures standing guard over a cliff face at Karajía (45 km north of Cachapoyas) reveal a morbid detail on second glance: human skulls perch on top of their stern, mask-like faces. These are in fact the unique tombs of ancient chieftains, part of the Chachapoya culture which was contemporary with the Incas. Set into this remote and inaccessible cliff, the striking sarcophagi face east to greet the rising sun. The seven (originally eight) sarcophagi stand up to 2.5 meters tall, constructed of clay, sticks and grasses, with exaggerated jawlines. Their inaccessible location high above a river gorge has preserved them from destruction by looters. However, an earthquake toppled one of the original eight in 1928. They have been radiocarbon dated to the 15th century, coincident with the Inca conquest of the Chachapoya in the 1470s. The construction is painted white and overlaid with details of the body and adornment in yellow ochre and two red pigments, such as the feathered tunics and male genitalia visible on the Carajía purunmachus. Often the solid clay head will boast a second, smaller head atop it. The purunmachus of Carajía are unique because of the human skulls that sit atop their heads, visible in the photograph

The fortified citadel of Kuelap is the most important archaeological site in the northern Peruvian Andes. It forms an architectural stone complex characterized by its monumentality, with a large artificial platform seated on the Cerro Barreta, at 3,000 meters above sea level. The platform extends for 600 m and is enclosed by a wall that in some points reaches 10 m in height. In its interior there are circular buildings of the Chachapoya and some rectangular ones of Inca origin. Over the Utcubamba river we find the archaeological site of Macro. After crossing the river with a cable car, we will visit several circular constructions decorated with stone friezes.

Gocta Falls

Gocta is a perennial waterfall with two drops. It flows into the Cocahuayco River. Although the waterfall had been well known to locals for centuries (it is in full view of a nearby village), its existence was not made known to the world until after an expedition made in 2002 by a German, Stefan Ziemendorff, with a group of Peruvian explorers. The waterfall, which can be seen from several kilometers away. In 2006, the Peruvian government announced that the area surrounding the falls would be developed as a tourist attraction. A small hotel was built 10 km from the base of the waterfall, with all rooms having views of the waterfall. Tourists can now hike the trails by foot or horse to the misty base of the waterfall. The nearby town of Chachapoyas is located at an altitude of 2,235 meters . The waterfall is at a slightly higher altitude and thus clouds can be seen to occasionally eclipse part of the view. Depending on who you believe, they are between 5 and 18th highest in the world

Here is an updated review as we went yesterday (2023). We drove to Cocachimba. You park on the square opposite the ticket counter which is in the middle of the village. You get a reduction if over 60 - PEN15. Otherwise an adult is PEN20 - cash only. You are asked to sign a disclaimer about you are happy to walk alone. You then walk up the hill to the entry of path which is about 100m away. Take water, insect repellant and sun cream. - you'll be asked to fill in your details so if you get lost, hopefully they come looking for you. There is a map on here of the paths - the one from Cocachima is number 2. Maybe save the map to your phone. This walk, walk 2, is described as Easy/Facil but that's a bit an underestimation. I am 64 and fit and walk 7kms every day but I would describe the walk as intermediate at least - it's up and down a lot and it's not always an easy terrain. It took us 1hour 45mins to get to the falls and the same to get back. My phone told me it was 11kms there and back.

It is an impressive water fall standing 771 meters high, one of the world's highest. The water flow was low during our visit making it less impressive that it could have been but it was still worth the trek. We stayed in Chachapoyas . There is about an hour's drive to Cocachimba where the trek to the base of the lower falls begins. It is about 10 km to the falls and back, and the path is rugged and anything but flat. There are substantial climbs and descents involved and it is warm and humid amid in the subtropical fauna that blankets the mountain side. An alternative is to rent a horse and handler (see note below) that will escort you to within 2 km of the base of the falls and wait for you to return. Contrary to what several people told us, the last 2 km is not flat and has several climbs and descents before arriving at a mirador which presents fine views of the lower falls. A further hike of half a kilometer takes you to the base. The community that manages tourism at the falls has a stable on the main square and horses can be rented there. Cost at time of writing was 40 soles round trip. We booked our horses through the tour company which ensures availability upon arrival.

Chiclayo

From Cajamarca it’s a very long drive to the coast, swapping highland scenery for flatter, sandy coastal plains. The northern coast is a desert hinterland quite divorced from more familiar images of a green, mountainous Peru. Chiclayo is an unprepossessing town, little more than a base for exploring the nearby sites. That said, it does have some winsome quirks. Pop your head into the Mercado de Brujos (witches’ market), where witch-doctors ply the customer with a cabinet of curiosities: dried herbs, powders and packaged remedies claiming to cure a host of ills, from headaches to heartache. There are also stalls piled with luscious produce, from tuna (prickly pears) to lúcuma, a fleshy, nutty-caramel fruit beloved of northerners. Try it in ice-cream form.

The town of Lambayeque lies around 20 minutes from Chiclayo by road, and it’s the proud owner of one of the best museums in South America. This scarlet Toblerone of a structure was purpose-built to house the priceless objects discovered by Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva in the tomb of a Moche noble known as the Lord of Sipán. (The original burial site is about 48 km (30 miles) away). Representing one of the most important archaeological finds to be uncovered in the Americas within the last 30 years, the Sipán burial site contained the intact grave of an ancient Moche nobleman. This 'Lord of Sipán' was interred in full regalia, dripping in gold and precious metalwork. The original remains and grave goods are now housed in the excellent Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum, while the extensive burial grounds contain in situ replicas. No stay in Chiclayo would be complete without visiting these hugely important monuments.

Huaca Rajada

Huaca Rajada, also known as Sipán,is a Moche archaeological site, that is famous for the tomb of Lord of Sipán . The city of Sipán is dated from 50–700 AD, the same time as the Moche Period

Royal tombs were discovered and excavated between 1987–1990,a fairly recent find in the last 30 years, and is considered to be a very important archaeological discovery. Many of the tombs were looted, yet the artifacts that remained and were discovered by archaeologists play an important role in understanding the Moche rulers and tradition. Tombs have been found also in Sipán's Huaca Rajada, near Chiclayo. The tombs in the area are of adobe construction, of pyramidal shape, and have now shown erosion.These platforms and other adobe structures are often made with marked adobe bricks which tracked this labor in order to pay off taxes.

The tombs of Sipán allowed for archaeologists and anthropologists to get a better understanding of the Sacrifice Ceremony of the Sipán rulers that had been illustrated on murals, ceramics, and other decorative goods.The Sacrifice Ceremonies were often depicted with prisoners among gods or royalty.The tombs at Sipán showed that rulers actually took part in such Sacrifice Ceremonies when looking at the artifacts uncovered including: adornments and a headdress that matched the illustrations of the ceremony along with large knives and tools that would have been used for bloodletting and decapitation.

In February 1987, a man by the name of Ernil Bernal led a band of huaqueros (tomb looters) who tunneled into one of the pyramids located at Huaca Rajada. Over the next few nights, they took a large number of valuable metal objects, destroying hundreds of ceramics and human remains in the process. Untold numbers of artifacts were lost, sold for profit to private collections on the black market. Alva arrived with the police a day or more later, after an exceedingly ornate mask had been confiscated from the huaqueros stash house and presented to the researcher.There are a number of accounts from the events taking place upon the arrival of Alva and the police, however it is clear that they were able to drive the huaqueros away from the site, erect fences around the tombs, and begin excavation.Thereafter Alva and his team excavated 12 more tombs while villagers and huaqueros threw rocks and taunted them in an attempt to get the researchers out of the site and allow the looting to continue. The villagers were unsuccessful, however, as Alva completed his work which became the foundation of the "Royal Tombs of Sipán" discussed below.

Chaparri Bears

The Chaparri Conservation Area is a community-owned and managed reserve protecting a pristine area of grassy rolling hills, backed by vertical rock walls and studded with trees and cacti. The remote habitat shelters a wild population of threatened species including the Andean spectacled bear, and there is also a rescue centre for bears and other animals confiscated from illegal captivity. You can explore the park on a network of trails, providing excellent wildlife and bird-watching opportunities. To visit the rescue centre you need to spend a couple of days at Chaparri Eco-Lodge, a 90min drive from Chiclayo on the coast of northern Peru.

David Grant Holidays Index