Departure times
- Departure: 6:00 AM
- Back around 7:00 PM
Essentials at a glance
- Duration
- 13 h
- Type
- Private
- Departures
- 06:30
- Pickup
- Hotels in Miraflores, San Isidro & Barranco
- Languages
- English & Spanish
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before
The experience
Why you’ll love this
North of Lima, in the Supe Valley, the Sacred City of Caral flourished more than 5,000 years ago: the oldest civilization in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You walk all seven of its pyramids, from the Amphitheater to the Quarry, and the residential complex where its people lived, with the site’s local guide and your Apullay guide beside you the whole way. On the way out, specialty coffee with a brewing demonstration; on the way back, a regional lunch in Huacho.
Tip: bring a hat and sunscreen. The site is in open desert.
- All seven pyramids of the archaeological circuit
- Specialty coffee with a brewing demonstration
- Private transport and tickets, with your Apullay guide all day
- Breakfast and a regional lunch included
Step by step
Your route
Hotel pickup
Your private guide and driver collect you and head north on the Panamericana. You travel with your own group — no other pickups along the way.
Specialty coffee and breakfast
We stop at Café Típica in Ventanilla. Beyond breakfast, they tell you where the bean comes from and brew a coffee by hand in front of you.
Supe Valley
The desert opens into a green valley of sugar cane and maize. Five thousand years ago, someone decided to settle here and build the first city in the Americas.
Sacred City of Caral
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest civilization on the continent: these pyramids rose while Egypt was building its own, almost four thousand years before the Incas.
Amphitheater Pyramid
Its tiered circular plaza opens the walk. Thirty-two flutes carved from condor and pelican bone were found buried beneath its floor.
Huanca Pyramid
A tall standing stone, the huanca, was raised in front of it, aligned with the stairway to watch the sky.
Gallery Pyramid
Named after a roofed passage with white walls and seven niches, wide enough for one person at a time.
Lesser Pyramid
The smallest in the upper sector, seven and a half meters, with the same stepped outline as the rest.
Great Pyramid
The tallest at Caral. A stairway nine meters wide climbs to the sacred fire altar at the top.
Quarry Pyramid
Built on the rock outcrop that supplied the stone the whole city was raised with.
Residential complex
Interconnected rooms of cane and clay, where the people who built all this lived.
Lunch in Huacho
Down to the coast, to a restaurant chosen for its regional cooking and its standards. Time to sit down and enjoy without rushing.
Return to Lima
Back onto the Panamericana with the Pacific on one side and the desert on the other. Three hours to rest and take in what you saw.
Hotel arrival
We drop you at your hotel door in Lima, with plenty of time for dinner in Miraflores or Barranco.
Everything taken care of
What’s included
- Private transport
- Bilingual Apullay guide with you all day
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Caral entrance tickets
- Breakfast and specialty coffee, with a brewing demonstration
- Traditional lunch in Huacho
- Taxes included
- Local site guide at the archaeological park (required by Caral’s rules)
Not included
- Additional meals and drinks
- Tips
- Personal expenses
Good to know before you go
Plan your day with confidence
Pickup and return
- Hotels in Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco
- Elsewhere in Lima? Ask us for a quote.
- We’ll confirm your exact pickup time.
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Water
- A charged phone or camera
- A light jacket in winter
Important information
- Minimum 2 travelers.
- 50% surcharge on Peruvian national holidays.
- Dietary or mobility needs? Tell us in advance.
- Inside the Sacred City of Caral the walk is led by a local site guide: this is the archaeological park’s rule. We always request the smallest possible group, or a private slot when one is available, and your Apullay guide stays with you throughout to translate and answer your questions.
- Card declined? Ask your bank to enable international online purchases. If it still fails, write to us and we will give you another payment method.
Clear before you confirm
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour. This is a private experience for your group only. You’ll receive your confirmation email within 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What does the day look like, and how much driving is there?
It's a full day of about 13 hours. We pick you up at your hotel at 6:00 a.m. and head north on the Panamericana, stop for breakfast around 7:00 in Ventanilla, reach the Supe valley near 11:00 and walk the Sacred City of Caral at midday. You are back in Lima in the late afternoon.
Which meals are included?
Breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is at Café Típica, with specialty coffee and a brewing demonstration; lunch is traditional food in Huacho. Tell us when you book if you have any dietary restrictions.
Why is there a local guide inside the Sacred City?
The archaeological site requires the walk inside the city to be led by an official Caral guide. That service is already included in your rate and works alongside your Apullay bilingual guide, who is with you all day.
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Ready for this experience?
Book your date online, or message our local team on WhatsApp for help planning your day in Lima.