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Trujillo, Peru Attractions
Guided Tours
Agencies offering standard city and archaeological tours include Guía Tours, Jr. Independencia 580 (tel. 044/245-170); Chacón Tours, Av. España 106 (tel. 044/255-212); Consorcio Turístico del Norte, Jr. Pizarro 478 (tel. 044/205-645); and Trujillo Tours, Diego de Almagro 301 (tel. 044/233-091). Most standard tours cost S/45 to S/60 per person. Tours to El Brujo are generally S/90 to S/120.
Colonial Trujillo
Trujillo has an impressive collection of elegant colonial- and republican-era houses (casas antiguas) and baroque churches, as well as one of Peru's odder museums of ancient ceramics. A tour of Trujillo rightly begins with the graceful Plaza de Armas, where vendors hang out and families in their Sunday finery pose for pictures in front of the Libertad monument. On the square is the Catedral, built in the mid-17th century but rather sober and uninteresting, although it has a Museo Catedrático (tel. 044/235-083) with silver and gold chalices and bishops' vestments. The museum is open 9am to 1pm and 4 to 7pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday; admission is S/5. The plaza is ringed by colorful examples of fine colonial-era mansions, including the one that is now home to the Hotel Libertador. Trujillo's pastel colonial buildings are distinguished by their ornamental wrought-iron window grilles, unusual in Peru.
Trujillo's Other Casas Coloniales -- Besides the colonial and republican houses that allow visitors, other houses worth a look from outside (and occasionally inside, if they're public buildings) are the bright yellow Casa de la Emancipación (now Banco Continental), Pizarro 610, where independence from Spain was proclaimed on December 29, 1820; Casa Bracamonte, Independencia 441; Casa Lynch, on the Plaza de Armas opposite the cathedral; Casa Aranda, Bolívar 621; Casa del Mayorazgo de Facalá, Pizarro 314; and Casa García Holguín, Independencia 527 on the Plaza de Armas.
Huanchaco
Huanchaco, 13km (7 1/2 miles) northwest of Trujillo, is a tranquil and traditional fishing village now doubling as a pretty low-key resort. On summer weekends, though, it gets jumping with folks from Trujillo and vacationing Peruvians. Huanchaco is a very good alternative to Trujillo as a base for exploring the archaeological sites of the Chimú and Moche (and a day's visit to the capital city is easily accomplished from Huanchaco).
The town's fishing character is apparent in the long jetty that juts out over the water and the pointy handcrafted boats called caballitos del mar (or caballitos de totora), for which Huanchaco has become famous and which remain the photogenic vessel of choice for fishers. These small boats, made of bound totora reeds, have been used by fishermen for more than 1,000 years, since the reign of the Moche. The area around Huanchaco is one of the few places in Peru where this ancient sea-vessel tradition has not disappeared from use. When not out on the water, they're parked on the beach in groups like slender tepees.
Besides a stroll on the beach and visit to Huanchaco's pleasant artesanía market, there's not too much to see or do. A 16th-century colonial church clings to a cliff, but it's a long walk uphill from town. More than anything else, Huanchaco's easy pace and proximity to the sea are its main attractions. It has several agreeable resort hotels, seafood restaurants, and nice stretches of beach. The big waves here attract local surfers and a few board-carrying tourists, although the biggest and best waves are at Puerto Chicama (also known as Malabrigo), about 80km (50 miles) farther up the coast. Waves there can be ridden up to a half-mile, and it's the site of the largest left wave in the world. (Another good spot in the far north is Cabo Blanco, about 110km/68 miles south of Tumbes.) La Casa Suiza hostal rents out body boards.
Getting There: Pick up a Huanchaco bus along Independencia in Trujillo; the buses go along the first part of the beach before turning on Los Ficus. You can get to Puerto Chicama by colectivos, which depart hourly from the Terminal Interurbano on Calle Santa Cruz in Trujillo; the journey takes about 90 minutes.
8 Results
- Landmark
Casa Orbegoso
This huge yellow-and-brown mid-18th-century house, once the property of former president Luis José de Orbegoso, stretches around the block and has its own plaza facing the San Agustín church. In the entrance are Moorish-Christian mural paintings that were buried beneath successive… - Landmark
Casa Urquiaga (Casa Calonge)
This grand colonial mansion, royal blue with white window grilles, conserves the 18th-century desk of Simón Bolívar, who lived here for 2 years after proclaiming Peru's independence in 1824. The home, with three lovely interior courtyards, is one of Trujillo's most magnificently… - Historic Site
Chan Chan
One of the most important archaeological sites in Peru (although, in its present state it might not seem as "complete" to the layman observer as some of the Inca stone ruins in the highlands), Chan Chan is an enormous adobe city in the Moche valley, just 5km (3 miles) from Trujillo.… - Historic Site
El Brujo
Difficult to get to and explore without a private guide, the remote Moche complex of El Brujo nonetheless makes a very worthwhile visit for those intrigued by what they've seen at Chan Chan and the huacas near Trujillo. Because it is so little explored -- until recently, it was… - Historic Site
Huacas de Moche
About 8km (5 miles) south of Trujillo in the desert Valle de Moche, this complex of Moche ruins is enigmatic from a distance. Two imposing rounded-off and weathered adobe pyramids, partially eroded, sit in a dusty open field at the foot of Cerro Blanco. Built by the Moche people…Nearby Places
- Religious Site
Iglesia de La Merced
On a small square set back from the street and next to the Corte Superior de Justicia (itself worth a peek), La Merced, one of Trujillo's most impressive churches, dates to 1636. It's especially notable for the colorful carved figures in relief around the cupola, including… - Religious Site
Iglesia y Monasterio El Carmen
This lovely church and monastery, founded in 1724 and occupying an entire city block, has the most important collection of colonial art in Trujillo. Its Carmelite museum (Pinacoteca Carmelita) possesses 150 baroque and rococo paintings, the majority of them from the 17th and 18th… - Landmark
Palacio Iturregui
This bright yellow mansion, an excellent example of neoclassical civil architecture that dates to the 19th century, is home to the Club Central, Trujillo's traditional social club. Although the club continues to be members-only, visitors can tool around for a view of an only slightly…
Trujillo, Peru Shopping
Trujillo doesn't have much to interest potential shoppers, unless you need eyeglasses; Calle Bolívar is loaded with opticians. For a taste of what shopping means to most Trujillo natives, check out the sprawling street mercado that operates daily along Avenida Los Incas. It's one of the more unruly (and headache-inducing) markets in Peru, with vendors struggling to be heard over the incessant sounds of car horns. The market stretches across several blocks and spreads out into the street, selling an unending variety of vegetables, fish, and household items; there are even carts full of charcoal.
Most visitors will be better off shopping in Huanchaco. Artesanía del Norte, Los Olivos 504 (tel. 044/461-220), has some of the coolest exclusive ceramics designs in Peru. They'll ship pieces to your home if you can't limit yourself to just one. The mercado de artesanía fronting the beach in Huanchaco has a number of stalls and is also an excellent place for jewelry, including pieces made with the sought-after blue stone lapis lazuli.
Trujillo, Peru Nightlife
Trujillo is pretty quiet except on weekends, when it springs to life. A few nightclubs and peñas are clustered in the centro, but most of the hopping discos that go all night are very local and young affairs, on the outskirts of the city. Trujillo has a surprising roster of casinos and movie houses (including two multiplexes showing recently arrived English-language films), and those are as good as any destination for an evening out.
Las Tinajas, Pizarro 383 (tel. 044/296-272), with a balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas, is a pretty chic and popular bar with a downstairs disco, good for drinks midweek. On weekends, it features live rock and pop; the cover is usually S/5. El Estribo, San Martín 810, is a lively and large open music hall with peña music and Mariah Carey wannabes occasionally performing. The cover charge is about S/10. La Canana, San Martín 791 (tel. 044/232-503), is another nearby peña with a good restaurant and live music and dancing on weekends. The cover is usually about S/10.
Luna Rota, at América Sur 2119 in the Santa María district at the end of Huayna Cápac (tel. 044/228-877), is an all-in-one complex with a thumping disco for teenagers, a pub, and a casino for slightly more mature folks. The cover in the disco and pub is usually S/10.
Cine Primavera, Orbegoso 239, near the Plaza de Armas (tel. 044/241-277), has first-run American and European films in their original languages and draws long lines of moviegoers. Among the collection of casinos along Orbegoso and Pizarro is Casino Solid Gold, Orbegoso 554 (tel. 044/207-662). Open daily 24 hours, the club features cocktail waitresses in flashy short skirts and has a low-rent Vegas feel to it.
