13-Day Undiscovered North

See All Photos

Drive along the northern Pan-American Highway to Huaraz. On the way visit the Paramonga fortress, an important city of the Chimu Kingdom, cross the Conococha pass (4,200 metres) and go through the Huaylas valley. Huaraz sits at 3,052 metres in the Andes mountain range; it is one of the most idyllic regions of Peru. The Cordillera Blanca is a paradise for nature lovers, you'll be left speechless as you witness the clear turquoise lagoons with beautiful mountain views.

See All Photos

Drive through southern Callejón de Huaylas past Recuay, Ticapampa, Catac and Querocoha Lake. Traverse the Cordillera Blanca to Chavín de Huántar, South America's oldest and most advanced culture; one of the six independent centres in world prehistory. You'll visit the Old Temple which contains the supreme Chavin deity and the New Temple, honey-combed with waters courses. In the afternoon, visit the museum, filled with Chavin ceramics and lithic sculptures like the famous Tello Obelisk.

See All Photos

Transfer across the Cordillera Negra to Yaután and to the ruins of Sechin, one of the oldest ceremonial site with more than 500 monoliths. Then, continue across the northern Pan-American Highway to Trujillo, Peru’s culture capital. Trujillo is a coastal city that combines colonial splendour with pre-Incan cultural history. The City of Eternal Spring is renowned for the marinera dance, Peruvian Paso horses, and food.

See All Photos

Visit colonial Trujillo and marvel at the well-preserved portals and churches. Visit the Archaeological Museum of the Universidad Nacional de Trujillo for an overview of pre-Columbian cultures before visiting the Sun and the Moon pyramids, the centre of power during Moche times. Drive to Huanchaco to see fishermen on their traditional caballitos de totora boats. After lunch, we visit the mud-brick city of Chan Chan, once home to 100,000 people who resisted the expansion of the Inca Empire.

See All Photos

Just north of Trujillo in the Chicama Valley, the El Brujo pyramid rises about 30 metres above the surrounding desert. It was built with tens of thousands of adobe bricks. The pyramid is covered with reliefs of war and agricultural motifs. A few years ago, a well-preserved tattooed mummy of a young woman, who belongs to the Moche Royalty, was discovered inside El Brujo pyramid, Señora de Cao; she is exhibited in the Lady of Cao Museum next to the pyramid. After the tour, continue to Chiclayo.

See All Photos

Visit the cathedral of Chiclayo as well as the witch market, that sells a variety of herbs and items that are used for various ceremonies. Continue your excursion to the magnificent mud-brick burial platform of Huaca Rajada where the world-famous Tomb of the Lord of Sipan was discovered. Admire fabulous gold artefacts, precious stones and the ancient Moche civilisation’s history. Afterwards, visit the brand new Tumbas Reales Museum and discover the historical richness there.

Drive to Chachapoyas with impressive insights of the rural and traditional life in Peru. The drive takes you through one of the driest deserts on the planet, climbs the Andes, descends to the Marañón River and finally ascends via the great Utcumbamba canyon. A box lunch is included. Chachapoyas was founded by the Spanish conqueror Alonso de Alvarado in 1538. This pleasant colonial settlement makes an excellent base to explore the ancient ruins from the Chachapoyas civilisation.

See All Photos

Today, drive to Kuélap and get to the top of the mountain. Kuélap is an ancient city with walls and hundreds of circular houses are covered by the cloud forest. The site is always a surprise for visitors that see it for the first time. Although Kuélap was discovered 60 years before Machu Picchu, it is not recognised worldwide. However, recent discoveries in nearby areas related to Kuélap and its history have captured the attention of archaeologists, international magazines and film companies.

See All Photos

On the way to Leymebamba, visit Revash. The site is a funeral complex on Cerro Carbón Mountain. Natural caves carved into the stone were used as mausoleums filled with drawings and paintings and were once filled with mummies. Afterwards, you drive to Leymebamba to visit its famous museum where more than 200 mummies are held. The museum exhibits the different material and ornaments that were found at the lake as well as the largest collection of kipus in Peru.

Today you will travel the mountainous route to Cajamarca. The route is incredibly beautiful as you pass the Marañón river and Celendín town. Cajamarca is a quiet city in a valley. In 1532, during the Battle of Cajamarca, Francisco Pizarro captured and killed the Incan emperor Atahualpa. Wander in the historic centre filled with numerous colonial mansions, churches, and plazas. Cajamarca offers visitors an unforgettable experience combining history, gastronomy, and beautiful landscapes.

See All Photos

Visit the city of Cajamarca which holds an important place in the history of the conquest by the Spaniards of South America and Peru. Although previously an important Inca city, it became a typical colonial city, well-known for its churches and colonial large houses conserved almost intact, it is an alive museum that waits for you. Also, you will see the Ransom Room where Pizarro promised to free Atahualpa if he filled the room with gold and silver.