Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Northern Peru: Chachapoyas, Kuélap and the Moche and Chimú Coast
10 days from Lima: Chan Chan and the Huaca de la Luna in Trujillo, the Lord of Sipán in Lambayeque, then four nights in Chachapoyas for Kuélap, Gocta and Karajía.
10 days · Round trip from Lima · up to 12 guests
Round-house foundations inside the walls of Kuélap Photo: Martin St-Amant (S23678), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kuelap_-_Aout_2007_-_02.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Lima
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4.5 h on day 9
- Activity level
Moderate
Most touring days have 2 to 3 hours on foot on sand, stone paths and steps. The Gocta walk is the long one, about 10 to 12 km round trip with steady climbs, 4 to 5 hours on foot, with a short viewpoint walk or a horse as the easier choice. Kuélap sits at about 3,000 metres and Chachapoyas at about 2,335 metres; the coast is at sea level. You can sit out any walk.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 765 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Kuélap by cable car: the walled Chachapoya city on its ridge at about 3,000 metres
- The walk through the cloud forest to the foot of the Gocta waterfall
- The clay sarcophagi of Karajía, standing on their cliff ledge for about five centuries
- Chan Chan, the adobe capital of the Chimú, then ceviche and reed boats in Huanchaco
- The painted Moche friezes of the Huaca de la Luna at opening time
- The tomb of the Lord of Sipán at the Museo Tumbas Reales in Lambayeque
- The Larco Museum on the last morning, to tie the north's cultures together
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 4.5 h, on day 9.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 765 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4.5 h, on day 9.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Lima
Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) to your hotel in Miraflores
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Lima
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) at any time. A driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to Miraflores, about 20 km and usually under an hour, longer at rush hour. We stay in Miraflores because it sits on the cliffs above the Pacific, is easy to walk after dark and puts cafés and cevicherías a few blocks from the hotel. If you land early, follow the Malecón, the clifftop path of parks, to the Parque del Amor and watch the paragliders ride the sea breeze. In the dry months from May to September Lima is usually grey and mild, under the coastal cloud locals call garúa. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the trip: the four short flights, the cloud-forest days around Chachapoyas and what to pack.
Evening
Then we walk to a welcome dinner for a first taste of Peruvian cooking. To join the briefing, plan to land by about 3 pm; later arrivals are briefed at breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 6 pm briefing
Fly north to Trujillo: Chan Chan and Huanchaco
Lima to Trujillo by air, then Chan Chan and Huanchaco
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Trujillo
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A morning flight takes us north along the desert coast to Trujillo, about 1 hour 10 minutes in the air, where our own vehicle and driver for the north coast meet the group. We drop bags at a central hotel near the Plaza de Armas and go straight out to Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú kingdom and the largest adobe city in the Americas, listed by UNESCO in 1986. With a local site guide we walk the restored Nik An (Tschudi) palace complex: high mud-brick walls, ceremonial plazas and friezes of fish, seabirds and waves, then the small site museum.
Afternoon
Lunch is ceviche by the sea in Huanchaco, the fishing village five minutes away. In the late afternoon fishermen bring in their caballitos de totora, the reed boats this coast has used since before the Incas; sea permitting, you can take a short ride with one of them.
Evening
Sunset from the pier, then the evening is free in Trujillo.
Included
- Flight from Lima to Trujillo
- Chan Chan with a local site guide: the Nik An (Tschudi) palace and the site museum
- Ceviche lunch in Huanchaco
- A short reed-boat ride with a Huanchaco fisherman, sea permitting
- Sunset on the Huanchaco pier
Free time: Evening free in Trujillo
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Chan Chan on sand and packed earth, with little shade; bring a hat and water.
The Moche temples and a free afternoon
Trujillo to the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Trujillo
- Drive about 45 min
We reach the Huaca de la Luna close to opening, around 9 am, before the heat and the day groups. This Moche temple was rebuilt in layers over several centuries, each new platform sealing the one before, which is why its painted friezes survive: rows of warriors, captives and the staring face of the Moche mountain god in red, white, yellow and black. A local site guide walks us through the excavated terraces, then across the plain to the vast, eroded Huaca del Sol, seen from outside because it is not open to visitors. The Museo Huacas de Moche next door holds the pottery and finds from the dig.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the farming countryside of Moche, known for its cabrito and local chicha. We are back in Trujillo by mid-afternoon, and the rest of the day is yours: rest at the hotel, or walk the Plaza de Armas and the painted colonial mansions around it, many with ironwork window grilles.
Included
- Huaca de la Luna and the Huaca del Sol with a local site guide
- Museo Huacas de Moche
- Lunch in the Moche countryside
Optional experiences
- El Brujo and the Museo de Cao, home of the Lady of Cao, about 60 km north of Trujillo (half day, priced at booking)
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Trujillo
Activity: About 1.5 to 2 hours on foot at the Huaca de la Luna, with ramps and some steps.
Up the coast to Chiclayo and the Lord of Sipán
Trujillo to Lambayeque and Chiclayo on the Pan-American Highway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chiclayo
- Drive about 4 h
We leave Trujillo at about 8:30 am and drive north on the Pan-American Highway, about 210 km and some three and a half hours to Chiclayo (about 3.75 hours with the Lambayeque leg) through desert, sugar-cane fields and rice paddies watered by rivers coming down from the Andes, with a coffee stop on the way.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Chiclayo or Lambayeque, where the dish to try is arroz con pato, rice cooked green with coriander and served with duck. In the afternoon we visit the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán in Lambayeque, built in the shape of a Moche pyramid. It holds the tomb of the Lord of Sipán, a Moche ruler found intact at Huaca Rajada in 1987 by the archaeologist Walter Alva and his team, with his gold and silver ornaments, his attendants and the reconstructed burial chamber. Your guide takes you through it floor by floor, in the order the tomb was excavated. The museum is closed on Mondays, so we set departure dates so this day never falls on one.
Evening
The evening is free in Chiclayo; the Mercado Modelo is lively until early evening.
Included
- Drive from Trujillo to Chiclayo with your guide
- Lunch in Chiclayo or Lambayeque
- Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán in Lambayeque
Optional experiences
- The pyramids of Túcume, about 30 km north of Chiclayo, if time and energy allow (priced at booking)
Free time: Evening free in Chiclayo
Activity: The museum does not allow photography inside. It is closed on Mondays, so departure dates are set so that day 4 never falls on a Monday.
Over the Andes to Chachapoyas
Chiclayo to Jaén by air via Lima, then by road to Chachapoyas
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chachapoyas
- Drive about 4.5 h
This is the travel day that makes the cloud forest possible, and it starts early, one of the few days we leave before 8 am. There is no direct flight from Chiclayo to the Amazonas region, so we fly to Jaén, connecting in Lima. Your guide handles the check-ins and the connection, and your bags are checked through where the airlines allow it.
Afternoon
From Jaén our second vehicle and driver take us about 4 hours by road, up the Utcubamba valley past rice fields and then into steeper, greener country, with a lunch stop on the way. The road from Pedro Ruiz climbs along the river into Chachapoyas, a colonial town founded in 1538 at about 2,335 metres, with whitewashed houses, wooden balconies and a quiet Plaza de Armas. We reach town in the late afternoon, or after dark if a flight runs late. If the connection does not run on your dates, we drive from Chiclayo instead, about 9 hours with breaks, and tell you before you travel.
Evening
Dinner is your choice, and we stay four nights here, so you unpack once for the rest of the trip.
Included
- Flights from Chiclayo to Jaén, connecting in Lima
- Drive from Jaén to Chachapoyas with lunch on the way
Free time: Evening free in Chachapoyas
Activity: If the flight connection does not run on your dates, we drive from Chiclayo to Chachapoyas instead, about 9 hours with a lunch stop and breaks; we tell you which before you travel. The drive from Jaén is about 4 hours, the most on any day of this trip.
Kuélap by cable car
Chachapoyas to Nuevo Tingo, the cable car to Kuélap, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chachapoyas
- Drive about 2 h
Kuélap is the reason most people come this far. We drive about an hour south along the Utcubamba river to Nuevo Tingo and the lower station of the Kuélap cable car, which lifts you over the valley in about 20 minutes and saves what used to be a long, winding road. From the upper station it is a walk of about 30 to 40 minutes, gently uphill, to the walls. Kuélap was built by the Chachapoya people, the cloud-forest culture the Incas conquered late in the 15th century, on a ridge at about 3,000 metres. Its limestone walls rise up to about 19 metres and enclose the stone bases of hundreds of round houses, some decorated with zigzag and diamond friezes. Part of the outer wall collapsed in April 2022, and visits now follow a set circuit with a local site guide.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the village of María nearby, then we are back in Chachapoyas by late afternoon.
Included
- Kuélap cable car from Nuevo Tingo, both ways
- Kuélap with a local site guide
- Lunch near Kuélap
Easier option: Take the walk from the cable car at your own pace and stop at the entrance viewpoint below the walls; your guide comes back for you.
Free time: Evening free in Chachapoyas
Activity: About 3 hours on foot at around 3,000 metres, on stone paths and steps. Kuélap is high enough to feel the altitude, so walk slowly and drink water.
The walk to Gocta waterfall
Chachapoyas to Cocachimba and the Gocta trail, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chachapoyas
- Drive about 2.5 h
Gocta drops about 771 metres in two tiers out of the cloud forest, and it was barely known outside the valley until 2005. We drive about an hour and a quarter to the village of Cocachimba and set off by about 9 am with a local guide from the community, which runs the trail. The path to the foot of the lower fall is about 5 to 6 km each way, through sugar-cane plots and then forest, with steady climbs and descents and good chances of spotting birds; allow about 2 to 2.5 hours each way. At the bottom the spray hits you long before you reach the pool, so bring a rain layer.
Afternoon
Lunch is back in Cocachimba, where several lodges look straight across at the falls. Horses can be hired for much of the trail, and if you prefer a short walk, a viewpoint near the village shows both tiers. We return to Chachapoyas in the late afternoon.
Included
- Gocta waterfall walk with a local community guide
- Lunch in Cocachimba
Optional experiences
- A horse for part of the trail, hired locally
Easier option: Walk to the viewpoint near Cocachimba, about 30 minutes each way, and spend the rest of the morning at a lodge facing the falls.
More active option: A longer guided route from San Pablo to the foot of the upper fall, then down to Cocachimba, if conditions and the local guides allow it (confirmed on the day).
Free time: Evening free in Chachapoyas
Activity: The main walk is about 10 to 12 km round trip with steady ups and downs, roughly 4 to 5 hours on foot including the stop at the falls. Trails can be muddy; wear shoes with grip.
The sarcophagi of Karajía, then a free afternoon
Chachapoyas to Cruzpata and Karajía, then Huancas and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Chachapoyas
- Drive about 3.5 h
We leave at about 8 am for the hamlet of Cruzpata, about an hour and a half away, and walk down a steep path of about 30 minutes to a cliff face where the sarcophagi of Karajía stand on a ledge. These are tall clay figures, the tallest about 2.5 metres, with long faces and painted decoration, made by the Chachapoya to hold their important dead, several with a skull set on top. They have stood looking across the valley for about five centuries because the ledge is so hard to reach. After the climb back up we drive to Huancas, a village of potters just outside Chachapoyas, where women still shape pots by hand, and walk to the viewpoint over the Sonche canyon, a drop of several hundred metres.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Huancas or back in town. The afternoon is free: rest, walk the Plaza de Armas and the market, or try the local fruit liqueurs.
Included
- Karajía sarcophagi with your guide
- Huancas pottery village and the Sonche canyon viewpoint
- Lunch in Huancas or Chachapoyas
Optional experiences
- The Quiocta cave near Lamud, with its stalactites and old human bones (priced at booking)
Easier option: Watch from the top of the path at Cruzpata and join the group again at Huancas, or take the afternoon in town only.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Chachapoyas
Activity: The path to Karajía is short but steep and can be slippery, about 30 minutes down and 40 up.
Back to Lima
Chachapoyas to Jaén by road, then the flight to Lima
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Lima
- Drive about 4.5 h
We leave Chachapoyas at about 7 am for the road back down the Utcubamba valley to Jaén, about 4 hours with a coffee stop, and catch the flight to Lima, about an hour and a half. This is the longest day of driving on the trip, and it is the only practical way out: the alternative is a full day on the road to the coast. Your guide checks everyone in and sees the bags through.
Afternoon
A driver meets us in Lima for the run to Miraflores, under an hour outside rush hour, and you have the late afternoon to rest or walk the Malecón again.
Evening
In the evening we sit down together for a farewell dinner in Miraflores or Barranco, Lima's old seaside district of painted houses and the wooden Puente de los Suspiros, with a last chance to try the coast's seafood and talk through what you saw in the north.
Included
- Drive from Chachapoyas to Jaén with your guide
- Flight from Jaén to Lima
- Transfer to your hotel in Miraflores
- Farewell dinner
Free time: Late afternoon free in Lima
Activity: About 4 hours by road to Jaén plus the Lima airport run; the flight in between breaks it up.
The Larco Museum, then home
Miraflores to the Larco Museum, then Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The last morning ties the trip together. After breakfast we drive to the Larco Museum in Pueblo Libre, about 30 to 40 minutes from Miraflores, which opens at 9 am. Its collection of pre-Columbian pottery is one of the largest in Peru and is strong on exactly the cultures you met in the north: Moche portrait vessels and fineline painting, Chimú blackware and metalwork, and Chachapoya pieces, set in an 18th-century mansion with a garden of bougainvillea. Your guide picks out the pieces that match what you saw at the Huaca de la Luna, in the Sipán tombs and at Kuélap.
Afternoon
We leave the museum at about midday and drop you at the airport by about 12:45 pm, about 30 minutes away.
Evening
Most flights to North America leave Lima in the evening or at night, so if yours is late we drop you at the hotel instead (late checkout is not included, but the hotel holds your bags). Book a flight leaving after about 3 pm.
Included
- Larco Museum with your guide
- Drop-off at Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) or your hotel
Activity: The airport drop-off is at about 12:45 pm, so book a flight leaving after about 3 pm. We can add extra nights in Lima if you want to stay longer, or line this trip up with our Machu Picchu trip.
- Lima1 night
- Trujillo2 nights
- Chiclayo1 night
- Chachapoyas4 nights
- Lima1 night
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May to September is the dry season around Chachapoyas, with the firmest trails and clearer views at Kuélap; mornings can still be misty and nights cool. On the coast it is the cooler months: Lima is often grey, Trujillo usually milder and brighter. Gocta runs all year and is fullest early in the season. The cloud forest is good for birds, including hummingbirds.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who have done Machu Picchu and want the Peru few tours reach
- Archaeology lovers: Moche, Chimú and Chachapoya sites in one trip
- Walkers who like a long day on a cloud-forest trail, with an easier option alongside
- Travellers who prefer four nights in one base to packing every day
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Karajía, Kuélap and Gocta mean steep, uneven paths
- Travellers who want Machu Picchu on this trip (pair it with our Machu Picchu trip instead)
- Anyone who wants to avoid early starts and flight connections: two days start before 8 am
- Luxury hotels: northern Peru has good 3-star-plus hotels, few above that
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Lima1 night
- Trujillo2 nights
- Chiclayo1 night
- Chachapoyas4 nights
- Lima1 night
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 1 in Lima (Miraflores) at the start and 1 at the end, 2 in central Trujillo, 1 in Chiclayo, 4 in central Chachapoyas
- Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Lima airport (LIM)
- Four flights: Lima to Trujillo, Chiclayo to Jaén via Lima, and Jaén to Lima
- Our own vehicle and driver on the north coast, in Amazonas and in Lima
- The Kuélap cable car, both ways
- A short reed-boat ride in Huanchaco, sea permitting
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Local site guides at Chan Chan, the Huaca de la Luna and Kuélap, and a community guide on the Gocta trail
Activities
- Trujillo: Chan Chan and its site museum, the Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol, and the Museo Huacas de Moche
- Huanchaco: the reed-boat fishermen and sunset on the pier
- Lambayeque: the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán
- Chachapoyas: Kuélap, the Gocta waterfall walk, the Karajía sarcophagi, Huancas and the Sonche canyon viewpoint
- Lima: the Larco Museum
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 7 lunches: Huanchaco, the Moche countryside, Lambayeque or Chiclayo, on the road to Chachapoyas, near Kuélap, Cocachimba and Huancas
- 2 dinners: welcome and farewell in Lima
Not included
- International flights to and from Lima
- Visa, if your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed: 7 dinners, and lunches on days 1, 9 and 10
- Drinks
- Tips for your guides and drivers
- Optional activities, such as El Brujo, Túcume, the Quiocta cave and a horse on the Gocta trail
- Excess baggage on domestic flights
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 765 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights in central hotels, 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 2 dinners, four domestic flights, airport transfers in Lima, our own vehicle and driver in each region, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local site guides, the Kuélap cable car and every entry on the day plan, from Chan Chan and the Sipán museum to Gocta, Karajía and the Larco Museum.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That keeps the steep path at Karajía and the Gocta trail manageable, lets everyone hear the site guides at Chan Chan and Kuélap, and fits the whole group around one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from the first evening in Lima to the airport on the last day, handling every flight, transfer and meal. Licensed local guides join at Chan Chan, the Huaca de la Luna and Kuélap, and a guide from the Cocachimba community leads the Gocta walk.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. Most days mean 2 to 3 hours on foot. The Gocta walk is about 10 to 12 km with steady climbs, but you can take a horse or walk only to the viewpoint. Karajía has a short, steep path, and Kuélap is at about 3,000 metres, so you will notice the altitude.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 765 more, shown before you book with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure; if you would rather share, ask us and we will tell you whether another solo guest of the same sex has asked to share on your date.
When is the best time to go?
May to September, the dry season in the Andes of Amazonas, when the trails to Gocta and Karajía are firmest and Kuélap's views are clearest. The coast is cooler and often grey then, especially in Lima. From November to April heavy rain makes the cloud-forest trails muddy and roads less reliable.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We check the flights and hotels and confirm your place within 24 hours. No payment is taken when you request; we only ask for payment once your trip is confirmed. Dates are set so the Sipán museum day never falls on a Monday, when it is closed.
Can I travel on my own dates?
Yes. The trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,100 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, flights, drivers and local guides; that is an inquiry, not a set style.
Do I need a visa for Peru?
Canadian, US, UK and most EU passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay in Peru, and you receive your entry permit on arrival. Check the rules for your own passport, and travel with the passport you book with, because domestic flight tickets are issued in that name.
Is Kuélap open after the 2022 wall collapse?
Yes, Kuélap has reopened, but part of the outer wall collapsed in April 2022 and visits now follow a set circuit with a local guide. We confirm what is open and how the cable car is running on your dates, and send it with your final itinerary.
How do you get to Chachapoyas?
We fly. The road from the coast to Chachapoyas takes about 9 hours, so we fly from Chiclayo to Jaén, connecting in Lima, then drive about 4 hours up the Utcubamba valley. On the way out we drive back to Jaén and fly to Lima. If a connection does not run, we tell you the road plan before you travel.
Can I add Machu Picchu?
Yes. Our Lima, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by train trip also starts in Lima, so you can do that trip before or after this one. Tell us when you request to book, and we will add the nights in Lima between the two.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.