Day trips from Lima: the city, the desert and the coast

Lima is a colonial centre, a newer city on the cliffs above the Pacific, and an adobe pyramid older than the Incas in the middle of Miraflores. Beyond it is desert: Pachacamac to the south, Paracas further down the coast, Caral to the north. Here is what each of our five involves.

One day in the city: the full-day tour, with the Larco Museum. One day out of it: Pachacamac is the short one; Paracas and Caral are long days on the road.

The five, side by side

Trip	Length	Leaves	Price
Lima: Full-Day Private Tour with the Larco Museum, Old Lima and Barranco	8h	07:00	from €190
Lima: Private City Tour of the Historic Centre, Miraflores and Barranco	4h	07:00	from €120
Pachacamac Private Tour from Lima, with Barranco and Chorrillos	5h	07:00	from €130
Paracas National Reserve Private Day Trip from Lima	12h	07:00	from €290
Caral Sacred City Private Day Trip from Lima	11h	07:00	from €320

Prices are starting prices and depend on the size of your group.

How to choose

You have one day in Lima

The full-day city tour. Eight hours from 07:00: the Plaza Mayor while it is still quiet, the San Francisco monastery and its catacombs, the pre-Columbian pottery, gold and textiles of the Larco Museum, lunch in Miraflores, then Huaca Pucllana, the clifftops and Barranco. The early start is to reach the centre before the traffic builds.

You only have half a day

The four-hour city tour, at 07:00 or 13:00: the Plaza Mayor, the San Francisco monastery, Huaca Pucllana, the clifftop parks of Miraflores and the Bridge of Sighs in Barranco. No museum, and your driver picks the order that avoids the worst of the traffic.

You want ruins without a long drive

Pachacamac. Five hours, at 07:00 or 13:00: Barranco and the fishermen's beach at Chorrillos, then the sanctuary of temples and pyramids above the Lurín valley, about 40 km south. Pachacamac is closed on Mondays, and on Sundays it closes at 16:00, so choose 07:00 on a Sunday.

You want the desert meeting the sea

Paracas. Twelve hours, the longest day here, with about three hours each way on the Panamericana Sur: the cliffs and the dark red sand of Playa Roja in the national reserve, lunch at the fishing cove of Lagunillas, and the seafront at El Chaco. The boats to the Ballestas Islands leave before we arrive, so the islands are not part of this day. Message us before booking if they matter to you.

You want one great site, and do not mind the drive

Caral. Eleven hours, with around three and a half hours each way: pyramids and circular sunken plazas on a terrace above the Supe valley, from a city more than 5,000 years old. The site is open desert, so wear good shoes and bring a hat and water.

Four things worth knowing before you book

Entrances are paid on the day

The price covers the private vehicle, the driver, fuel, tolls and parking. Entrances to the monastery, the museums and the sites, the Paracas reserve, any boat trip and lunch are paid on the day.

Traffic sets the order

Lima traffic is heavy at rush hour, and coming back into the city at the end of a long day can add time. That is why the days start early, and why your driver sets the order on the day. Bring a light jacket: the coast is often grey and cool from June to October.

Private costs less than you think for a group

A coach seat is cheap for one person and stops being cheap at four. Our prices are by group size, not per seat: up to four of you share one car at one price, and the price only steps up when you need a van. And you are not waiting for forty strangers at every stop.

You can change your mind

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pick-up, refunded in full. If the date stops working, message us and we will do our best to move you to another day.