Voyage in five weeks, during March 2011
NORTHERN PERU Travel (5 weeks):
- MOUNTAINS :
- La Balsa (Ecuador border) - San Ignacio - Jaén - Bagua
- Chachapoyas - Huancas - Levanto - Gocta - Karajía - Tingo / Kuelap - Leymebamba
- Cajamaarca - Otuzco - Cumbemayo - Baños del Inca
- COAST :
- Chiclayo, Lambayeque (Royal Tombs of Sipan, Brüning) - Sipan - Zana - Túcume
- Trujillo - Chan Chan - Huaca de la luna - Huanchaco
- Casma: Sechin - Chankillo
- WHITE MOUNTAIN :
- Caraz (for Chimbote and Canyon del Pato) - Lagunas de Llanganuco - Laguna Miramar
- Huaraz: Laguna de Churup
- Chavin
- LIMA AND AROUND :
- Supe - Caral.
- Lima.
- Pachacamac.
- JUNGLE :
- Iquitos (airplane, boat). Barrio Florido - Quistacocha.
2,600 kmin 5 weeks.
500 km cruise along the Amazon.
CHACHAPOYAS
One of the few towns with colonial architecture in Peru. Quiet, small, very pleasant stroll through the streets. Is isolated but it was our base for several excursions around. It is worth visiting the waterfall Gocta, the 3 rd highest in the world.
- Hostel : Johumaji. 20 soles, bed and average (1.20 m wide).
- Transportation :
- Chachapoyas - Levanto: shared taxi, 6 soles, 1 h. Unpaved road.
- Chachapoyas - Gocta / Pedro Ruiz van, 5 soles, 45 min to cross Cocachimba crta Pedro Ruiz.
Back is easier to go to Pedro Ruiz (5s), since the passing combis full.
- Chachapoyas - Luya - Karajia : minibus 5 soles, 1 h + 12 soles shared taxi, 1 h. Unpaved.
- Chachapoyas - Huancas: shared taxi. 3 suns, 30 min. Unpaved.
- Chachapoyas - Tingo: minibus, 5 soles. 1h.
Views :
- Chachapoyas: colonial town. Plaza.
- Gocta Waterfall: It is in combination to the junction, then 1 h walk to Cocachimba. Entry 5 soles.
Walking for 2 h to fall. The return takes more or less the same.
- Huancas: views of the canyon. Ceramics.
- Levanto: town. Ruins. It is recommended collective taxi back to the pre-Columbian Chachapoyas Way (4 h).
- Karajía: They're kind of stone carvings in the shape of coffins with polychrome on a hillside. Input 3 soles. Transportation complicated, far, and interest is relative. Recommended only if you have time.
- Food : Many restaurants. Market.
- Landscape : 2,400 m tall, cold weather. On deep canyon. Many places of interest.
KUELAP
say it is the Machu Picchu of the north, but it has nothing to do. The ruins are interesting but can not compare with the wonder of the South.
Recommend sleeping downstairs in the Tingo and walk up. No need to hire guides or organized tour.
- Hostel : in Tingo. 15 soles. Lunch at the family hotel. By the River.
- Transportation :
- Chachapoyas - Tingo: 5 soles, 1 h.
- Tingo - Leymebamba: little transport. Tingo - Peppermint: combined for 5 soles, 30 min + mototaxi 15 soles, 30 min.
- Visit : 3h30 walking up +3 h down. Ruins approx. 2-3 h. Entry 12 soles (discount students 7 soles).
- Landscape : Kuelap 3,100 m. Tingo 1,800 m . Cold and fog in height. Rural communities with ruined. Also able to go to Chachapoyas from Kuelap (early exit 3 morning) or on tour.
LEYMEBAMBA
Known by the Museum of the Mummies. Private, small but very interesting. Amazing to see these graves almost intact after so many years.
- Hotel : 10 soles, bed and a half.
- Transportation :
- Leymebamba - Cajamarca: Exit 8 am, 30 soles, 9 hours. Stop in Celendín. Unpaved, except the last stretch.
- Visit : museum mummies, entrance 10 soles. 1 hour walk.
CAJAMARCA
Beautiful and charming colonial town. Interesting places to visit nearby, so you have to spend several days.
- Hostel : Sucre, 30 soles. Wi-Fi.
- Transportation :
- Forums - Cumbemayo: with only 10 soles tour transportation. 1 h.
- Cajamarca - Inca Bath: 1 sun. 15 min.
- Forums - Otuzco: 1 sun, 15 min.
- Cajamarca - Chiclayo: 15 soles, 6 h. Miscellaneous.
- Views :
- Colonial Center. Churches. Rescue Room + Bethlehem + museums. 5 soles off students.
- Windows Otuzco: Entry 4 soles.
- Cumbemayo: entry 5 soles. Old canal system. Walk down 2 h.
- Baños del Inca springs. 4 suns private bath, 3 soles pool.
- Food : Many restaurants. Market. Cuy. Cheese and sweets.
- Landscape : pastures, livestock. 2,750 m , Cold.
CHICLAYO
Worth, or rather essential, to visit the museum of the Royal Tombs of Sipan lord. We also recommend to visit Sipan, where the graves as it complements the museum is very different.
- Hostel : Italia, 25 soles. Laundry.
- Transportation :
- Chiclayo - Lambayeque: 1.30 soles. 30 min.
- Chiclayo - Túcume: 1.80 soles. 45 min.
- Views :
- Lambayeque: several museums. Royal Tombs of Sipan 10 soles: AWESOME.
Brüning Museum : 8 soles.
- Sipan, Sipan archaeological site museum + 8 soles. Interesting visit, complementary.
- Zana: people of African descent. Ruins convents. No interest.
- Túcume: pyramids. Museum. 8 soles.
- Food : Many restaurants, especially poultry. Markets.
- Landscape : Coastal Desert. Green valleys where rivers. Warm weather.
- NOTE : We drove, with Alberto, a new friend in Lima. Therefore we do not have much data transport. But there are many buses that connect cities and archaeological sites.
TRUJILLO - HUANCHACO
Trujillo has a reputation as one of the most unsafe cities in Peru. Hotels are expensive, cheaper than the few hostels in the center there is often room.
The best option is to stay in Huanchaco , a small town nearby, with beach, very quiet and pleasant. There is frequent transportation to Trujillo.
A visit to the Temple of the Moon. Chan chan, interesting but a bit disappointing.
- Hostel : Huanchaco, Hotel Aleman. 20 soles. New. Wi-Fi. Kitchen. Laundry.
- Transportation :
- Huanchaco - Trujillo: 1.50 soles. 30 min.
- Trujillo buseta: 1.50 soles.
- Trujillo - Chimbote: 7 soles. 2 h. Miscellaneous. Online.
- Views :
- Chan Chan, Huaca Esmeralda, Huaca Arco Iris: entrance 11 soles, 3 museum and archaeological sites.
- Huaca of the Moon : A museum, 11 soles. Huaca del Sol, do not visit. AWESOME.
- Huaca del Brujo - Mrs. Cao: do not visit. New museum.
- Trujillo, colonial center. Square.
- Landscape : warm weather. Desert. Pacific Ocean surf Huanchoaco.
CASMA
We liked Chankillo, an archaeological site under excavation. In a desert, with dunes. It is not visited by tourists. We went in mototaxi. We walked back to Panamerican road and fortunately a car picked us because we stopped the buses.
- Hostel : Emilio's. 20 soles. Bed and a half. Basic.
- Transportation :
- Chimbote - Casma: combi 5 soles. 1 h.
- Casma - Sechin: mototaxi 3 soles. 30 min.
- Casma - Chamkillo: mototaxi 5 soles. 45 min.
- Visit :
- Sechin: archaeological site museum +: 6 soles. Small and not very interesting.
- Chankillo: in excavation. Observatory. Very interesting. From mototaxi, 1 h walk. Visit 1 h. Panamerican road : 30 min walk.
CARAZ
Good base for excursions to the White Coordillera. We did not have much luck with the weather, so we could not do some hiking.
- Hostel : Caraz, 25 soles.
- Transportation :
- Chimbote - Caraz by Canyon del Pato: 25 soles. Check out 11 am. Duration 5 hours
- Caraz - Yungay: 3 suns. 20 min
- Yungay - LLanganuco gaps: 15 soles / person, with 1.30 h expected. 1.30 h + idem go back.
Shared taxi.
- Caraz - Miramar Laggon. Shared taxi, total 40 soles. 1 h.
- Caraz - Huaraz: 6 soles. 1 h.
- Views :
- Market Caraz. Many people, indigenous flowers. Central square.
- Tumshukayko ruins outside Caraz.
- Llanganuco Lagoons: National Park entrance 5 soles. Under the Huascaran (6,768 m ). You can walk over the edge. It is reached by an unpaved road.
- Miramar Lagoon, high in Caraz. Rise between crops. Homes of peasants and indigenous people. Views on Caraz.
- Lake 69: we were not. Go to Cebollapampa from Yungay. From there, i + v, approx. 6 h. Transportation expensive, leave early, with good weather.
- Paron Lagoon, were not, at high altitude. Bad weather. In shared taxi from Caraz. Approx. 100 soles.
- Landscape : height 2,250 m , Cool weather, cold in the mountains. Fields of flowers. Indigenous communities. Interesting excursions. Quieter than Huaraz.
HUARAZ
There are numerous hotels of various prices and qualities. Too many agencies that organize trips to the White Coordillera, although you can go it alone, without a guide to many places. We enjoyed the hike to the lake Churup a bit hard so steep but worth it for the views.
- Hostel : Central (near market, many offer). 22 soles.
- Transportation :
- Huaraz - Chavin: 10-12 soles. Departure: 7:00 a.m.. 3 h30.
- Huaraz - Supe / Lima (or earlier, I learned, is paid in full): 25 soles. Miscellaneous.
- Huaraz - Llupa (Churup) combined. 30 min. 2 soles.
- Views :
- Churup Lagoon (4450 m ): From Llupa walking up Pitel 1h (entry 5 soles PN) + 2 h up (areas with ropes, rocks). Very nice.
- Tours: many agencies. Many excursions can be made for free.
- Landscape : 3,000 m high. Cold weather. Surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Surrounded by indigenous communities.
CHAVIN DE HUANTAR
The hotels there are expensive. Just a cheap hostel (where we stayed) in the central square. Very basic, some rooms without ventilation and humidity. As we choose an empty room quite, correct.
- Hostel : Gantu. 20 soles, with shared bathroom.
- Transportation :
- Chavin - Huaraz, about 8 am. 12 soles. 3 h.
- Chavín - Lima: 40 soles. Directly without going through Huaraz.
- Views :
- Archeological Site: 11 soles.
- Museum: Free .
- Hiking: climbing to the lookout and keep walking. Passing a small village and continue to cross the river and connect back with the way Olleros - Chapin. Total: 6 hours.
- Landscape : 3,200 m high. Cool climate. Many indigenous communities.
Recommendations : Provide tour from Huaraz, in one day. But there are many hours of travel for a short visit. Best sleep in Chavin. Beautiful walks.
SUPE - CARAL
Caral is considered the oldest city in America, one of the few cities mothers discovered over 5000 years old. There is little, is still under exploration, but has great historical significance.
- Hostel : Grau. 20 soles. It is in Supe.
- Transportation :
- Supe-Caral: shared taxi. (We travel by car, our friend).
- Visit :
- Archaeological Site (a few km from the town of Supe): 11 soles. Guide mandatory (20 soles) to be divided between groups of visitors.
- Landscape : Coastal desert. Crops in the valley.
LIMA
Note : We stayed with our friend Alberto, hosted at his home in Miraflores. upscale neighborhood, quiet, resort, shopping and beaches. There are several hotels (usually expensive, from 50 soles). We had previously visited Lima in 2005 and the city has changed a lot, for good. It is more organized, clean, no much traffic chaos.
- Views :
- Historical Center.
- Chinatown, markets.
- Miraflores: walk ocean Larcomar.
- Pachacamac: archaeological site: 7 soles.
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