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Arrival in Cajamarca |
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An archaeological complex outside of Cajamarca with fascinating ancient Inca aqueducts and hydraulic systems. The site is surrounded by a huge natural stone pillar forest known as Los Frailones. |
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Part of an old Inca cemetery 8 kilometers outside of Cajamarca. The Ventanillas de Otuzco are a set of tomb-like windows and niches carved in the rock face of Llanguil hill and arranged into rows.
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3 hours away from Cajamarca, Kunturwasi consists of a series of ancient courtyard, plazas, and platforms left by the Cupisinique culture dating back to 1100 BC. May of the walls are adorned with petroglyhs.
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Voted one of the best museums in the Peru – the museum is home to the most important archaeological remains of the Mochica culture. A number of scientific discoveries and beautiful ancient golden jewels are on display. |
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Dozens of large adobe ancient pyramids lie about the Tucume area – called Purgatorio (Purgatory) by the locals owing to its mystical history. The site is believed to have belonged to the Chimu, the Mochicha, and the Inca at different periods. |
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The capital of the Chimu empire – Chan Chan – was America’s largest prehispanic adobe settlement. Covering an area of 7.7 square miles the city consists of mud brick walls and enclosures with intricate designs and patterns.
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Built by the Moche culture roughly 100-500 BC – The temple of the Sun is the tallest adobe structure of the Americas. Together with the temple of the moon – the site was home to the Moche Culture.
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Mountain fortress built by the Chachapoyas culture around 80 AD and is often compared in size and grandeur to Machu Picchu. Kuelap contains over 400 separate buildings and more stone was used in its construction than the biggest pyramid of Giza. |
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A series of burial buildings carved into limestone cliff faces overlooking the Utcubamba River close to the town of Santo Tomas de Quillay. The buildings are called chullpas and are decorated with attractive designs and earth red paint. |
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The Museum is home to over 200 Inca and Chachapoyan Mummies – all intact and in fantastic condition. The museum also holds a variety of artifacts found with the Mummies at the Lake of the Condors. |
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A hard to reach hidden lake where farmers discovered 6 burial chullpas carved into the cliff faces 100 meters above the peaceful lake waters. Many mummies and ancient Chacha artifacts were discovered in the area. |
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Macro consists of a number of mountain towers built as an outpost to Kuelap. Inhabitants of the ancient outpost would warn the residents of Kuelap when an invading army approached by sending very large smoke signals. |
| US & Canada Toll Free: |
| 1 877 240 4770 |
| UK Line: |
| +44 207 096 1259 |
| International Line: |
| +1 512 535 2536 |
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Fly from Lima to Cajamarca. Upon your arrival at the airport in Cajamarca you will be met by one of our representatives before being transferred to your comfortable hotel in town. Cajamarca is a beautiful colonial town and plays a very important role in the history of Peru – it was the city in which the Spanish Conquistadors first came into contact with the Inca people and led to the subsequent kidnapping of the last Inca Emperor Atuhualpa by Francisco Pizarro. In the morning you will visit the main areas of the city such as the Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, the Museum of Religious Art contained within the San Francisco Church, and of course the Ransom which Atuhualpa’s followers were order to fill, once with gold and twice with silver, in order to spare his life. The Spanish murdered the Inca Emperor after receiving the ransom nonetheless. Following this tour you will be guided around the Ventanillas de Otuzco – a pre-Inca bone cemetery. After enjoying a Peruvian coffee in a traditional café you will be returned to your hotel where you can spend the rest of the evening relaxing at your ease. (Meals – L, D) |
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Cajamarca and Cumbemayo |
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In the mid morning you will undertake an excursion to Cumbemayo – a very important Peruvian archaeological site with a beautiful carved volcanic aqueduct that makes its way through a stone forest known as los frailones. This impressive stone forest is a popular tourist destination and a well known site in Peru. Following a tour of the area you will proceed to the Baños del Inca where it was said the Inca ruler Atuhualpa was found bathing when the Spaniards first arrived. The baths are said to contain natural healing properties and the locals in the area have built new pools in the area to which visitors have access to. If you’d like to spend a little while floating around in the hot steamy spring waters of these thermal baths make sure you bring your swimming gear. Following a tour around the complex you will return to your hotel where you can enjoy a little relaxation before dinner. (Meals – B, L, D) |
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The Road to Chiclayo |
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After breakfast you will be privately transported to the charming city of Chiclayo sandwiched between the desert coast and the Andes. Three to four hours away from Cajarmaca you will stop to admire the ceremonial stone ruins of Kunturwasi. The ruins themselves date back to 1100 B.C. and are thought to have been left by the Cupisnique culture. Burial sites were discovered in the area along with large petroglyphs. The gold treasures that were excavated from the site are now on display in the nearby town of San Pablo. Following the tour you will continue on to Chiclayo where you will be transferred to you hotel. (Meals – B, L, D) |
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Chiclayo and the Museums |
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After breakfast you will embark upon on a full day’s tour of Chiclayo and its surrounding area. You commence with a guided tour around the 26 pre-Columbian ancient pyramids of Tucume that were once home to the ancient people of the area. In Lambayeque you will visit the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum where many of the mummies and exquisite jewelry found at the tomb of the Lord of Sipan are on display. The museum itself has been dubbed as one of the finest museums in South America, and with its remarkable architectural design and impressive display of gold and silver artifacts it’s easy to see why. After a filling lunch at the Fiesta Gourmet Restaurant, you proceed to the Sican Museum where an exhibition shows a reconstruction of the tomb of Sican. Following this you will head to the Huaca Rajada – a significantly important archaeological site where the high society of the Moche culture was found buried. In the late afternoon you will be transported back to your hotel where you can relax and unwind. (Meals – B, L, D) |
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Chiclayo to Trujillo |
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After a delicious breakfast in your hotel you will be collected and privately transported to the charming city of Trujillo that still retains much of its colonial heritage. After settling into your hotel and relaxing for a while you will be collected for lunch and your tour to El Brujo. You will lunch at the Hacienda Paijan and be able to enjoy a Peruvian Paso horse demonstration while you eat. El Brujo – loosely translated as “the witch” or “the Shaman” – is an archaeological complex that is also known as Huaca Cao Viejo. It was built by the Moche culture over 2000 years ago and consists of a large stepped pyramid. Recently the site made headlines worldwide when a tattooed mummy was discovered buried there. In the late afternoon you will be returned to your comfortable hotel where you will be able to spend the evening at your leisure. (Meals – B, L, D) |
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Onwards to Trujillo |
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After waking up and enjoying breakfast in your hotel you will be collected and taken on a guided tour of the city of Trujillo visiting such sites as the Casa del Mayorazgo, the Casa Orbegozo, the Casa de la Emancipacion, and the La Merced Church. During the tour you will also observe the Plaza de Armas that reflects much of the architecture and attitude of the colonial period. Following the tour you will be transported to the Royal Palace complex of Chan Chan for a tour around the largest pre-Columbian city in South America. The city was founded by the Chimu Kingdom and is divided into 9 separate citadels. After your tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site you will be taken to the seaside town of Huanchaco for lunch at the Club Colonial. Following lunch you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Lima. (Meals – B, L) |
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