Short Trip in and Around Lima

Pick-up from your hotel for a city tour of colonial and modern Lima, including the cathedral, dating from 1654, the main square, which still houses the original bronze fountain built in 1650, and the San Francisco Convent and its catacombs. Known as the city of the kings, Lima was founded in 1535 by Pizarro and rebuilt in 1991, the same year that UNESCO declared it a world heritage site. One of the very few South American cities that preserve the colonial past, Lima was home to the Spanish viceroy during the time of the Spanish colonialists. The tour also includes a visit to the residential areas of San Isidro and Miraflores, stopping at Larco Mar to enjoy a view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Return to your hotel or extend your tour by a visit to one or more of the museums listed below.

The Gold Museum was originally from a private collection and includes valuable pieces, particularly gold, silver and copper from several pre-Hispanic cultures. The most precious piece in the collection is the solid gold Tumi (ceremonial knife) belonging to the Lambayeque culture. Specific museums of this culture are available on our Lambayeque museums package, see Lambayeque museums.
The Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum is one of the best private museums in Peru. With a fabulous collection of northern cultures articularly of the Mochica culture. The museum was founded in 1926 in Trujillo but was transferred in the 1950's to Lima. There is a room of mummies,textiles (including a Paracas cloak over 2000 years old), and several gold and silver vaults. The National Museum of Anthropology, Archaeology and History is located in the Magdalena Palace and houses interesting artefacts from the Kotosh and Chavin cultures including the Tello Obelisk from Chavin. There are displays of the Chimu and Lambayeque cultures in addition to a gallery of the Peruvian Viceroyalty.
The Museum of the Nation is a permanent exhibition of textiles and artefacts from many pre-Hispanic cultures.

Transfer from your hotel 30 Km south of Lima to the pre-inca complex of Pachacamac. Thought to be an oracle and also royal dwellings, the site is clearly divided into three parts; the first and oldest temple of rustic design, the second, known as the temple of the sun, and the third or temple of the moon, known as Aclla Wasi, which is clearly of Inca design.

Transfer from your hotel for a full day's guided visit to Caral, the oldest civilisation in the Americas. Dating back to over 3000BC, this arliest of settlements developed almost simultaneously with the civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China. Full day tour before returning to Lima and your hotel.

Transfer from your hotel for a full day's trip to the port of Callao, just south of Lima. From here transfer to the dock for a four hour cruise around several islands including Palomino, San Lorenzo, Cabinzas and El Fronton. On the cruise you will see many sealions and seabirds and is a great alternative for those who do not wish to travel further south to the Ballestas Islands.

Early transfer to the bus terminal for the 5 AM bus to Pisco. Reception and transfer to the port for the boat to the Ballestas islands. Commonly referred to as the "little Galapagos", here you will see an amazing concentration of sea birds and sea lions in their natural habitat along with the famous "candelabra" enigma, marked into the desert hillside. This engraving has nothing to the do with the Nazca Lines but is thought to be an old pirate warning over two centuries old. After the boat tour, return to the mainland for an excursion to the Paracas National Reserve, the only coastal reserve in Peru. Here you will visit several museums showing the natural history of Paracas and also the ancient Paracas culture in addition to the beautiful "cathedral", a natural rock formation. After lunch, return to Pisco. In the afternoon, transfer to the bus terminal for the return bus to Lima. Transfer to your hotel.

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