Private Excursion to Caral Archaeological Site from Lima

Badge of Excellence

Lima, Peru

12 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

If you’re looking to discover Lima’s ancient history then look no further than this private full-day tour of Caral, the oldest known city in the Americas. With a private guide, discover the well-preserved pyramids and temples of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, believed to have been built in 5,000 BC. A breakfast box, lunch, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

Private full-day tour of Caral, the oldest known city in the Americas, from Lima
Take a private tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site
See pyramids and temples that date back to 5,000 BC
Breakfast box, lunch, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included

What's Included

Tourist Transportation (Minivan or SUV).
Tour Guide on board.
Refreshing Drinks on board.
Caral Guided Tour.
All activities included in this itinerary.

Lunch (Available to purchase).
Souvenirs (Available to purchase).

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

• Pickups available from any hotel or apartment located in the areas of Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco, Surco, Cercado de Lima or Lima Jorge Chavez Airport.

Operating hours
.6:00 am

Itinerary

Your full-day tour begins with hotel pickup, where you board an air-conditioned car destined for Caral, the oldest known city in the Americas.

Travel along the Panamerican Highway throughout the journey, during which refreshments and a breakfast box are served.

Then, on arrival, embark on a private tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. See the well-preserved ruins of circular terraces, pyramids, plazas, and an amphitheater, all believed to have been built in 5,000 BC.

Following your tour of Caral, head to the seaside city of Huacho to enjoy a traditional Peruvian lunch of beef stew, spiced chicken, and many other dishes.

Your tour concludes with drop-off at your Lima accommodation.

Caral

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Ciudad Sagrada de Caral

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Huacho

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
Highly recommend you carry sunscreen, sunglasses and good shoes for the walk
Wheelchair accessible

A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Stroller accessible
Infant seats available
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.5

based on 19 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Go see this site.

David_S, Aug 2023

What an incredible site. More people should visit Caral and this tour is a great way to do so. Jessica was a fantastic guide and so interesting. It was a long drive but the car was very comfortable and Victor was a very safe driver. The site is so old and a wonderful bit of ongoing archeology. It will benefit from more visitors to encourage the community. The tour was great and we really enjoyed it.

Response from Host, Aug 2023

We are so glad you enjoyed this tour. Thanks for your preference.

Ancient site & knowledgeable guide

Melinda_L, Jan 2020

Picked us up on time& v friendly telling us about the area & history during the drive. He kept an easy pace as we walked around the ancient city of Caral, telling us the important facts of the history there. We went to lunch in a nearby town about a block from the ocean. Delicious local seafood! Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Jan 2020

We are glad you enjoyed this tour! Come back soon!

All Inclusive Private Tour to Caral Archaeological Site from Lima

Ernest_B, Sep 2019

Our guide and driver were prompt and courteous. The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The experience was truly memorable.

Great experience!

Departure58375061010, Dec 2018

Great guide and driver. Guide provided a lot of information about Lima and Peru. His English was good and did a good job translating throughout the day. Finished the tour with a delicious lunch and a spot to take in a view of the ocean. I would highly recommend!

We had a great time on this tour...

Winnie_C, Sep 2017

We had a great time on this tour. Yes, it is about a 3 1/2 hour drive out of Lima, but it is well worth it. Our guide Alex was great, and a joy to spend the day with. The ruins at Caral are very interesting and like nothing we've seen anywhere else in Peru. You get to see some ancient pyramids with a site expert not a private tour though. The guide spoke only in Spanish, but Alex was able to translate in both directions for us. Lunch in a small town on the way back was also very good. Alex explained to us the various dishes, and what was local and what was not. My husband and I both thought the food was very good the seafood was especially noteworthy. All in all, a very highly recommended tour. Maybe the only thing that would make it better would be to use a SUV type car with better suspension as the road leading up to Caral is pretty rough.

I have been a Viator customer for...

Roberto J V, Aug 2017

I have been a Viator customer for many years, and this is the first time that I have a complaint to make: 1.The archaielogical site is 3.5 hours from Lima. My wife and me were driven in the back seat of a very small Hyundai Elantra, that was very uncomfortable during the 7 to eight hours of travel time in it. 2. The driver, Miguel, knew more than the guide that travel with him in the car, Josue if I am not wrong. The travel agency that worked with Viator for this tour is Vista Adventures BR-624509900 August 9, 2017. Josue appeared to be sleepy or under the influence of sedatives, very dirty hands and nails, and with a bad smell. Other tours taken by me in Peru before provided a much bigger, adequate, and confortable automobile Van or 4x4. 3.The restaurant in Huanco was really mediocre in the quality of atention to guest and quality of the food Cevicheff. 4. I have to recognize that the guide in Caral was very good, but he was working alone, and joined a group of about 24 tourists to our PRIVATE tour of two persons. This caused distraction, noise, and delays. There were no other guides available for other groups. 5. I have recommended many friends to visit Caral, It is unique, giving a different perspective to the development of civilizations in the Americas, but Viator should have a way to check or improve the quality of the service offered as All Inclusive Private Tour.

This tour is good if you are...

Shirley A S, Aug 2017

This tour is good if you are interested in history and culture. The drive on the Pan Am highway along the coast provides opportunity to see the countryside: small villages, towns, farms, mining, etc. Snacks, drinks and meal at a lovely 'oasis' restaurant were provided. Site is still under construction, is massive and historically interesting because it is older and large than Machu Pichu. The dessert site gives an excellent perspective of how the culture lived and thrived thousands of years ago. There is still a lot to be learned here. We scheduled a private tour and the driver an owner of the tour agency and the guide provided interesting conversation about Peru making the 3-4 hour one-way drive not so long. Recommend only if you have at least a week in Lima due to the travel distance.

We reserved an all inclusive private...

Ilka R, Jun 2017

We reserved an all inclusive private tour, but what really happened is that we shared our tour with other two people and the van that picked us up at the hotel was not comfortable for four people in a three hour trip to the archeological site. Besides that, the guide was clearly trying to sell other tours only for the american people I'm brazilian and he made a real effort on ignoring non native american speakers. The restaurant where we had lunch was good, but for the price we paid, it should have been better the guide told us to choose only up to NS 30.00 or around US 9.00, and he said that was the value the agency would pay for lunch... The visit to Caral was great due to a local guide there, he showed everything and explained all the details of the archeological site, that was really great!

The guys who did the tour were...

Anton G, Mar 2017

The guys who did the tour were really nice and fun to spend the day with. They chose a great place for lunch where we were the only foreigners - great local food and drinks. We did certainly learn a lot about the country and the culture. Even though I loved the tour I am only giving 4 stars because their knowledge of the site itself was limited. We kind of followed an official tour close enough so that we could hear everything their guide said.

Great informative tour with an...

kevin_s, Jan 2017

Great informative tour with an excellent guide! Our guide Alex was very knowledgeable and really enjoys what she does. She is well read and always keen to learn more, and this allows her to give a balanced view of events and history - she always separated fact from myth. Both she and the driver had excellent English. We learnt a lot from Alex about the Caral site and its history as well as so much more of the history of Peru, especially under Spanish rule, and how it has developed into the country it is now. The Caral site itself is in a lovely quiet desert valley and is still an active archeological dig. It is still being worked by the archeologist that discovered it and new finds are still being made. It is great to see parts as it was found, how it is being worked, and the restoration showing how the site would have looked 5000 years ago! Only approved guides are allowed at the site and they only speak Spanish which is a bit awkward, but Alex interpreted very well. The tour also included a very tasty lunch. Be aware though that the site is a good 3.5 hour drive from your hotel in Lima Lima traffic is really bad and Caral is far from the city and the tour does take the whole day though your time at Caral is less than 2 hours. The drive itself is very picturesque though - lovely views of the desert.

A huge day in transit to reach...

Adam T, Apr 2016

A huge day in transit to reach Caral. However, the site is the oldest known site in all of the Americas so is definitely worth the hike. Tour guide was great.

viel zu sehen und zu erleben

Gert_F, Jun 2019

Mit nettem Fahrer und netter Guide ging es durchs Land. Da konnte man einiges mehr sehen, als "nur" in Lima. Wir haben viel diskutiert und verglichen zwischen den Ländern. Die Ausgrabungstätte ist weitläufig und gibt vor allem eine schöne Einordnung in die Weltgeschichte wider. Nicht ganz billig, aber sehr gut.

MUY INTERESANTE

Maritza_T, Oct 2018

Fue genial estar parados, bajo un sol brillante, donde seres humanos como nosotros construyeron en forma monumental hace 5000 años!! Recuerden llevar lentes para sol, realmente hacen falta.