Highlights of Northern Peru: The Moche Route & Chicama Resort This guest blog article was written by Liam Browne and Piotr Piecha, who travelled with Aracari along the Moche Route on Peru's north coast in April 2013. The Moche Route: More than Machu Picchu The Moche Route: To drive north of Trujillo into the desert valleys once ruled for centuries by the Mochica people is to enter a world of lost treasure boxes only re-opened in our lifetime – and the tremendous joy was in exploring it with the people who had discovered it! When one thinks of ancient Mexican great civilisations, the Aztecs and the Maya immediately come to mind. However, when Peru is mentioned, generally one only thinks of the Inca – perhaps in a decade or so, the Moche, who were contemporaneous with the Maya, will be just as widely known. Being introduced to the wondrous excavations of Huacas del Moche and the unforgettable museum recently completed with the aid of the Ford Foundation was like exploring Machu Picchu with Hiram Bingham. It was here that Aracari hit another home run! (this was our second trip to Peru with Aracari). In the Temple of the Moon (Huaca de la Luna), they somehow managed to allow us to get our noses right up to the most magnificent multi-story frieze – “The Order of the World” by the Moche People of Northern Peru. This mystical moment alone made this long voyage worth it and unforgettable! Archaelogical Highlights At Huacas del Moche, El Brujo and Sipan, we were awed by the sophisticated murals, gold artefacts and ceremonial architecture. Also, looking across at so many pyramid mounds still covered with earth overgrown by vegetation, it seems there is much still to be unearthed. For intrepid travellers who have visited more than 100 countries, this
Highlights of Northern Peru: The Moche Route & Chicama Resort This guest blog article was written by Liam Browne and Piotr Piecha, who travelled with Aracari along the Moche Route on Peru’s north coast in April 2013. The Moche Route: More than Machu Picchu The Moche Route: To drive north…
Summer is upon us here in Lima and the Aracari team has been sampling a few excursions that are ideal in Peru’s capital during the hot weather. In this spirit, Carlos recently headed down to the Costa Verde seafront to try his hand at some surfing lessons.
Summer is upon us here in Lima and the Aracari team has been sampling a few excursions that are ideal in Peru’s capital during the hot weather. In this spirit, Carlos recently headed down to the Costa Verde seafront to try his hand at some surfing lessons.
Some say she's more popular than the President, and she's certainly made a splash on the world stage, but world surfing champion Sofia Mulanovich is happiest spending her days on the beach in her home country of Peru. Back in 2004, when this then 21 year old became the first South American to win the world title, surfing in Chicama and Peru was only known to locals and a select group of pro surfers. Surfing in Chicama - Surf champion Sofia Mulanovich Four short years later and the "Sofia" effect has alerted the world to the natural, varied splendours of the Peruvian surf. As the lady herself says, "Peru is the best preparation for a pro-surfer because there are so many different varieties of breaks and conditions." These include the longest left wave in the world found in Chicama on the Northern Peru beaches - a perfect three to six foot wave stretching for over four kilometres and listed at number two in semi-charted surfing spots by the British newspaper The Guardian this month. Chicama Surf Resort Like the group of friends who founded the ocean front Chicama Surf Resort after searching the world to find a perfect spot for a surfing vacation, we decided to focus on Chicama because it offers much more than just the perfect wave. Singled out by National Geographic, the Chicama Valley is uniquely rich in ancient archaeology and there are many sites to visit on the "Ruta Moche". At least five different civilisations inhabited this land, leaving numerous settlements, including the ancient and enigmatic Moche sites (c 500AD) of Sipan, El Brujo and the magnificent Huaca del Sol y de la Luna. In addition, there is the largest adobe city in the world at Chan Chan (Chimu culture c. 1200 AD) and the state of
Some say she’s more popular than the President, and she’s certainly made a splash on the world stage, but world surfing champion Sofia Mulanovich is happiest spending her days on the beach in her home country of Peru. Back in 2004, when this then 21 year old became the first…