Departure times
- Morning departure: 8:30 AM · Back at your hotel: around 5:15 PM
- The times in the itinerary are approximate and may shift with traffic and the group's pace.
- We do not operate on Mondays: the Pachacamac sanctuary is closed that day.
Essentials at a glance
- Duration
- 9 h
- Type
- Small group
- Departures
- 08:30
- Pickup
- Hotels in Miraflores, San Isidro & Barranco
- Languages
- English & Spanish
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 hours before
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The experience
Why you’ll love this
Long before Lima became the City of Kings, pilgrims traveled to consult the oracle of Pachacamac. Walk its temples and adobe pyramids above the Pacific with an expert guide, enjoy a Peruvian lunch in the Historic Center, then explore colonial Lima, from Plaza San Martín to the catacombs of San Francisco.
Tip: bring a hat and sunscreen for the open desert of Pachacamac.
Highlights · Small group
- Explore the sanctuary of Pachacamac
- Stand before the Temple of the Sun
- Walk Lima’s UNESCO-listed Historic Center
- Lunch and all entry tickets included
Step by step
Your route
Hotel pickup
We pick you up in Miraflores, San Isidro or Barranco and head south. In a little over half an hour the city gives way to the Lurín valley.
Pachacamac Site Museum
This is where the Pachacamac idol is kept, a carved wooden post made some 1,300 years ago. Analysis found red cinnabar carried from 400 km away, plus white and yellow — the idol was painted.
Acllahuasi
The House of the Chosen Women, built by the Incas between 1470 and 1533. Here lived the women selected for religious service, weaving and preparing the offerings for the ceremonies.
Pyramid with Ramp
The sanctuary has sixteen of them: stacked adobe platforms with a central ramp, built by the Ychsma lords between 1100 and 1470, when Pachacamac drew pilgrims from across ancient Peru.
Temple of the Sun
The Incas built it on the highest point of the sanctuary. From the platform you see the ocean, the islands and the whole Lurín valley — the best view of the day.
Lunch in the Historic Center
We drive back into Lima and have lunch at a selected restaurant downtown, Peruvian cooking and a good standard. Let us know in advance about any dietary restrictions.
Plaza San Martín
Inaugurated on 27 July 1921, for the centenary of independence. At its centre, Mariano Benlliure's monument shows San Martín crossing the Andes, ringed by white façades.
Jirón de la Unión
The pedestrian street linking the two squares. It was Lima's elegant promenade — wooden balconies, old mansions and shopfronts that are still the downtown's commercial heart.
Basílica de La Merced
Founded in 1535, as old as the city itself. Its baroque doorway is carved in stone, and inside there is almost always a line of limeños waiting to pray to Friar Pedro Urraca.
Plaza Mayor
Lima was founded here on 18 January 1535. Around it stand the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace; at its centre, the fountain inaugurated in 1651, the oldest thing still standing in the square.
San Francisco Monastery & Catacombs
Lima's best-preserved baroque complex: a Mudéjar wooden dome, cedar choir stalls carved in 1658 and a library of 25,000 volumes. Below the floor, the catacombs that served as the city's cemetery until 1810.
Drive back
We leave the historic centre and head back to your hotel, through the afternoon traffic.
Hotel drop-off
We drop you off at your hotel door in Miraflores, San Isidro or Barranco.
Everything taken care of
What’s included · Small group
- Official bilingual guide
- Air-conditioned transport
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Pachacamac and San Francisco Catacombs entrance
- Lunch in the Historic Center
Not included · Small group
- 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
Important information
- Minimum 2 travelers.
- 50% surcharge on Peruvian national holidays.
- Dietary or mobility needs? Tell us in advance.
- Times are a guide: Lima traffic and each group's pace can move the stops earlier or later.
- 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
Clear before you confirm
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour. Your group rate is locked in when you book and won’t change if other travelers join your date later. You’ll receive your confirmation email within 15 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What does the day look like?
About 9 hours. We collect you at 8:30 in the morning and head south to the Pachacamac sanctuary. Then we return to the Historic Center for lunch and the catacombs beneath the San Francisco Monastery. We drop you back at your hotel at around 5:15 in the afternoon.
What is there to see at Pachacamac?
It was the most important oracle on the coast and was occupied for some fifteen hundred years, long before the Incas arrived. You walk the adobe pyramids, the Temple of the Sun on the cliff and the Acllahuasi, the house of the chosen women. The site museum holds the carved wooden idol the place was named after.
Can children join?
Yes. Children 0–3 join free, children 4–11 get 20% off the standard rate, and from 12 the adult rate applies.
Why is there no departure on Mondays?
The Pachacamac sanctuary closes on Mondays, so we do not run this tour that day. The calendar will not offer you a Monday. If Monday is your only free day, write to us and we will suggest another tour of Lima.
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