Peru: Lima Tours

Overview

Add some of these day tours, during your free day or extra day in Lima. Then head to Cusco, Huaraz or other cities in Peru for continued adventures!

Lima is a large city, but it has marvelous churches, museums and archeological sites. Plan an extra day to see some of these gems! Be sure to ask your guide to see the wonderful new fountains and water park (Parque Reserva) in the city!

Lima City Tour (Half Day)
Pachacamac Archeological Complex (Half Day)
Lima City Tour and Pachacamac with lunch (Full Day)
Lima Museum(s) Tour (Half Day)
Lima Culinary Tour (Full Day)
Palomino Island (Full Day)
Dolphin Adventure (Full Day)
Caral Archaeological Site (Full Day or Two Days)

Cruise Ship Day Tours (1/2 or Full Day)

Lima

Lima City Tour (half day)

This is an ideal introduction to Peruvian culture, colonial and modern. Our tour guide will give us the history and details about many of the important buildings in the city center. A walk on the Plaza de Armes allows time to see the Cathedral and the Bishop's residence. A tour of the San Francisco Church nearby, takes us down into the fascinating catacombs. Pick up and return to Lima hotel. Price includes bi-lingual guide, transportation with driver, and entrance fees. Available any day.

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel, car and driver, bilingual guide, entrances to sites visited.

Pachacamac Archaeological Complex (half day)

This half day trip takes us about 30 km southeast of Lima for a tour of the extensive archaeological complex. This area is comprised of palaces, temples and pyramids that pre-date the Incas, beginning with the Wari culture in the year 200 A.D. We will have time to climb the stairs to the top of the Sun Temple and visit the museum. Pick up and return to Lima hotel. Price includes bi-lingual guide, transportation with driver, and entrance fee. Available any day.

For a special treat, you can extend the afternoon tour by attending the Hacienda Mamacona for an extraordinary Peruvian Paso Horse Show, Andean dinner and folk dancing program. Starts at 16:30 p.m. on Thursdays only (3 hours). Let us know if you are interested in adding this to your Pachacamac tour or would like to book it independently.

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel, car and driver, bilingual guide, entrances to Pachacamac ruins.

Lima City Tour and Pachacamac with lunch (full day)

This is a full day tour with the best of Lima and the Pachacamac Archaeological Complex!

You will be picked up at your hotel and we begin in Barranco, the bohemian suburb of Lima city and the best expression of the Lima´s night life. We will go by the The Central Park, The Municipal Library, colonial houses, the traditional Sighs´s Bridge and its famous boulevard. Continuing with the tour, we will go to Chorrillos suburb, long time ago considered the most exclusive summer resort of Lima. Nowadays, Chorrillos is the only suburb in Lima that an ecological reserve “ Pantanos de Villa ” which we will see on our way to Pachacamac.

Taking the South Pan American Highway we will arrive to Pachacamac, the most important Ceremonial Center of the Peruvian Coast during pre-inca and Inca times. The early inhabitants used to come here to worship and to give offerings to their God “ Pachacamac ”. Here, we are going to see several mudded buildings from different early times. At the course of the centuries, Pachacamac was occupied by many different andean civilizations such as Lima, Wari, Ichma until the Incas Empire, but it always kept its religious status. Among the most important constructions we have Adobitos Temple ( I C. A.D ), Pachacamac Old Temple ( I C. A.D ), The Painted Temple ( VIII C. A.D ), Pyramids with Ramp ( XIII C. A.D ),The Sun Temple ( XV C. A.D ). Besides the ruins we will find a museum that houses potteries, textiles, shell and stone ornaments, as well as the wooden Pachacamac Idol, found during the excavations in 1938.

Around 1:00 pm we will arrive to the chosen restaurant. Here you will be able to try and enjoy a wide variety of typical Peruvian food. We invite you to discover the unique and delicious flavors of our food.

We will continue our tour in the modern suburbs of San Isidro and Miraflores. We will pass by the Financial Center , also Huallamarca and Pucllana, both pre-inca pyramidal temples that have survived the expansion of modern civilization. We will see the San Isidro`s Golf, the Olive Grove Park and the Miraflores Board Walk. From this place, we will have a nice view of the Pacific Ocean.

We will see Lima`s historic downtown, which has been classified by Unesco as a Cultural Heritage of Humankind in 1991. In this journey, we will admire what once was the Spanish Colony Center back in the 16th century. We will appreciate the San Martin Square, it`s beautiful wooden carved balconies and old colonial houses, the Main Square, the President`s Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop`s Palace , the City Hall, the Desamparados Train Station, among other landmarks.

At the end of the city tour we will visit the San Francis of Asis Monastery (San Francisco Church) and it`s famous underground crypts known as Catacombs. Return to the hotel.

Daily Departures : 9:00 am Tour Length is 8 ½ hours ; min 2 .

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel
Professional driver and transportation
Bilingual tour guide
Complimentary drink + snack
Buffet lunch at the chosen restaurant
Entrance tickets
Guided visit to the Pachacamac ruins
Guided visit to the Saint Francis of Asis Monastery and catacombs

Lima Museum(s) Tour (half day)

For those who want to see one or more of the city's museums, this half day trip is very worthwhile. Choose from any of the following museums: Larco Museum, Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, National Museum, Natural History Museum. Or if you have a specific request, we can arrange it. Pick up and return to your Lima hotel. Price includes bi-lingual guide, transportation with driver, and entrance fee(s). Available any day, but subject to opening hours of the specific museums.

When booking, you will need to let us know in advance which museum you prefer, so that times, prices, and museum openings can be assured. Pick up and return to your hotel. Usually there is time for only one museum, e.g., the Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology takes 2 1/2 hours to tour properly. If you would like two museums, we will try to coordinate those times.

Lima Culinary Tour

Starting around 10:00 a.m., we will first visit a market, for a demonstration of the different fishes,vegetables and fruits of Peru. As the bus takes us to a Cevicheria, we see an audiovisual about our traditional cheviche. In the Cevicheria, we will have a tasty presentation of cheviche.

Returning to the bus, we will have an entertaining audiovisual about the history and processing of Pisco. As we view this video, the bus will take us directly to the Ica Valley, to appreciate how Pisco is made. Guided visit to Pisco tavern and cellar, helps us learn how to mix Pisco Sour and other Peruvian cocktails. We will taste Peru's famous national drink, the Pisco. En route back to Lima, we will see a video about Peruvian food history, including comments from the most renowned Peruvian chefs.

There are two options for lunch:

Culinary Gold - Lunch at typical Peruvian food restaurant. The lunch buffet includes the best and most traditional dishes of Peruvian cuisine.
Culinary Silver - Visit a typical Peruvian restaurant and taste the traditional "anticuchos" and enjoy Peru's sweet "picarones".

Includes: Pick up and return to Lima hotel, bi-lingual guide, bus transportation with driver, and lunch. Available any day.

Palomino Island

This is a full day boat tour, exploring the coast of el Callao and visiting the Island of Palomino. You will interact with the wildlife, such as sea lions, sea birds and penguins, that live in this area. Pick up at your hotel and begin the boat tour, watching for the unique, touching sites that will leave you pondering the moving beauty of nature.

Our tour will pass by or visit these wonderful islands:

El Camotal: Part of the old port of el Callao, this island is covered by the ocean as a result of the 1746 earthquake. On low-tide days, you may observe some remains.

San Lorenzo Island: Once the place of religious centers in pre-Columbian times, it became a bone yard for seamen, pirates and corsairs during the Colony. Later, it was used for research by many, including Charles Darwin. Now, as a military area, you will have a panoramic view of the island as we sail past.

El Fronton Island: This sticks out of the seas as a huge rock! You will see the remains of the eponymous old Penitentiary...and listen to some of its countless stories and anecdotes!

Cavinzas Islands: This group of islands have many natural caves and caverns. It is the last guano harvesting site. Now, the isles are a natural paradise for seabirds such as pelicans, Peruvian boobies, iguanas, re-legged cormorants, and a variety of gulls. We may even see Humboldt penguins.

Palomino Islands: This is an important group of islands for habitat and refuge for sea lions. These huge, frolicsome, friendly animals thrive in these rocky islands, with plenty of trilling natural caves and caverns. If you are prepared, you may take a bath and a picture with sea lions in the background!

The exciting day on the water and viewing wildlife ends with your return to your hotel.

NOTE: All of our procedures in the field are controlled by an Environmental Management System certified under ISO 14001.

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel, car and driver, bilingual guide, boat tour and entrance fees.

Dolphin Adventure

This is an unforgettable experience as we take to the waters off the Peruvian coast. Peru is the world's best dolphin watching destination. The average density of dolphins along the coast is four times as much as in any other place in the world. More than 1000 dolphins have been identified in the area between Paracas and Lima. You will observe dozens of dolphins jumping in the waves, socializing or fishing, and you will experience dolphins close up, when they come to the boat for bow riding just a meter away!

You will be picked up at your hotel in the morning and dropped off later afternoon. Lunch included. We guarantee that you will see dolphins!

NOTE: All of our procedures in the field are controlled by an Environmental Management System certified under ISO 14001.

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel, car and driver, bilingual guide, boat tour, entrance fees, if applicable.

Caral Archaeological Site Tour

caral North of Lima is one of the oldest civilizations of America. Caral, located in the middle of the desert close to the Supe River, is compared with the cultures and civilizations from Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Caral is a monumental and architectural complex, which developed completely isolated from other pre-Inca civilizations. Its economical, social, and political organization became the basis for the Inca Empire. The name Caral, comes from the nearest town to the site.

Caral is comprised of 32 architectural sites with different sizes and functions. To date six buildings and a pyramid have been excavated; a series of medium and small buildings, including temples, residential areas, public squares, amphitheater, shops, shrines,and streets have been identified. Most are still covered with the rubble of the walls knocked down by the passage of time. A tour to Caral is the beginning of an imaginary experience 3,000 years before our time, where the grandeur, mystery and magic of the pre-Inca civilization will whet your curiosity.

The tour itself: Our tour begins at 7:00 a.m. when our guide, driver and vehicle pick us up at our hotel. The drive to the ruins is 3 hours with stops at Ancon Bay and Pasamayo. At Huaral Valley, we will have a break for refreshments; then on to the Caral Complex. After touring this amazing site, we have lunch at a restaurant in Barranca City. Then we return to Lima, arriving to our hotel about 19:00 p.m.

There is an option to stay overnight at the Chavin Hotel in Barranca, returning the next day. This allows more time at the ruins, time to observing and meeting native people at work on their farms.

Includes: Pick up and drop off at hotel, car and driver, bilingual guide, entrance fees, lunch.

Cruise Ship Day Tours

When your cruise ship docks in Callao (Lima vicinity) or Puerto General San Martin (Paracas), we can pick you up at your dock, provide a day trip or tour and return you at the end of the day, prior to your sailing !

Our guides speak excellent English, vans are large and roomy, your group size can be small: 2-10 persons.

When you book with us, you may then put your tours and prices on your cruise ship’s chat mail or blog and let us know of others who are interested in joining you. We accept payments from the individuals in your group, send a reservation confirmation to everyone...and provide a wonderful tour for your time in Peru!

We specialize in Peru cultural tours and treks, and are most pleased to help you with your plans!

DAY TRIPS/TOURS FOR LIMA:

#1 -- 1/2 day tour of Lima (colonial and modern), in a group or private guided tour (08:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).

#2 -- 1/2 day tour of a Lima museum (your choice of Larco Museum, National Museum or the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), private guided tour (08:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).

#3 -- Full day culinary tour in the Lima vicinity (markets, cheviche and pisco!), including lunch at a typical Peruvian restaurant, in a group tour (09:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

#4 -- Full day tour of Lima (colonial and modern), lunch at a typical Peruvian restaurant, tour of Pachacamac Archaeological Complex, in a group or private guided tours (08:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

#5 -- Add the Hacienda Mamacona’s Peruvian Paso Horse Show, Dinner and Folklorica Dance Program (4:00 - 8:00 p.m.), if you are in Lima on a Thursday, and your cruise ship does not sail until 10:00 p.m.

DAY TRIPS/TOURS FOR PARACAS:

#6 -- Full day tour of Paracas National Preserve (private tour) and boat tour of Ballestas Isles (sea lions, pelicans, penguins and dolphins), with lunch on your own (07:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).

#7 -- Full day to Ica for a Nazca Lines overflight, visit the local Ica museum and Ica shops, with lunch on your own (09:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).

PRICING FOR CRUISE SHIP DAY TOURS:

Pricing for Lima Tours

2010 PRICING

Price per person:

#Passengers	2	3	4-6	7-8	Join Group
City Tour (1/2 day)	$65	$55	$55	$45	$35
Pachacamac (1/2 day)	$70	$55	$50	$35	$45
Museum Tours - 1 or 2	$85-$120	$65-$95	$65-$95	$50-$75	n/a
Culinary Tour - Gold	$135	$135	$135	$135	Group only
Culinary Tour -Silver	$130	$130	$130	$130	Group only
Caral Tour - 1 day tour	$295	$210	$165	$120	n/a
Caral Tour - 2 days tour	$360	$255	$195	$155	n/a
Lima City Tour and Pachacamac, with lunch	$165	$130	$125	$100	$95
Palomino Islands - Full day	Upon request	Upon request	Upon request	Upon request	n/a
Dolphin Adventures - Full day	Upon request	Upon request	Upon request	Upon request	n/a

DESTINATIONS

Tours

Preparation