Half-Day Private Tour to Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Mateo Salado

Badge of Excellence

Lima, Peru

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

Explore our promoted experiences

Member Pricing

Lima, Peru

4.5

(19)

Private Excursion to Caral Archaeological Site from Lima

5% savings

from

$204$215

Price varies by group size

Member Pricing

Lima, Peru

Lima 4U Private Full-Day Tour

Member Pricing

Private Larco Museum Experience: Sunday Brunch or Romantic Dinner

5% savings

from

$75$79

Price varies by group size

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Uncover the mysterious of ruin that pre-date even the ancient Machu Pichu on an enriching 3.5-hour excursion from Lima. Explore downtown Lima with a knowledgeable guide to discover a series of huacas, pyramid like structures, used for ceremonial purposes. Visit the significant sites of Huaca Pucllana and Huallamarca to gain fascinating insight into the history, origin and cultural relevance of the structures. Learn all about the unknown indigenous pre-Incan civilizations as you’re transported back to the year 200BC.

Guided tour of ancient Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Huallamarca
Learn of the 'Lima culture,' an indigenous civilization that lived in Peru from 100 A.D. to 650 A.D.
Private tour providing a personalized experience
Entrance fees included in price
Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off

What's Included

Pickup and drop-off.
Professional bilingual tour guide (English and Spanish).
Admission to Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Mateo Salado.

Gratuities
Personal expenses.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

- Pick up from hotels located in Miraflores, San Isidro and Historic Centre of Lima. - This activity does not include the pick up from private residences (Airbnb). If you stay in them, please contact us days prior the start of the tour, in order to coordinate a meeting point for the pick-up.

Start time
.9:00 am

Itinerary

After hotel pick-up, greet your knowledgeable guide and begin your journey to the historical heart of Lima. Venture to the first of your ancient sights and arrive at Huaca Pucallana, a colossal pyramid that reigns supreme over Lima’s modern skyline. Absorb intriguing facts on your narrated exploration, ascending to the top of the pyramid to enjoy unrivalled views of the city. Listen to new information discovered on recent excavations as you absorb the ancient majesty of the temple.

Refresh with a specialty snack from the ruin’s restaurant (own expense) before travelling to the proximate pyramid. Gaze at the skyward tip of Huaca Huallamarca, an oracle centre in operation for 1,200 years before the Spanish invasion. Explore the rich history on the on-site museum, observing mummified remains on display. Relax during the journey to your hotel in Lima, where the tour concludes.

Huaca Pucllana

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Complejo Arqueologico Mateo Salado

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
It is important to inform us the name of the hotel where you are staying to coordinate your pick-up.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Not wheelchair accessible

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Rates do not apply for Peruvians or foreign passengers whose stay exceeded 60 days in Peru because sales taxes are not included in the above total and, if applicable, will be collected by the local operator.
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

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

4.3

based on 15 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sort by: Most insightful

Great start of our vacation!

John_P, Apr 2025

Visitors expected to see Inca ruins in Peru, but there are so many older civilizations to discover. At times during our tour of the huacas I imagined I was in Egypt or Mesopotamia due to the style of the pyramids.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Dear John, We're so glad you chose to start your Peruvian adventure with a visit to Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Mateo Salado. It's true — Peru is home to incredible pre-Inca civilizations that often surprise visitors with their depth and history. We love that the ancient pyramids sparked your imagination and transported you to places like Egypt and Mesopotamia. That sense of wonder is exactly what makes these sites so special. We hope the rest of your trip was just as inspiring!

Interesting relatively new find in Lima

Gisella_S, Aug 2024

Very interesting pyramids and good explanation of their function and history. Good to see after the Larco museum to know what the different pre Incan cultures of the coast were.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Dear passenger, We're glad you found the pyramids fascinating and appreciated the detailed explanations. It's wonderful to hear that visiting after the Larco Museum enhanced your understanding of the pre-Incan coastal cultures. We hope you enjoyed the experience!

Huacas.

Steve_S, Oct 2023

Great background to the multiple civilizations that were in Peru. Knowledgable guide answered any and all questions.

Good tour.

Ian_P, Jun 2023

Carlos was a great guide. The Huaca Mateo Salada was hardly worth r the time but Huacs pucllana was very. interesting.

Tour Guide is very knowledgable in Archeology!

Korri J, Aug 2018

We had reasonable time to see 2 historical sites that were completely different. It was worth visiting.

If you only have a day or two in...

Shirley A S, Aug 2017

If you only have a day or two in Lima, are interested in culture and history, I highly recommend this tour. We visited two Lima sites: Ancient Lima Huacas and Museo de Sitio Hullamarca one afternoon. Antonio our guide, was very knowledgeable and patiently answered all our questions. I would recommend ending at Huacas as there is a lovely restaurant, La Huaca Pucllana, located where ancient local Peruvian homes once existed. In the evening the Huaca site is illuminated and contributes to a very romantic evening. We had drinks and a small plate tasting. Dinner reservations are highly recommended. The manager, Bryan, took the time to explain the different options of Pisco to us and we enjoyed local 'cuey' and 'causa'.

Guide paid a little more attention to...

Carlos_T, Mar 2017

Guide paid a little more attention to my wife. It was awkward.

The tour was very good. Collected...

Janice S, Nov 2016

The tour was very good. Collected from our hotel and take to two ancient Huacas within Lima. We did find out we could have walked to one of the sites but the individual guide information was really good, so worth it.

Our tour guide Maria was on time...

John C, Jun 2016

Our tour guide Maria was on time, very knowledgeable, very nice and answered all of our questions

Great tour. Only complaint is that...

Karen G, Mar 2015

Great tour. Only complaint is that we had 10 people on same tour and they separated us into 3 groups and we would have preferred to be together. I told the representative the night before tour the 10 people were together even though they were booked on different dates. I confirmed all 10 people on same call. We all thought tour was great, perhaps a bit pricey for the product.

We enjoyed this tour as it was our...

Kim_B, Jul 2013

We enjoyed this tour as it was our first in Lima. Our guide, Marybel, was very informative about the Huacas and the surrounding area. We enjoyed a couple of extra places that we didn't expect, like the Kissing Park. And the driver was willing to drop us off at Larcomar where we could spend the afternoon, have lunch and walk back to our hotel.