Colonial City Center of Lima and Monastery
You will be picked up by our guide and drive to the Colonial Center of Lima in private transport. This is where the city of Lima was founded two centuries ago by the Spaniards with 'help' from the Incas. On the beautiful central square, Plaza de Armas, we find the cathedral built by the Spaniards on an old (pre-)Inca temple. On this square, you will also find the Governmental Palace and the private Club de la Union. We will take a walk through the center, try a local "soft" drink, cross the central square pass by impressive buildings, and visit an old monastery with catacombs. After this visit, we will drive back to the hotel.
City Walk in Lima’s Colonial Center
4 hours
You will be picked up by our guide and drive to the Colonial Center of Lima. From there, we will take a walk past colonial squares and historic buildings. We will walk to a local market where everything is sold: from fish to guinea pigs, and from strawberries to the most exotic fruits. Be sure that we will try a few of them. We continue our walk past even more colossal buildings and the old San Francisco monastery (we will walk past it). If possible, we will also visit an old bank. The old center is truly surprising!
Over the past decade, the old center has been renovated, and many nice restaurants have opened where you can continue to enjoy yourself after the excursion. Transportation back to the hotel is at your own expense and is therefore not included. Just like in any big city, you naturally stand out as a tourist, so leave your valuables in your hotel room and keep your phone and wallet in a safe place.
Day Trip Paracas and Huacachina
Full day
We depart early from the hotel (5:30-6:00 AM) to travel to the Paracas Nature Reserve with its beautiful, desolate beaches. You can take a dip here (the weather is fine from November to early May), and the guide will tell you more about this impressive desert. After this stop, we drive on to the Oasis of Huacachina, an old village surrounding a small lake filled with palm trees. The surroundings are impressive, and you can explore the area further by buggy. (This trip is not included.) However, you can also simply take a walk along the water. We return to Lima in the evening.
Caral
Full day
Caral belongs to one of the oldest civilizations in the world and dates back to the same era as the Egyptian Pyramids. This city is much older than Machu Picchu and therefore predates the Incas by a long time! (2500 BC) We drive a long way along the Pan Americana Highway until we turn off and continue driving through rolling, mountainous desert landscapes and fertile valleys along the riverbeds. After a total of about 4 hours, we arrive at Caral. We take an interesting walk through this city, which consists of pyramids, plazas, ruins of houses, and other structures.
Lima’s Little Galapagos
Half day
Transfer from the hotel with our guide. After a drive of about 40 minutes, we arrive at the pier where we board a speedboat. We sail past various islands with an interesting history. We encounter many bird species! We often see a penguin colony (Humboldt penguins) diving off the rocks. After sailing for about an hour, we are close to a large island with colonies of sea lions—about 2,000 to 3,000 and sometimes even as many as 6,000 sea lions (July-Oct); they are roaring, sleeping, or playing in the sea. We bring wetsuits so you can swim with the sea lions. It is simply a very fun and special trip, and of course, with the necessary dose of fun!
