Jewels of the North of Peru 4x4 Tour, 5d/4n

Lima – Caral Ruins – Paramonga Fortress – Ruins of Sechin – Chan Chan – Huaca del Sol y Luna – Lord of Sipan – Lord of Sican – Lima

Enjoy the magic of the north by taking the archaeological route through the ruins of Pre Incan cultures, the ancestors of the great empire who constructed Machu Picchu. You will travel north from Lima in a 4x4 vehicle and visit various sites such as Caral, the oldest city in the Americas, Chan Chan, the largest adobe (mud) city in this part of the world, and the culturally rich towns of Trujillo and Chiclayo. Enjoy delicious food peppered with flavors only found on the northen coast of Peru and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. Travel through to the ancient past of Peru in your own personal 4x4 stopping where you like to enjoy each beautiful sunset, ocean view, and delicious restaurant!

This thrilling 4x4 tour in Peru offers you spectacular landscapes, adventure and access to off-the-beaten track destinations. In addition to the 4x4 tour, the Moche Culture is a highlight of this trip, which is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience that will leave you with lasting memories. Once you’ve finished the 4x4 tour, Lima is a great place to rest and soak up the cosmopolitan culture of one of South America's largest cities. With this 4x4 trip, Peru is yours to discover!

Please note the fixed departure dates for this special offer.

Day 1: Lima – Caral – Paramonga – Sechin – Casma
The tour starts in Peru's capital, Lima, where we will depart heading due north. Today is a day of ruins, the most important and oldest in the Americas. We will reach the 5,000 year old ruins of Caral by a road surrounded by crops and sand dunes. Upon arrival you will notice that the ruins are still being excavated, so we are sure to find something new.

We will take advantage that we are on the coast to try the famous Peruvian ceviche, a fresh raw fish cooked with lima and served with chili, onion and sweet potatoes. We’ll also get a chance to try Tacu Tacu, another dish made with fish or seafood with beans, a mix that sounds a bit strange, but tastes delicious! These dishes will be enjoyed at the best northern restaurant of Barranca, facing the ocean and breathing in the fresh sea air.

After lunch we will head a little farther north to find the Fortress of Paramonga, built all from stone and clay, with fantastic views across the valley from the top. Built by the Chimu culture in the year 1200 AD and occupied by the Incas in 1400 BC this served as an observation post 131 feet high.

At the end of the day, we will visit the Sechin temple, built with stone slabs engraved with suggestive motifs of warriors in procession. The significance of the temple is not fully understood, as its uniqueness and lack of any similar temples in Peru makes it difficult to study.
We will end our day at a comfortable hotel in the town of Casma.
Meals: None

Day 2: Casma – Trujillo – Chan Chan – Huanchaco
Today we will have an early start to head to the beautiful city of Trujillo, here we start to feel the stronger northern heat as we approach closer to the equator. In Trujillo we will visit the largest adobe (mud) city in the Americas. Declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1986, this beautiful city is called Chan Chan.

Chan Chan shows an amazing degree of spatial organization, covering 20 square km (7.7 square miles) of pure adobe ruins. The city was thought to once have a population of 80,000 people during its peak. The city grew to its large size due to the ceremonial traditions of kings and their predecessors of the Chimu culture. Each king that died stayed in his own citadel (community within city) where his remains were worshiped and kept in tact. His heir had to create his own citadel to rule from thus making the city expand greatly. There are as many as 10 citadels found in the city and the part we will visit is a citadel thought be one of the latest constructed. Chan Chan's grand significance lies in its historical, aesthetic, cultural and social importance for the pre Incan Chimu culture.
Tonight we will stay by the beach and in the fishing cove of Huanchaco, where you can enjoy an evening stroll alongside the sea.
Meals : Breakfast

Day 3: Huanchaco – Huaca del Sol y Luna – Chiclayo
Early in the morning you’ll see the fishermen of Huanchaco going to work in their small boats made of reeds called Caballitos de Totora. All of them leave together at the same time and we recommend waking up early to see this as its very symbolic for the coastal fishing culture, it reflects the brotherhood of fishermen in this area.

After breakfast, we leave for the Huacas del Sol and la Luna, the Huaca de la Luna was the center of ceremonial Moche religion and is located a mile from the Huaca del Sol. This construction stands out for its superimposed temples that were built in different periods. It has a square base of 87 m and a height of 21 meters.
The uniqueness of the Huaca de la Luna is held in the fact that the Moche people would barry the temple and build a new one on top. There are 5 different levels of temples covered in adobe bricks under the huaca, up to 4 of been excavated for you to see. The adobe bricks protected the underlying temples from the wind and rain thus the murals found throughout the Huaca are almost completely intact containing their painted colors as well. The murals preserved contain 5 different colors; white, black, red, blue and mustard, which were obtained from minerals. They have reliefs depicting the Moche deity called Aiyapec or the “cut throat god”, warriors, priests, and other dieties. It is also possible to visit the courts and ceremonial plazas of more than 1,500 years old.

The iconography this culture offers can be seen in its ceramics called huaco retratos or figures of gold and silver. They depict ritual battle scenes between warriors where in these battles the losers were led to the temple to be sacrificed and to obtain blood. This was a symbol of fertility and renewal of its power. This ceremony was not observed by the common people, it was a private ritual just for the priests represented by Aiyapec.

At the end of the day we arrive to the warm city of Chiclayo, short distance from the beautiful desert Sechura, where Carob trees grow. The Carob tree syrup is used in the preparation of the most famous drink from the north, Algarrobina, which we can try a taste of tonight.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 4: Chiclayo – Lord of Sican – Lambayeque – Lord of Sipan – Chiclayo
Chiclayo is a welcoming city with warm and friendly people; their ancestors were great people who lived surrounded by good land and large harvests. Here is located the Lord of Sipan and the Lord of Sican, whom we will visit today. Chiclayo’s cuisine is very famous for their style of home cooking, the most famous dish being duck rice, prepared with flavors that you can only find in the north of Peru.

As we visit the Museum of the Lord of Sican, we can see how the excavations were conducted. The findings of pieces of gold and an exposition of their clothes will give us an idea of how they looked in their lifetime.
Later we will pass through Lambayeque, where we can enjoy the best food in the region, try the best duck rice or other varieties of dishes here.

Chiclayo is all known for its deserts so we will visit a candy factory in Lambayeque to taste the famous King Kong, made with fresh milk and some cookies with different flavors, this is another northern delicacy. In the afternoon we will visit the Royal Tombs of Sipan, this museum holds many pieces of gold which consists of pectorals, earrings and adornments of different types.
Tonight we will overnight in a hotel right outside the city to enjoy the tranquility of the north.
Meals: Breakfast

Day 5: Chiclayo – Lima
Today we return to Lima, we won’t make many stops to visit sites. We’ll just have good music in our vehicle and even better conversations about the adventures we’ve shared together.
Meals: Breakfast

EXPEDITION ENDS

Prices are per person and in US Dollar. Prices are subject to change around holidays such as Easter, Christmas, New Year and other local festivities.

The prices are based on hotel allocation of 2 people in double room, 3 people in triple room and 4 people in two double rooms. A 4x4 vehicle can only hold 4 people maxium so if your group is larger than 4 another 4x4 vehicle will be needed.

Price Includes:
• 4 hotel nights.
• Meals where indicated.
• English speaking guides and skilled driver.
• All entrances to tourist sites.
• Transport in Toyota Land Cruiser Vehicle from Lima to the northern coast.
• Expert guides skilled to guide each area you visit.
• Insurance on the 4wd.

Price Does Not Include:
• Lunch and dinner every day
• Transport out of Lima to your next destination.
• Optional tipping of the staff.

"Incredible experience seeing a part of Peru that not many forgeingers travel to! Also learning about Pre Incan cultures was very interesting. A completely different type of archaeology and history than what you will experience going to Cuzco. The beaches also were fabulous and the trip in itself was a once in a life time experience. I highly recommend Peru Experience's 4x4 tours to anyone!"

Laura Heston, United States