Archaeology and Northern Andes

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Lima

  Welcome upon arrival of your international flight at Jorge Chavez airport, in Lima, and transfer to the hotel. A French-speaking representative will be waiting for you at the airport and will give you your travel documents. Overnight at El Tambo hotel (Calle 2 de mayo). Included: private transport, welcome by French-speaking guide, room & breakfast.

• day 2

  Lima - Chiclayo - Huaca Rajada - Túcume

  Transfer to Lima airport. Flight to Chiclayo. Reception at Chiclayo airport and transfer to the Horcones de Túcume hotel. Day dedicated to visiting the sites around Chiclayo, a destination mainly known for archaeology. Excursion to Huaca Ventarrón, a site from the Archaic period (-5000 BC) discovered in the 1980s thanks to Ignacio Alva, the son of archaeologist Walter Alva, director of the Brüning Museum. Huaca Ventarrón underwent 3 architectural evolutions in 200 to 300 years: each evolution covered the previous one. Huaca Ventarrón includes a total of 4 sites: Arenal, Collud, Zerpan, and Huaca Ventarrón itself, but only the latter is open to the public. Continue to the impressive necropolis of Huaca Rajada, the funerary center of the Mochica culture where many tombs have been discovered, notably that of the Lord of Sipán, a member of the Moche elite. Visit the site museum. Then visit the Túcume site (about 1 hour by road) located in the La Leche river valley. This valley of pyramids is an architectural complex made up of 26 adobe pyramids or "huacas" (temples) nearly 40 meters high. Possibility to climb to the viewpoint, from where you can see the Pomac forest. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the Los Horcones de Túcume ecolodge. Included: private transport, departure transfer, domestic flight, airport taxes, arrival transfer, French-speaking guide, entrance(s) to site(s) mentioned in the program, room & breakfast.

• day 3

  Túcume - Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán - Chiclayo - Cajamarca

  Departure in a private vehicle for a half-day dedicated to visiting the Tumbas Reales Museum, which has an impressive collection of goldsmithery and ceramics found in the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, a member of the elite of the Moche culture. Transfer to the Chiclayo bus terminal. Departure by regular bus to Cajamarca (about 6 hours journey). Reception at the bus station and transfer to the hotel. Night at the El Portal del Marques hotel. Included: French-speaking guide, private transport, bus ticket, room & breakfast.

• day 4

  Cajamarca - Cumbe Mayo - Cajamarca

  Day dedicated to visiting Cajamarca and its surroundings. In the morning, departure by private vehicle towards the Cumbe Mayo site with its "stone forest," also known for its aqueduct several kilometers long carved into the rock at over 3500 m altitude, with its enigmatic cross as well as its cave covered with petroglyphs. Continue to the city of Cajamarca, visit the famous "ransom room," the room where Atahualpa was imprisoned before the fall of the Inca empire, the only remaining vestige from that era. Walk around the city, passing by the central square, the Church of Bélen, the archaeology museum, and the cathedral. In the afternoon, visit the "Ventanillas de Combayo," where hundreds of funerary niches belonging to the Cajamarca culture have been carved into the rock and are perfectly preserved. This necropolis is part of "Capac Ñan," the great Inca road that crosses the central Andes region. Night at the El Portal del Marques hotel. Included: French-speaking guide, guide fees, entrance(s) to site(s) mentioned in the program, private transport, room & breakfast.

• day 5

  Cajamarca - Trujillo

  Transfer from the hotel to the bus station. Departure by scheduled bus to Trujillo. Reception at the Trujillo bus terminal and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at Los Conquistadores hotel. Included: bus ticket, private transport, room & breakfast.

• day 6

  Trujillo - Huacas de la Luna - Trujillo

  Departure in the morning for a walking tour of the center of Trujillo, the city of "eternal spring". Visit of the main tourist attractions of the city: the Plaza de Armas, Pizarro Street, El Recreo Square, the Urquiaga House, the Church of La Merced, the Iturregui Palace, the House of Emancipation, and the Cathedral. Continue towards the Temple of the Moon (the Temple of the Sun is not open to the public), a religious center of the Mochica culture built during the 5th century. After observing the impressive mural paintings at the site, the morning continues with a visit to the site museum. After lunch, you will attend a show of Peruvian "de paso" horses, accompanied by a demonstration of the "marinera," a dance originating from the coast of Peru. In the middle of the afternoon, transfer to your hotel. Overnight at the Los Conquistadores hotel. Included: French-speaking guide, private transport, room & breakfast.

• day 7

  Trujillo - Chan Chan - Huanchaco - Trujillo - Lima

  Half-day dedicated to visiting the city of Chan Chan, the ancient capital of the Chimú Empire built in adobe (13th century). Visit of the Nik-An palace and the restored part of the Huaca Arco Iris. Then, relaxation at the Huanchaco seaside resort, where fishermen use traditional reed boats, the "Caballitos de Totora". Transfer to Trujillo airport. Flight to Lima. Welcome upon your arrival at Lima airport and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at El Tambo hotel (Calle 2 de mayo). Included: French-speaking guide, private transport, domestic flight, airport taxes, arrival transfer, room & breakfast.

• day 8

  Lima

  Three hours before departure, transfer to Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima. Included: private transport, departure transfer.