Cajamarca Cultural 4D / 5D
An exploration of the cultural highlights of Cajamarca city & environs.
Pre-Columbian vestiges at Cumbemayo, Otuzco & Kuntur Wasi.
Colonial influence to be seen in Cajamarca’s historic centre.
Well-located accommodation allows enjoyment of thriving, modern-day city.
Add an extra day to visit the stonecutters of Huambocancha & successful farming cooperative at Porcon.
Overview
Explore Cajamarca, the historic venue where the Old World met the New, with cataclysmic consequences. A region where successive cultures have left their mark:
The Chavin at Kuntur Wasi
The Caxamarca at Otuzco Necropolis
The Inca at Baños del Inca
The Spanish around Cajamarca city centre
Modern-day Christian evangelism at Porcon Farm.
While civilisations have come and gone, the scenic beauty of Cajamarca’s lush mountains remains constant; and the local cuisine has benefitted from multiple influences and good local ingredients, particularly dairy.
Cultural Cajamarca 4D Itinerary Outline:
Day 1: Arrive Cajamarca; City & Baños del Inca Tour. Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 2: Cumbemayo & Ventanillas de Otuzco, Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 3: Kuntur Wasi. Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 4: Transfer to Cajamarca airport.
Cultural Cajamarca 5D Itinerary Outline:
Day 1: Arrive Cajamarca; City & Baños del Inca Tour. Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 2: Cumbemayo & Ventanillas de Otuzco, Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 3: Kuntur Wasi. Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 4: Huambocancha & Porcon Farm. Overnight at Costa del Sol Hotel.
Day 5: Transfer to Cajamarca airport.
Prices
Below prices are per person, based on double occupancy, in standard rooms.
| Itinerary | Length | Prices From |
|---|---|---|
| Cajamarca Cultural | 4 Day | £339 / $439 |
INCLUDED:
Accommodation in stated hotel, or similar, on a bed & breakfast basis
Other meals as stated
Private transport for all transfers & excursions
Excursions, as stated in itinerary, on a shared basis.
Specialist, English-speaking guides
All entrance fees
NOT INCLUDED
NB. If you would like a private tour of Cajamarca, with your own vehicle and guide for excursions, this can certainly be arranged. Just ask us how.
4D Itinerary
CAJAMARCA cultural: 4-DAY detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Cajamarca: Arrival; City Tour & Baños del Inca
On arrival at Cajamarca airport, we are welcomed by a guide and transferred in a private vehicle to our hotel.
Having settled in to our accommodation, we go on a guided walking tour of Cajamarca. We start by climbing up Santa Apolonia Hill, which has vestiges of both the Chavin and Inca civilisations.
From the top we have a beautiful view of the entire city.
We then visit the Cuarto del Rescate (Ransom Room), the only major Inca structure that remains in Cajamarca. This is where the Inca leader, Atahualpa, was held captive by the Spanish Conquistadors for eight months, prior to his execution.
Cajamarca's ornate Cathedral overlooking the Plaza de Armas.
Next is the 17th-Century San Francisco Church, built in a Baroque style, using stone from Sierpe House - the residence of the Cajamarca chieftain - and a quarry in Saint Apolonia Hill.
The next stop is the main square, Plaza de Armas, which is where the Conquistadors captured and eventually executed Atahualpa.
The unusual, Plateresque-style Cathedral, with a volcanic stone facade, overlooks the Plaza.
At the end of the walking tour, we return to the hotel, and have time for lunch.
In the afternoon, we are taken for a tour of the outskirts of Cajamarca.
The first stop is Hacienda Colpa, a traditional Colonial ranch that is still in operation today … and famous for calling their cows individually, by name, to be milked.
We then continue to the picturesque small town of Llacanora, and the nearby waterfalls.
Finally we go to Baños del Inca (Inca Baths), a series of hot springs with medicinal properties, once popular with the Inca aristocracy.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: None
Day 2: Cajamarca: Cumbemayo & Otuzco Necropolis
The Grotto at Cumbemayo.
Today, after breakfast, we visit Cumbemayo, a mysterious archaeological complex to the southwest of Cajamarca, with three distinct features: the Aqueduct; the Sanctuary; and the Grotto, surrounded by an impressive stone forest.
At the end of the tour, we drive back to our hotel, and there is time for lunch.
In the afternoon, we go by private car to Ventanillas de Otuzco, a necropolis of the Caxamarca culture and before, situated 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Cajamarca.
A series of rectangular niches - some up to 10 m (33 ft) deep - have been carved into a solid rock wall and then filled with bones and skulls.
We return to Cajamarca after the visit.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 3: Cajamarca: Kuntur Wasi
Monolith at Kuntur Wasi.
Today we visit Kuntur Wasi Ceremonial Centre, which is situated on top of a hill (2,300 m / 7,546 ft) located 68 km (42 miles) from the city of Cajamarca.
It is thought to have been originally built some 1,100 years BC. and then renovated and amended by various societies.
The name is of Quechua origin, meaning ‘House of the Condor.
After visiting the ruins, we will go to the Site Museum which displays many of the archaeological findings, such as gold necklaces, crowns, earrings, breastplates, and trophy heads.
On the way back to Cajamarca, we may pay a brief visit to the village of San Pablo.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Cajamarca: Departure
After breakfast, at the appropriate time, we are taken in a private vehicle to Cajamarca airport, for the flight to Lima.
Or you may wish to continue overland to Trujillo or Chiclayo on the Pacific Coast; or to Leymebamba and Chachapoyas further east, in the Andes.
Meals included: Breakfast.
End of services.
5D Itinerary
CAJAMARCA cultural: 5-DAY detailed Itinerary:
Day 1: Cajamarca: Arrival; City Tour & Baños del Inca
On arrival at Cajamarca airport, we are welcomed by a guide and transferred in a private vehicle to our hotel.
The steps up Santa Apolonia Hill.
Having settled in to our accommodation, we go on a guided walking tour of Cajamarca.
We start by climbing up Santa Apolonia Hill, which has vestiges of both the Chavin and Inca civilisations.
From the top we have a beautiful view of the entire city.
We then visit the Cuarto del Rescate (Ransom Room), the only major Inca structure that remains in Cajamarca. This is where the Inca leader, Atahualpa, was held captive by the Spanish Conquistadors for eight months, prior to his execution.
Next is the 17th-Century San Francisco Church, built in a Baroque style, using stone from Sierpe House - the residence of the Cajamarca chieftain - and a quarry in Saint Apolonia Hill.
The next stop is the main square, Plaza de Armas, which is where the Conquistadors captured and eventually executed Atahualpa.
The unusual, Plateresque-style Cathedral, with a volcanic stone facade, overlooks the Plaza.
At the end of the walking tour, we return to the hotel, and have time for lunch.
In the afternoon, we are taken for a tour of the outskirts of Cajamarca.
A Hacienda Colpa dairy cow.
The first stop is Hacienda Colpa, a traditional Colonial ranch that is still in operation today … and famous for calling their cows individually, by name, to be milked.
We then continue to the picturesque small town of Llacanora, and the nearby waterfalls.
Finally we go to Baños del Inca (Inca Baths), a series of hot springs with medicinal properties, once popular with the Inca aristocracy.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: None
Day 2: Cajamarca: Cumbemayo & Otuzco Necropolis
Part of the ‘stone forest’ at Cumbemayo.
Today we visit Cumbemayo, a mysterious archaeological complex to the southwest of Cajamarca, with three distinct features: the Aqueduct; the Sanctuary; and the Grotto, surrounded by an impressive stone forest.
At the end of the tour, we drive back to our hotel, and there is time for lunch.
In the afternoon, we go by private car to Ventanillas de Otuzco, a necropolis of the Caxamarca culture and before, situated 8 km (5 miles) northeast of Cajamarca.
A series of rectangular niches - some up to 10 m (33 ft) deep - have been carved into a solid rock wall and then filled with bones and skulls.
We return to Cajamarca after the visit.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 3: Cajamarca: Kuntur Wasi
Today we visit Kuntur Wasi Ceremonial Centre, which is situated on top of a hill (2,300 m / 7,546 ft) located 68 km (42 miles) from the city of Cajamarca.
It is thought to have been originally built some 1,100 years BC. and then renovated and amended by various societies.
An image of Kuntur Wasi appears on Peruvian coins.
The name is of Quechua origin, meaning ‘House of the Condor.
After visiting the ruins, we will go to the Site Museum which displays many of the archaeological findings, such as gold necklaces, crowns, earrings, breastplates, and trophy heads.
On the way back to Cajamarca, we may pay a brief visit to the village of San Pablo.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Cajamarca: Huambocancha & Granja Porcon
We start today’s tour with a visit to Huambocancha, which is best known for its stonecutters, who carve works of art from granite and marble.
We then continue to the Atahualpa Jerusalem Cooperative, as Porcon Farm is officially known … giving a clue to its evangelical roots.
Covering an area of 12,800 hectares (11 square miles), the farm incorporates a huge pine forest, a small hydroelectric plant, a private zoo, weaving workshops, stables, greenhouses and livestock.
Here, we can enjoy wandering around the extensive grounds and can also rent bicycles or horses. There is also a restaurant serving delicious meals that use the ingredients from the farm.
After the tour, we return to Cajamarca.
The afternoon is free for personal exploration and relaxation.
Overnight at Hotel Costa del Sol Cajamarca, or similar.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Day 5: Cajamarca: Departure
After breakfast, at the appropriate time, we are taken in a private vehicle to Cajamarca airport, for the flight to Lima.
Or you may wish to continue overland to Trujillo or Chiclayo on the Pacific Coast; or to Leymebamba and Chachapoyas further east, in the Andes.
Meals included: Breakfast.
End of services.