North Coast
Before metal or ceramic was invented and well before the Maya and Inca cultures ruled, there was Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas. Having…
Must-see attractions in North Coast
North Coast
If there's one must-see archaeological site in the region, this is it. The Temples of the Sun and the Moon, attributed to the Moche period, are more than…
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North Coast
Opened in November 2002, the Museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipán is the pride of northern Peru – as well it should be. With its burgundy pyramid…
North Coast
Built around AD 1300 and covering 20 sq km, Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas and the largest adobe city in the world. Although…
Complejo Arqueológico la Huaca el Brujo
North Coast
This archaeological complex right on the coast, about 60km from Trujillo, consists of the Huaca Prieta site, the Huaca El Brujo, which has only been…
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North Coast
The story of Sipán reads like an Indiana Jones movie script: buried treasure, huaqueros (grave robbers), police, archaeologists and at least one killing…
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Reserva Ecológica Chaparrí Wildlife
North Coast
This 34,000-hectare private reserve, located 75km east of Chiclayo, was established in 2000 by the community of Santa Catalina and the famous Peruvian…
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North Coast
This archaeological site, around 30km north of Lambayeque on the Panamericana, is not particularly well known, but it's the most impressive collection of…
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Santuario Histórico Bosque de Pomac
North Coast
About 22km north of Ferreñafe, a minor road leads to the Sicán ruins of Batán Grande, a major archaeological site where about 50 pyramids have been…
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North Coast
Also known locally as Huaca del Dragón, Huaca Arco Iris is in the suburb of La Esperanza, about 4km northwest of Trujillo. Dating from the 12th century,…
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North Coast
One of Peru’s granddaddy archaeological sites, Sechín is located 5km southeast of Casma and dates from about 1600 BC. It is among the more important and…
North Coast
The town of Huaura, opposite Huacho, is where José de San Martín is said to have first proclaimed Peru’s independence a full six months before his famous…
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Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape
North Coast
The tropical dry forest ecosystem of Cerros de Amotape is protected by this 1515-sq-km national park, which makes up the lion’s share of the Reserva de…
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North Coast
This museum, once the regional archaeological showcase, is now overshadowed by the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, but it still houses an excellent…
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North Coast
Located in Ferreñafe, this splendid museum displays replicas of the 12m-deep tombs found at the Sicán site at Batán Grande, among the largest tombs found…
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Santuario Nacional los Manglares de Tumbes
North Coast
This national sanctuary was established in 1988 and lies on the coast, separate from the other three dry-forest areas. Only about 30 sq km in size, it…
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North Coast
Halfway between Trujillo and Chan Chan, this Chimú temple is south of the main road, four blocks behind the Mansiche Church. Huaca Esmeralda was buried by…
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Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay
North Coast
Just a couple of hours' drive north of Lima, the Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay is a 5070-hectare natural reserve where moisture from coastal mists has…
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North Coast
The adobe temple of Paramonga, known locally as La Fortaleza, is situated beside the Panamericana Norte, 4km beyond the turnoff for the Huaraz road, and…
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Museo Arqueológico Municipal de Moche
North Coast
Not to be confused with the Museo Huacas de Moche at the Huaca de la Luna site, this museum on the main square in the town of Moche houses around 500…
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Trujillo
Northeast of the cathedral, this c 1735 mansion, also known as Casa de los Léones, is considered to be the best-preserved mansion of the colonial period…
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Trujillo
Owned and maintained by Banco Central de la Reserva del Perú since 1972, this beautiful colonial mansion’s history dates to 1604, though the original…
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North Coast
A few kilometers north of Pacasmayo, just before the village of Guadalupe, a track leads toward the ocean and the little-visited ruins of Pacatnamú, a…
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North Coast
This clean beach, accessed by a spur road south of the town of San Pedro de Lloc, has a fine long left break and has become a popular spot for those in…
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North Coast
About 6km south of Tumbes, off the Pan-American Hwy, is an archaeological site that was the home of the Tumpis people and, later, the site of the Inca…
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Trujillo
This well-curated museum features a rundown of Peruvian history from 12,000 BC to the present day, with an emphasis on Moche, Chimú and Inca civilizations…
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North Coast
The poshest of the beach towns near Chiclayo, Pimentel has a long pier, a broad malecón (boardwalk) fronted by high-end, glassed-in houses, and the nicest…
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Trujillo
This imposing gray early 19th-century mansion is impossible to ignore. Built in neoclassical style, it has beautiful window gratings, 36 slender interior…
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Trujillo
Now the Banco BBVA Continental, this building features a mishmash of colonial and Republican styles and is best known as the site where Trujillo’s…
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North Coast
Sporting a pleasant malecón (boardwalk), a long, honey-brown beach and slightly muddied waters, this little village is just 20 minutes from Chiclayo…
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North Coast
What was once the longest pier in Peru has a storied history. Constructed between 1870 and 1874, it initially clocked in at a whopping 743.4m in length…
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North Coast
The Chan Chan site museum near the Palacio Nik An contains exhibits explaining Chan Chan and the Chimú culture. It is on the main road, about 500m before…
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North Coast
A more modern set of ruins than the nearby pre-Hispanic sites, this rough, dilapidated fishing village is organic, pungent, powerful and quite entrancing…
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Trujillo
Iglesia de Santo Domingo is an interesting church near the Plaza de Armas. The original church, built in the 16th century, was one of the first…
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Trujillo
Known simply as ‘La Catedral,’ this bright, canary-yellow church fronting the plaza was begun in 1647, destroyed in 1759, and rebuilt soon afterward. The…
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Trujillo
The Iglesia del Carmen and its charming monastery is home to an impressive Carmelite museum – the Pinacoteca El Carmen – but visiting is a real mission…
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Trujillo
The Iglesia de la Compañia and surrounding monastery were constructed by Jesuits in the 1630s and originally took up the entire block just off the Plaza…
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Trujillo
Named after a former president of Peru, this beautiful 18th-century corner manor is home to a collection of well-worn art and period furnishings, but its…
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Trujillo
Worth a flyby is the 17th-century Iglesia de la Merced, which has a striking organ and cupola. Uniquely, an altar here is painted on the wall, an…
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Trujillo
This museum is mainly a taxidermic collection of Peruvian animals (many so artificially stuffed they look like nightmarish caricatures of their former…
