This road trip will immerse you in history, taking you back in time to pre-Inca times. Visits to Caral the first civilization in America, contemporary to Egyptians and even the Mesopotamians, Chavin de Huantar UNESCO archaeological site and Huanuco Pampa, the biggest Inca complex outside of Cusco, among other important archaeological sites will be the highlights of this adventure.

Itinerary: Day 1 Lima / Caral / Chavin / Konchukos Tambo, 2 Konchukos Tambo / Chavin / Konchukos Tambo, 3 Konchukos Tambo / Huanuco Pampa / Konchukos Tambo, 4 Konchukos Tambo / Huaraz, Huaraz- Sechin - Lima

Duration : 5 days / 3 night
Season : April – October
Departures : On Request

Price per person: On Request
Minimum : 2 passengers

Day 1 Lima / Caral / Chavin / Konchukos Tambo.
From Lima, early in the morning, we head north in a private vehicle, on the Pan-American Highway, leaving the huge eight million person metropolis behind after our first hour. Then we will be on some of the driest desert you will ever see, interrupted every thirty minutes or so, by a small city that blossoms around a river valley. A little before the town of Supe, after about two hours of traveling, we will take a dirt road to the east for about 35 kilometers (50 minutes). In the middle of sugarcane fields we will come across one of the oldest cities of the Americas: Caral. Five thousand years ago, contemporary to the Egyptian and the Mesopotamian civilizations, a state-like sociopolitical organization flourished in this desert valley, based on fishing and agriculture. Remnants include stone pyramids of up to 20 meter heights and 160 meter long bases. After lunch, we head back to the Pan-American Highway to head east and begin a steep climb to the mountains beyond Pativilca, watching the scenery turn greener and wetter, and the air get lighter. Snow capped peaks begin to show up in the distance, once you arrive to the Conococha pass, heading north to Huaraz. At   Ccattac we take a detour across a high pampa (puna) and enter the Huascaran National Park, passing a small glacial lake, through a tunnel that bring us to the Conchucos Valley.  After 6 hours the road winds downhill passing small villages and edges along the Mosna River to finally reach  the village of Chavin de Huantar and arrive at our Lodge-Konchukos Tambo, dinner and overnight. After checking in and room assignment, the manager will give a short briefing of the lodge and the Conchucos Valley.

Day 2 Konchukos Tambo / Chavin / Konchukos Tambo
Ten minutes by car from the lodge are the archaeological remains of Chavin de Huantar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This ceremonial center was the most important of the Pre-Hispanic Andean cultures from around 800 BC, when the first expansive Andean culture, known as Chavin, built it. Being subject to centuries of natural and manmade destruction (it was used as a quarry), its scenery, massive stonework, labyrinthine tunnels, elaborate drainage and ventilation, its carved heads and lithic artwork present a unique image of pre-Hispanic Peru. After visiting the ruins we will visit the handicraft workshops to see what stone or textile handicrafts are in stock for shopping.  We return to the Lodge for lunch.
Afternoon at leisure, for optional programs or visit the local village and interact with the daily lives of people in the vicinity

Note: (Museum Visit - By August 2008) There will be a museum open to the Public, built with the help of the Japanese Government which will host important original pieces of Chavin culture and have a beautiful presentation of daily life in the area- dioramas and modern lighting.

Day 3 Konchukos Tambo / Huanuco Pampa / Konchukos Tambo
A long day begins with a three to four hour drive, taking us past the largest copper mining complex in Peru (Antamina), to the finest Inca stonework this side of Cusco. Huanuco Pampa was a major Inca settlement extending 4 square kilometers and with over 4000 homes in its best days. It was the most important administrative center on the Northern Inka road (the Capac Ñan), halfway between Cusco and Tomebamba, which by the end of the Inca Empire, was the second most important city. After a picnic lunch at the ruins, we will begin the three hour drive back to the Hotel. Dinner and Overnight at Konchukos Tambo.

Day 4 Konchukos Tambo / Huaraz.
Just after leaving Konchukos Tambo, the road will take us up the Conchucos Valley, through the Cahuish tunnel, past the Querococha Lake and to the detour of Catac, 2 hour and 30 minutes or 66 kilometers later. At Catac we turn right and head north for 30 minutes more to Huaraz, the main city in the Callejon de Conchucos. Lunch on your own, after settling in at your hotel. In the afternoon we will visit the Wilcahuain archaeological siteseven kilometers north-west of Huaraz, across leafy eucalyptus forests, lies the Wilcahuain archeological site. Dating back to 600 and 700 AC, this site was heavily influenced by the Wari culture of Ayacucho, a direct predecessor of the Incas. A clear example is the imposing two story stone buildings, signature of the Wari culture. After exploring the site, we return to Huaraz. Dinner on your own, overnight at hotel in Huaraz.

Day 5 Huaraz / Sechin / Lima.
Departing very early from Huaraz to the west, we will quickly leave the pavement and ascend the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Negra, looking behind us, the Cordillera Blanca. For the first hour or so, you will be rewarded with panoramic views of the Cordillera Blanca, with Huaraz at the bottom of the valley. After that we reach Punta Callan,  4200 meters in altitude, and begin descending on the western slopes. Steep zigzags will take us from the sierra to the coast and pretty soon small towns and farms. Arriving at Pariacoto, we meet the paved road to Casma. One kilometer before turning into the town of Casma and the Pan-American Highway, we will visit the archaeological monument of Sechin. This architectonical complex of square shape, with curved corners, occupies an area of 3,000 square mts. and is divided into different constructions, a building made of mud in the interior part, which is the oldest, and the other part is decorated by carved rocks on the exterior section, where there is more than 300 carved monoliths with representations of mutilated bodies and of warriors and other anthropomorphic figures. Lunch en route and then continuing south on the Pan-American Highway, during four to five hours, passing by, several towns located on the road, such as: Huarmey, Pativilca, Barranca, Huacho and Chancay, we will be reaching the city of Lima. Continuing south  on the Pan-American Highway, during four to five hours, we head back the way we came on the road from Lima, reaching the city in the late afternoon.

SERVICES INCLUDED:  Transfers, transportation by vehicle for organized tours, activities as mentioned in itinerary, hotel with breakfast in Konchukos Valley, tours as mentioned, lunches on full day excursions, entrance fees to sites and bilingual guide.

SERVICES NOT INCLUDED: Meals in the cities, alcoholic beverages, extras, tips, taxes, laundry service, additional tours, insurance and airline tickets (where applicable).

SPECIAL NOTE: If you want to cut short your visit in Huaraz, there is now an option to fly out of the airport of Anta, in the outskirts of Huaraz reducing the program by one day but taking in a spectacular schedules flight for fantastic views of the snow-capped peaks,

<< return