Northern Highlands

Cajamarca A beautiful colonial town, Can be reached by road via Pacasmayo, North of Trujillo. Cajamarca (Cold Land in Quechua), was one of the biggest cities of the Inca Empire. The climate is mild during the day, but it can get rather cold at night. The rainy season is from November to March. Cajamarca is now one of the most important milk producers of the country, with excellent quality of their dairy products, like cheese, butter, etc

Chachapoyas was founded in 1538 by Alonso de Alvarado, naming it San Juan de la Frontera. Today Chachapoyas is still keeping some of its colonial architecture, large old houses with typical patios and wooden balconies. Situated on the eastern slope of the northern Andes and surrounded by forests and impressive mountains, at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level, Chachapoyas has a temperate climate, with heavy rain during the season (November to March) and a lush and diverse flora (orchids, bromeliads etc) and fauna (cock of the rock, Andean bear etc.).

The Chachapoyas culture reached its height around AD 1000, with well-developed cities, highways, irrigation, terracing and metal craft. They were conquered by the Inca Tupac Yupanqui in the 15th century, but always kept a state of rebellion against the Inca Empire. Kuelap is the most spectacular archaeological attraction in Northern Peru, built over a period of 200 years around 1000 AD.

Huaraz, the main town in the Callejon de Huaylas. The city was almost destroyed in the 1970 earthquake, along with the few remaining Colonial Buildings. The climate is mild, with sunny days and cold nights. The rainy season, from December through April. Huaraz is the starting point to the Cordillera Blanca.

The Huascaran National Park was created in 1975. It has 340,000 hectares, that include the entire Cordillera Blanca and the area around Mount Huascaran.