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The North Tours
[ Index ] [ MachuPicchu and Cusco tours ] [ Titikaka Lake Tours ] [ Amazon Jungle Tours ] [ The North Tours ] [ Arequipa and Nasca Tours ] [ Comprehensive Peru Tours ] [ The trip maker ] [ Room Rates - Photos ]

Area Map, click to enlarge
THE NORTH TOURS
The spectacular North of Peru is rich in archaeology,
history and scenic contrasts. Bounded by the cold waters of the world's
most plentiful fishing grounds and the Amazon rainforest, lie the stark
deserts, fertile valleys, mountains and cloud forests that gave birth
to several great pre-Inca civilizations.
From the 1st to the 15th Century AD the most prominent of these cultures
- Moche, Lambayeque, Chimu and Chachapoyas - achieved great sophistication
and skill in ceramics, agriculture, architecture, metallurgy and warfare.
Their vast and mysterious citadels, tombs and temples grace the outskirts
of some of the principal cities of the north - Chiclayo, Trujillo and
Chachapoyas.
THE COAST: CHICLAYO AND TRUJILLO
The Northern Coast's civilizations left us astonishing evidence of their
achievements. Tucume, the “Valley of 26 Pyramids”, was a thriving city
of temples and squares built by the Lambayeque in the 11th Century and
conquered by the Chimu in the 14th. The exquisitely decorated Moche
Temples of the Sun and the Moon stand a few miles from the Pacific Ocean,
near the 500-acre complex of Chan Chan, capital of the Chimu Empire
and one of the largest and most developed cities in the ancient Americas.
In Chiclayo you will visit the tomb of the Lord of Sipan (the richest
tomb discovered in the Americas), the Valley of the 26 pyramids of Tucume
and Bruning Museum where there is an interesting collection of gold
artifacts and ceramics.
The Moche tomb of Sipan -the richest burial site discovered in the Western
Hemisphere (October 1988 - National Geographic) is a few miles east
of the modern city of Chiclayo. Finely crafted gold artifacts and ceramics
recovered from these complexes are on display at the Museum of the Royal
Tombs - one of the finest in South America as well as at the Museum
of Sican.
The region's shamans, direct descendants of these lost civilizations,
are famous throughout Peru for their healing skills and wisdom, and
can be visited by travelers. Nature lovers may explore the unique dry
forest of Chaparri and the Spectacled Bear reintroduction project. Birdwatchers
enjoy spotting the region's 40 unique (endemic) bird species, including
the emblematic Marvelous Spatuletail Hummingbird. Travelers may also
visit Colonial House and traditional haciendas that breed and show Peru's
world famous “Paso Fino” horses.
Just south of Trujillo: The pyramids of the Sun and Moon are the largest
structures ever put up in South America, and are second in the Western
Hemisphere only to the Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico, in size. They formed
the spiritual center of the Moche Empire, a highly sophisticated yet
mysterious culture that pre-dated the Incas by nearly 1000 years. It
is quite certain that the Moche Indians had contact with other civilizations
in the ancient Americas, and there is good reason to believe they may
have been influenced by Asian ocean- going voyagers as well.
The Pyramid of the Moon contains a central, vaulted chamber, and the
mountain directly behind, Cerro Blanco, appears to have been shaped
by humans into a pyramid form as well. Despite their achievements in
architecture, metal-working, and ceramics (one can still find countless
pottery shards in the sands surrounding the site), the Moche were very
militaristic, and scenes from their pottery depict ritual bloodletting
and torture. They may have evolved a system of “black” magic that aided
them in their conquests of neighboring peoples, or they may have taken
spiritual teachings from Asia and twisted their meanings into bizarre
new practices over the centuries.
Huanchaco is a fishing town where “caballitos de totora” are still used
by the local inhabitants, who venture into the cold currents of the
Pacific in these precarious-looking reed boats. This massive adobe city,
really a series of royal compounds built by the Chimu, was a major source
of gold for both the Incas, and later, for the Spanish. Though well-looted
over the centuries, gold artifacts still occasionally appear in the
drifting sands. Contacts between Chan Chan and the Asian continent have
never been proven, but there are tantalizing hints. Pottery figures
depict Asiatic men with beards and turbans; even the name “Chan Chan”
seems to be Chinese in origin. Don’t miss the famous “honeycombs,” where
strange acoustic effects allow visitors to whisper to each other over
long distances inside the adobe structures.
| Package Tours |
Price
per person
Based on double occupancy |
Duration |
Highlights |
| Sipan and Chan Chan |
From US$619 |
3 days and 2 nights
DAILY DEPARTURES from Chiclayo |
Tomb of the Lord of Sipan, the amazing adobe city
of Chan Chan |
| Chachapoyas
4 days |
from US$1456 |
4 days and 3 nights
Available on Monday - Wednesday – Saturday From May to October -
Upon Request |
Chachapoyas, Kuelap citadel, Leymebamba - starting
from Chiclayo |
| Chachapoyas
5 days |
from US$1838 |
5 days and 4 nights
Available on Wednesdays and Saturdays from May to October - Upon
Request |
Chachapoyas, Kuelap citadel, Leymebamba - starting
from Chiclayo |
| Lost
Cities of Northern Peru |
ASK FOR
AVAILABILITY |
6 days and 5 nights |
Lima, Caral, Chavin de Huantar, Huaraz, Trujillo,
Chiclayo, Tucume, Moche. |
| Peru Discoverer
10 days |
ASK FOR
AVAILABILITY |
10 days and 9 nights |
Chachapoyas (Kuelap fortress, burial building of
Revash and Mummy museum at Leymebamba) |
|