Northern Peru Travel Guide
Peru's best kept secrets
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The vast pyramid-filled deserts, green rolling hills, icy peaks, dense cloud forests and lost cities of the northern half of Peru somehow do not attract as much attention from the hordes of tourists who often only visit the southern regions – and this may be why those who do take the time to discover its spectacular wonders seem to enjoy their stay so much.
The region of Ancash is home to arguably the most beautiful snow-capped glacier-carved mountain ranges on Earth and attracts climbers and hikers from around the world. From experts to novices there is such variety that no-one should feel out of their league nor unchallenged. But you don't need to climb the Andes to appreciate them – from the town of Huaraz roads reach along the valley below the Cordillera Blanca through small traditional villages and up to the most spectacular glacial lakes you'll probably ever see.
In the northern deserts, home to some of the greatest of civilisations in the history of the Americas and to archaeological finds that have stunned the world, you'll see one extraordinary discovery after the next. Outside colonial Trujillo, the mud city of Chan Chan, capital of the Chimú and UNESCO Word Heritage site, extends kilometres into the desert and the pyramids of their Moche ancestors still display scenes of battle and sacrifice in vivid colours on their walls. In Peru's very own valley of the pyramids near Chiclayo, the discovery of the tomb of the Lord of Sipán is considered one of the greatest finds in the world.
The beautiful green hills of Cajamarca set the scene for this city with the same colonial charm as Cusco, and is the place where the Inca Empire was dealt its first crushing blow.
Only defeated by the Incas a short time before the Spanish arrived, the mysterious Cloud People of the northern Andean forests of Chachapoyas have left remains that dwarf anything that the Incas built. Called the Machu Picchu of the north, the huge fort and city of Kuélap is built with more bricks than even the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Places to Visit in Northern Peru
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