Northern peru highlights 9-Day Itinerary

• Great-value way to visit northern Peru highlights in nine days ... in comfort. 

• Small group departures using private transport & best hotels in region 

• Kuelap, Gocta Falls, Sipan, Huaca de la Luna & Chan Chan included. 

• Exploration of mysterious Chachapoya, Moche & Chimu cultures.

• Begins & ends in Lima.

By venturing off the beaten path, intrepid travellers can discover vestiges of ancient north Peruvian cultures, and gain a greater understanding for the country's rich ancient past. All the while experiencing Northern Peru’s ever-changing landscapes and biology.

Highlights include:

• Fortified citadels that were once bustling hubs of early civilisations

• Museums brimming with archaeological treasures

• Hiking to Gocta Waterfall

• Visit to an organic coffee farm

• Vibrant cities rich in Colonial history

• Tombs built by the pre-Inca Moche culture

• Spotting hummingbirds in the cloud forest

• Adobe brick city of Chan Chan abandoned by the Chimu in 1470

Northern Peru 9-Day Highlights: Itinerary Outline:

Day 1: Sat: Arrive Lima Airport; Transfer to Miraflores. Overnight in Lima.
Day 2: Sun: Fly to Jaen; transfer to Chachapoyas. Overnight in Chachapoyas.
Day 3: Mon: Gocta Falls. Overnight in Chachapoyas.
Day 4: Tue: Kuelap. Overnight in Chachapoyas.
Day 5: Wed: Drive to Chiclayo. Overnight in Chiclayo.
Day 6: Thu: Tumbas Reales Museum; Huaca Rajada. Overnight in Chiclayo.
Day 7: Fri: Drive to Trujillo via El Brujo; City Tour. Overnight in Trujillo.
Day 8: Sat: Chan Chan & Huaca de la Luna; fly to Lima. Overnight in Lima.
Day 9: Sun: Transfer to Lima Airport.

2024 Set Departures: 

There are no group departures of this tour planned for 2024, as Peruvian tourism continues to recover from the effects of the pandemic. But if you would like to do this in a private service, with dates and itinerary to suit, just ask us how. 

Below prices are per person, based on double occupancy, in a group service.

If you would like a single room, this can be arranged at an additional cost.

Tarapoto - Chachapoyas - Chiclayo - Trujillo Itinerary: 

Day 1: Saturday: Lima Arrival (-)

Reception at Lima Airport, and transfer to Miraflores hotel.

This evening, you will receive a briefing about the upcoming Northern Peru adventure.

Overnight at Hotel Antigua Miraflores, or similar.

Day 2: Sunday: Lima - Chachapoyas (B)

This morning, we return to Lima Airport, in order to take a flight to Jaen.

From here we travel overland, in a private vehicle, to Chachapoyas, which will be our base for exploring the natural, cultural, and archaeological highlights of the region. The drive takes roughly four hours, after which you have time to acclimatise and relax in the hotel.

Overnight at Hacienda Achamaqui, or similar.

Day 3: Monday: Gocta Falls (B,L)

After breakfast, we drive to the town of San Pablo de Valera, from where we begin our trek through sugar cane farms and cloud forest to reach the lookout over the impressive first drop of Gocta Waterfall.

The hike takes between 2 to 3 hours, covering 6 km (3.7 miles).

After time to enjoy the views and the effect of Gocta’s spray, we can either hike back the way we came, to take the transport back to the hotel; or, for the adventurous, there is the option to to continue hiking to the base of the waterfall, and then return along the other side of the valley, to Cocachimba. 

Overnight at Hacienda Achamaqui, or similar.

Day 4: Tuesday: Kuelap (B,L)

After breakfast we start driving along the Utcubamba Valley, between bromeliads and cacti, towards Nuevo Tingo.

Here we take the newly-built cable car to Kuelap Fortress, located at an altitude of 3,000m (9,842ft).

Guided visit of Kuelap archaeological site, followed by return cable car to Nuevo Tingo.

From here, we visit a family-run, sustainable coffee farm in the company of a local host. Using an agroforestry system, they produce Café Amazilia, a speciality coffee grown inside the Andean sub-tropical forest, 2,000m (6,562 ft) above sea level.

Here we see how a previously deforested area was regrown by planting native tree species around the coffee crops, hearing about pre and post-harvesting processes and enjoy a tasting of sustainable coffee.

After the visit, we sit down to a delicious lunch featuring locally-sourced ingredients.

After lunch, we visit Amazilia Ecological Reserve, which is home to over 130 different types of hummingbirds and five endemic species, making it perfect for birdwatching.

Keep your eyes peeled for the rare, but incredible Spatuletail Hummingbird (Loddigesia mirabilis).

In the afternoon, we make the scenic return drive to our accommodation.

Overnight at Hacienda Achamaqui, or similar.

Day 5: Wednesday: Gocta - Chiclayo: Drive to Desert of the Pyramids (B,L)

Today, after breakfast, we drive by private vehicle to Chiclayo, in the Department of Lambayeque.

The countryside around this coastal town, is rich with archaeological sites and cultural history.

The drive should take between eight and nine hours.

On arrival at our hotel, the evening is free to explore Chiclayo at your leisure.

Overnight at Casa Andina Select Chiclayo, or similar.

Day 6: Thursday: Lord of Sipan

Breakfast and departure to drive to the town of Lambayeque to visit to one of the most archaeologically-rich museums in Peru: the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, where the Lord of Sipan is exhibited.

Modelled on the pyramids where the human remains, jewellery and artefacts were uncovered, the museum houses one of the most impressive collections of pre-Columbian burial artefacts in South America.

In the afternoon, we explore Huaca Rajada, a series of burial chambers used by the pre-Inca Moche culture, where the Lord of Sipan was discovered in 1987.

Overnight at Casa Andina Select Chiclayo, or similar.

Day 7: Friday: Chiclayo - Trujillo: El Brujo (B)

After breakfast, we drive by private vehicle towards Trujillo, stopping on the way to visit El Brujo & Señora de Cao museum and archaeological site.

On arrival in Trujillo, we go on a tour of the Colonial centre, with a local guide describing the architecture and history of this coastal city.

We begin in the impressive Plaza de Armas, which includes the strikingly-yellow Cathedral originally built in 1647; and then explore the atmospheric side streets on foot.

Overnight at Casa Andina Standard Trujillo, or similar. 

Day 8: Saturday: Huaca de la Luna & Chan Chan; Fly to Lima (B)

Breakfast followed by morning visit to Huaca de la Luna archaeological site and museum.

We then make a visit to Chan Chan citadel, the largest adobe (mud brick) city in America and now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The former capital of the Chimu people covers 26 square km (10 square miles) and was thought to have been home to about 50,000 people at its zenith.

This evening, we transfer to Trujillo Airport for the short flight back to Lima.

Once in Lima, we drive to our Miraflores hotel.

Overnight at Hotel Antigua Miraflores, or similar.

Day 9: Lima: Departure (B)

The tour ends after breakfast.