This guide is for you if you have heard that the oldest city in the Americas is a drive north of Lima, and you are wondering whether a day for it is worth the road. Here is what Caral is, how the long day is spent, what happens when you arrive, and what to carry into the desert.
Why Caral is worth the drive
UNESCO describes the Sacred City of Caral-Supe as the oldest centre of civilisation in the Americas. It was built and used between about 3000 and 1800 BC, in the Late Archaic period, which puts it at around 5,000 years old. That is more than three thousand years before the Incas built their empire. It was added to the World Heritage list in 2009.
The city stands on a dry desert terrace above the green Supe valley, about 23 kilometres inland and some 350 metres above sea level. Six large pyramid complexes, platform mounds and sunken circular plazas make up its centre. The largest, the Great Temple, is about 150 metres long, 110 metres wide and 28 metres high. Around 3,000 people may have lived here, and Caral is one of 18 settlements of the same period in the valley.
A few finds give a sense of who they were. A quipu, the knotted cord the Andean peoples used to keep records, was found on the site. So were 32 flutes made of condor and pelican bones. And no evidence of war has been found: no weapons, no defensive walls.
How the long day is spent
You are collected at 07:00. Caral is about 176 kilometres north of Lima, and the drive takes about three and a half hours each way, more when traffic out of the city is heavy. You arrive at about 10:30, have lunch in the Supe valley at 13:00, and set off back along the Panamericana Norte at 14:15. You are home in the early evening, at about 18:00.
That gives you roughly two and a half hours at the site. Here is how they go, so you are not surprised:
- The car leaves the Panamericana at the Supe junction and follows the road up the valley to the village of Caral. Vehicles park at the visitor area.
- From there you cross the river on a footbridge and walk 20 to 25 minutes through the old woodland, the Bosque Milenario, to the city.
- Visits to the city are made with a site guide, who explains what you are looking at. You buy the ticket and the guide at the reception on site.
- The guided visit takes about an hour and a half. Then you walk back to the car.
In the southern summer, when the Supe river rises, the road for vehicles changes, but the footbridge is the official route in every season.
When to go
Caral is open from 9:00 to 17:00. Hours can change, so check the official site before you go. The site recommends arriving early. Our 10:30 arrival leaves time for the walk in, the guided visit and the walk out before lunch.
The city is in open desert, with little shade on the terrace. Whatever the month, plan for strong sun. In the southern summer, when the river is high, the footbridge is still the way in, so the season does not change your walk.
What to bring
The price covers the private vehicle, the driver, fuel, tolls and parking. The Caral entrance, the site guide and lunch are paid on the day. Pack for the sun and for a stretch of the day with few services:
- sun cream, a cap or hat, and sunglasses; some visitors carry an umbrella for shade;
- water, more than you think you will need;
- local cash for the entrance, the guide and lunch;
- shoes with a good grip for open, uneven ground.
Phone signal at the site is limited to one network. Tell anyone who needs you that you may be out of reach for a few hours.
Lunch is simple and local, near the site or on the way back to the coast. Expect home cooking, not a menu to linger over.
On your own, or with a driver
Without a car, you have to get yourself from Lima to the Supe junction on the Panamericana, then up the valley to the village, then back again the same day, with the walk in and the guided visit in the middle. It can be done, but in a single day it leaves little margin. A private car takes the connections out of it, and you leave when you are ready. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits travellers with a real interest in the origins of Andean civilisation, and anyone who has already seen Lima and wants to understand what came long before the Incas. If you are going on to Cusco or Machu Picchu, Caral is the beginning of that story.
Think twice if the sun and more than two hours on foot over open ground are hard for anyone in your group, or if seven hours in a car in one day is too much for young children. For ruins without the long drive, the Pachacamac tour takes five hours. Our guide to day trips from Lima compares all five of our days out.
Questions people ask
Can we add another site on the same day?
It is a long day already. If you want more of the area, message us through the contact page about staying a night nearby.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up for a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking Caral
Choose a date, pack for the sun, and carry cash for the entrance, the guide and lunch. The pick-up, timings and inclusions are on the Caral Sacred City day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
