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Peru's Great North in 9 days: itinerary and hotels

Nine days in pre-Inca Peru: the Moche huacas of Trujillo, Chan Chan, Atahualpa's ransom in Cajamarca, the funerary cliffs of Chachapoyas, Kuélap and the treasures of Sipán.

Compiled by Kylian, updated on Aug 29, 2026

A rebuilt round house in the Kuélap fortress
  • 9 days
  • 21 places
  • 9 nights
  • fast pace
Start
Trujillo (night bus arrival)
End
Chiclayo
Main transport
Night buses between the cities, agency vehicles to the sites
Recommended season
April to November preferably; garúa on the coast, heavy rain and roads sometimes cut around Chachapoyas and Cajamarca from December to March

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 9 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 14 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The itinerary preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 2

The Lady of Cao and Chan Chan

Morning

El Brujo complex, Huaca Cao Viejo and the Cao museum

North of Trujillo, facing the ocean, the Huaca Cao Viejo and its reliefs of warriors and dancers. The Cao museum houses the Lady of Cao, a mummified Moche sovereign with arms tattooed with snakes and spiders, who died around AD 450 and was found intact in 2006: proof that women ruled on the north coast.

Afternoon

Huacas Arco Iris and Esmeralda, Chan Chan and Huanchaco

The Arco Iris huaca and its carved rainbows, the Esmeralda huaca, then Chan Chan: 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) of adobe palaces with walls adorned with pelicans and fishing nets, capital of the Chimú empire and the largest earthen city in the world (UNESCO). Sunset at Huanchaco, where fishermen still ride their caballitos de totora.

Evening

Night bus Trujillo to Cajamarca (10:55 PM)

Overnight departure for the northern sierra in a reclining seat.

Hotel

Costa del Sol Wyndham Trujillo Centro

A comfortable hotel set in a historic mansion in central Trujillo, one street from the Plaza de Armas: pool in the patio, restaurant and firm beds for after the night bus. The day's base, before the night bus to Cajamarca.

Address
· Jr. Independencia 485, corner of the Plaza de Armas, Trujillo
Website
· costadelsolperu.com (new tab)
Check-in
2:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 noon
Book this hotel (new tab) affiliate link

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €4.33 per day of travel

Billed in euros. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts at its own rate.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the terms of sale, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 9 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 2 business days.

The day-by-day rundown

9 stops, 660 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Trujillo and the Moche huacas Huaca del Sol, Huaca de la Luna and central Trujillo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 The Lady of Cao and Chan Chan El Brujo complex, Huaca Cao Viejo and the Cao museum Free
  3. Day 3 Cajamarca, the ransom of an empire Plaza de Armas, Cuarto del Rescate and the Belén ensemble Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Cumbemayo and Otuzco Cumbemayo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Chachapoyas: Karajía, Quiocta and the Pueblo de los Muertos Arrival at 6 AM, rest or the Karajía sarcophagi option Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 The giant waterfalls: Yumbilla and Gocta Catarata Yumbilla from Cuispes Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Revash, Kuélap and the road to Chiclayo Revash, cliff chullpas from San Bartolo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Chiclayo, Chotuna and the Paseo Yortuque Museo de Sitio Chotuna-Chornancap and the Paseo Yortuque Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Túcume, Sicán and the Lord of Sipán Pyramids of Túcume and the site museum Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

1 day is free to read above. The other 8 unlock when you buy. Buy the itinerary, €39

Found an error in this itinerary? Report an error

Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • Three climates in one leg: garúa (coastal drizzle) and mild weather all year on the coast, cool nights in Cajamarca (2,750 m / 9,020 ft), showers possible in any season around Chachapoyas.
  • Bring a rain cape for Gocta and Yumbilla, in the selva alta: 5 to 6 hours of walking per waterfall, in the spray at the foot of the falls.
  • April to November is the best window. The north coast stays mild and dry all year.

Transport and permits

  • Three night buses link Trujillo, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas and Chiclayo (Línea, Movil Bus): 160° reclining seats, blanket and earplugs. Book 2 to 3 days ahead.
  • Around the cities, book an agency vehicle by the day for the huacas, Chan Chan, El Brujo and the museums; in town, official taxis or apps only.
  • Kuélap: colectivo to Nuevo Tingo then the cable car above the canyon, combined ticket at the ticket office, arrive early in high season.

Formalities and safety

  • You can book nothing online on this leg except the night buses. Bring cash for every site (about 10 to 40 soles each).
  • A local guide is mandatory for Gocta and Yumbilla. Hire one at the trailhead villages of Cocachimba and Cuispes, and pay the community entry fee in cash.
  • Photos are forbidden in the Royal Tombs of Sipán and Sicán museums, you must leave bags in the cloakroom.

Budget and meals

  • Chan Chan: a single ticket covers the Nik An palace, the site museum and the Esmeralda and Arco Iris huacas.
  • Moche huacas and El Brujo: buy your ticket at each complex's ticket office (site museum included). A guided visit is recommended.
  • In the big north-coast cities, use only official taxis or ride-hailing apps, and stay alert in bus stations at night.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening and says where you spend the night, with the address and booking link for each place to stay. Timed-entry tickets are flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Module, classic or complete itinerary: which one should I choose?

A classic is a short trip built to stand on its own, designed for a first visit to the country. A module covers one region in depth. The complete itinerary crosses the whole country, and buying it also unlocks each of its modules in your customer account.

Can I get a refund if the itinerary doesn't suit me?

No. It is digital content delivered right away, and you waive your right of withdrawal at checkout. To judge before you pay, every product page gives one full day for free and the list of every stop. After purchase, the guarantee applies: a closed hotel or a permanently closed place is corrected within 7 days, otherwise you get a refund.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Peru itinerary: 82 days, hotels and bookings

The complete itinerary

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