Backpacking in northern Peru - Part 2

Diego Arias at the Galapagos Islands

SOLEQMASTER

The first part of the Peru blog was about entering the country and all the details to consider. Then it was about the onward journey and my stay in the coastal town of Mancora. This part is about my last days in Peru, which I spent in Trujillo, Huacahina and Lima. Come with me on the journey and get information about things to do and see in the Latin American country of Peru. Experience the second part of my adventure with me: BACKPACKING IN NORTHERN PERU – PART 2

Trujillo and the ruins of Chan Chan

From Mancora, we took the night bus to the city of Trujillo. We went to our hotel in the morning and visited Trujillo in the afternoon. The Plaza de Armas in particular was beautiful. In general, Trujillo reminded us of cities from eastern countries, as we were more familiar with the colors and architecture from those countries.

square in the old town of Trujillo

On our second day in Trujillo, we went to the ancient Inca city of Chan-Chan. The ruins of this city are very well preserved and gave us a great insight into the life of the inhabitants of Peru at that time. As my cousin and I are students, we got a small discount on the entrance fee. In “Chan-Chan” you could also see epochal differences in the architecture, as the stones and structure of the buildings visibly changed. After our visit to “Chan-Chan”, we took the bus to the coast. However, it was very windy by the sea and the waves were particularly high, so we didn’t go swimming and just strolled past the stands on the beach.

Huacachina - an oasis in the Peruvian coastal desert

From Trujillo, we drove heading towards Ica. We only changed buses in Lima, as Lima was a later destination for both of us. We arrived in the desert city of Ica around midday and took a cab to the neighboring town of Huacachina. We left our luggage at our hotel and then walked through Huacahina. We were immediately impressed by the desert town, as the ambience with the lake in the foreground, the restaurants around it and the dunes behind it was simply breathtaking.

the oasis of Huacachina in the peruvian desert

It was almost surreal to be in such a beautiful place, the experience was made even better when we were able to watch the sunset from one of the desert mountains. In the evening we went out for dinner and drank cocktails containing the Peruvian liquor “Pisco”. In the evening we visited the club “Las Arenas”, where we met not only locals but also many other travelers.

We spent the next morning in the hotel pool until we were picked up by our tour guides at around 5 p.m. to go down the dunes on boards. After the tour, my cousin and I watched the Peruvian sun go down together for the last time.

desert in Peru near the oasis Huacachina

At the terminal in Ica, I said goodbye to my cousin, who was taking the night bus south to the Peruvian city of Arequipa. I stayed one more night in an Airbnb in Ica, visited a restaurant in the evening with other backpackers I had met the day before and then made my way from the terminal in Ica to Lima the next day.

The Peruvian capital Lima

The bus left at around 11.30 a.m. and reached the capital of Peru after 5 hours. At the terminal, I took a cab to my hotel, which was relatively centrally located. Despite the good location, I only reached the hotel 1.5 hours later, as there was a lot of traffic and many road closures in Lima. The next day, I explored the city center of Lima, which, to be honest, didn’t really inspire me, due to the many cars that made it unpleasant to walk through the city. However, I did walk through some parks and saw historical buildings, such as museums, which I liked.

park and buildings in the historical center of Lima

On the next and last day of my trip, I took a cab to the airport in Lima, flew from there back to Quito in Ecuador and ended my two-week, wonderful and unforgettable trip in Peru.

Peru is a great, diverse country and is definitely worth a visit. We offer tours to Peru and can customize the trip according to your wishes. We are also happy to visit sights in the southern part of Peru. For example, the Inca city of Machu Picchu, Cusco or Lake Titicacca. Please contact us for more information. We look forward to going on a safe, wonderful trip to Peru with you!