Published on Jul, 2024
Visiting Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas, 7000 yrs old, older than ancient Egypt, should be on everyone's itinerary when visiting Peru. It is far more significant than Machu Picchu, but less than 100 tourists visit Caral daily. Of course, the remoteness, really bad roads (once you get off the Pan American hwy) and the cost of a day trip (about $150pp) may be a deterrent, but if people are willing to pay up to $300 to visit Machu Picchu, there should be no excuse to miss this extraordinary archeological site. The scenery around the desert is breathtaking, and the required guided tour of the site, which is only 20 sol for a group of 10 (In addition to the site admission charge of 15 sol pp) offers a refreshing perspective for understanding the unique histories of the earliest peoples in the Americas and their great accomplishments.
Best way to visit and save money in the process - rent a compact 4 wheel drive (for the bad section of the road, which is the last 15 km around the site) from Lima Airport (with all insurance about $90 and about $40 in gasoline) and this way, you avoid all the horrendous driving and traffic around Lima and easily can access the Pan American highway (tolls about 20 sol each way for a car) to drive up to Caral. The 3 hr drive to Caral passes beautiful landscapes through the deserts, mountainous terrain, along the Pacific coast.
For a family of 4, doing the whole day trip cost us less than what tours charge for one person to visit Caral.
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