Private Excursion To Caral Archaeological Site From Lima

Diana, the tour guide, and Kenyi, the driver, picked us up in front of our hotel and took us in a nice car where there already was a filling breakfast waiting for us. On the way to Caral, we learnt a lot about Lima and Peru from Diana, specifically what living there is like and what are some of the major milestones and challenges for this beautiful country. She was also keen to answer our many question and we spent the whole 4 hours to Caral talking. In Caral, Diana translated the Spanish-speaking guide's words magnificently. The weather was pleasant and it wasn't too hot. The visit took about an hour. Diana also told us how Caral came to be and spoke of the complex relationship between the locals and the archeological site. Afterwards, we went for lunch by the coast around 1.30 pm in where Diana recommended ceviche and lomo saltado, which was delicious. Due to the traffic, we only made it back to Lima around 6.45 pm, so we asked Kenyi to drop us at a restaurant where we'd made a reservation prior to the trip, to which he was happy to oblige. Overall, I couldn't recommend this trip more.

Visited Caral Sept 28, 2024, escorted by wonderful guide Alexandra Monzon and amazing driver Victor Urbina. Victor is professional driver, calm in traffic, knows the territory and is safe and couteous to other drivers and pedestrians-- he made our drive worthwhile. Alexandra is a top guide from Vista Adventures, thorough and organized, well versed in history at Caral and throughout Peru so we were able to relate other info from Larco Museum, Machu Picchu and other sites. She fit in seamlessly with the local guide at Caral and quietly interpreted his presentation while filling in extra data. The trip in both directions was relaxing yet full of information, questions and answers -- just what we were looking for. Top rating 5 stars to Alexandra & Victor.

Excellent capstone experience to our 2.5 week tour of Peru. Alexandra, our guide, used the travel time to synthesize our knowledge of Peru and link it to the Caral site through explanation, graphs, images, etc., referencing things we'd seen at the Larco & Amano Museums in Lima, sites in/near Cusco, etc. She was very thorough, practically giving a masters level survey course in the car. Couldn't ask for a better guide. Our driver, Victor, kept our travel smooth and safe. At Caral, Alexandra presented the informational materials clearly as shown on the static display posters. We tagged along with a local Spanish language guide (required) and Alexandra was good about translating his presentation for my husband as well as clarifying for me some of the Spanish content. We were impressed with the site, the antiquity, the remoteness. Definitely worth the trip after having seen the classic Peruvian tourist sites.

Hidden gem of Peru. 5000 year old pyramids of the original civilization in the Americas. Great bilingual tour guide for the entire day along with the Caral guide who was very knowledgeable of the archeological site.

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.

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!

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

The 4 hours journey started with a bus ride from Lima in the morning. It is great place to see as it has 6 or 7 pyramids 5000 years old. At a first glance the structures look uneven and not symmetrical. But being the early pyramids perhaps they did not care if they were not quite symmetrical. It had one amazing design aspect which was the use of organic material like cactus to make the building move so it was earthquake prof. It is discovered 25 years ago and apparently not many tourist goes there,, that is why I think it is an unappreciated dig site. If you are going to Machu Picchu you must visist to where the Incas ancestors come from.

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!

Great day for archeological enthusiasts. Early start recommended. Snacks and delicious lunch, at local restaurant by the sea, included. Alex, our guide and Miguel, a talented and exceptional driver in lots of traffic, made it a memorable day. Very hot so hat and sunscreen recommended.

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

<p>I have been a Viator customer for many years, and this is the first time that I have a complaint to make: <br/> 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. <br/> 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. <br/> 3.The restaurant in Huanco was really mediocre in the quality of atention to guest and quality of the food Cevicheff.<br/> 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.<br/> 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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!</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Great informative tour with an excellent guide! <br/> 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.<br/> 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.<br/> 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.<br/> The tour also included a very tasty lunch.<br/> 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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

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.