Itinerary summary

Sunday 25 April 2027 - Arrival day (Lima)

Met at the airport and driven (about 45 minutes in normal traffic) to central Lima (most flights arrive in the evening).

Lima

Lima was the centre of Spanish power in the Americas for three centuries. Today it is a bustling modern city which still retains some of its historical ambiance. Superb museums provide an excellent insight into the delights awaiting the traveller in the rest of the country.

Monday 26 April

Meet the trip scholar, Mariana Watson. Visit Huaca Pucclana, an adobe pyramid with seven platforms in central Lima, dating from 500AD. In the afternoon visit the Larco museum (curated visit, with private lecture), which covers more than 5,000 years of ancient Peruvian history.

Chachapoyas

Tuesday 27 April

Driven to the airport for a 2 hours morning flight north to Chachapoyas. On arrival driven to the Huancas Urco viewpoint to introduce the Utcubamba valley. After lunch meet archaeologist Peter Lerche. Stay 3 nights in the valley and 2 nights in Cocachimbo.

28-30 April

Visit the 14th century Revash mausoleums, and Leymebamba museum with over 200 mummies and accompanying ceramics, textiles and wooden idols recovered in 1997 from cliff tombs at the Laguna de los Condores site. A full day is spent at Kuelap, at its peak from 1000 to 1300AD, with over 400 stone roundhouses and 5 levels of walls. It is the largest stone structure in South America and is much older than the more famous Machu Picchu. Mariana has excellent relationships with the archaeologists excavating the 6 hectare site. Observe Karajía, late 15th century anthropomorphic funerary figures placed high along limestone cliffs.

From the small village of Cocachimbo admire Gocta Falls both from afar and on a 12km walk through sugar cane fields and into forest that is home to the yellow-tailed woolly monkey, sloth and the Andean cock-of-the-rock. Visit a sanctuary for the marvelous spatuletail hummingbird.

Lima

Sunday 2 May

Return to Lima for a final night, and a chance to visit the cathedral, San Francisco Convent and Casa Aliaga (a fascinating and historic private house).

Monday 3 May

Admire the Inca site of Pachacámac, one of the most significant pre-Hispanic pilgrimage centres on Peru’s central coast, 40km south of the city. Visit a local hacienda where Peruvian Paso horses are bred and displayed.

Driven (about 2 hours) to Lima airport, for onward or homeward flight connections (most international flights depart in the evening).

Notes:

Prices start at £4,640 per person sharing a double/twin room; single supplement: £575

The trip scholar is Mariana Watson. See our trip scholar pages for further details.

This tour is for alumni of either Oxford or Cambridge Universities or those with a close connection to either.

The outline presented here was published in April 2026 but we may need to add or omit visits; alter the length of stay in each place; or change routings to make the best connections. We reserve the right to substitute the trip scholar if they are unable to travel for reasons outside our control.

A reasonable level of fitness is required as access to most of the sites involve walks of 2 to 4km at an altitude of 1,800 to 2,200m. The fitness requirements for this tour are Medium (see Cambridge guidelines: www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/travel/fitness-requirements-for-the-alumni-travel-programme).