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also does informative full-day tours – often including Chupacigaro – on weekends for S90 per person (see the website for a calendar). Weekends are a great time to visit because handicrafts and local food are for sale at the site. Lima Tours (Map; 01-619-6900; www.limatours.com.pe; Jr Belén 1040, Central Lima; 9:30am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat) in Lima arranges expensive private tours to Caral and Paramonga on request. Colectivo (shared transportation) taxis depart from Barranca to the nearby hamlet of Caral fairly regularly for S5 (two hours), or alternatively a taxi will cost S90 for the return journey (including waiting time). The road out here is rough and may be impassable during the December to March wet season. Spanish-speaking local guides are also available at the site for S25 per group, and camping is available at the site for S20 per person.

Sleeping & Eating

Most hotels are along Barranca’s main street.

Hostal Birch (Pedro Reyes Barbosa 159; s/d S15/24) This is the cheapest place to stay, with slightly run-down but reasonably clean rooms and a friendly family running the show – look for colorful jungle murals lining the entryway. It’s one block east of the plaza.

Hostal Residencial Continental (235-2458; A Ugarte 190; s/d S30/45) A step up from Hostal Birch, this spot has great little rooms that are clean, secure and brightened by loud bedspreads.

Hotel Chavín (235-2358, 235-2253; www.hotelchavin.com.pe; Gálvez 222; s/d S75/110; ) The best place in town, Hotel Chavín has comfortable rooms that are perfectly preserved in a resplendent ’70s style. Their restaurant, El Liberador, serves Las Vegas–style buffets (with a free pisco sour, made with Peruvian grape brandy, between 1pm and 4pm) has heaping tacu tacu (pan-fried rice and beans) and they couldn’t be prouder of their karaoke in the bar at nights.

Sech (A Ugarte 190; snacks S3-8; 8am-10pm) For a tasty bite, visit this busy modern cafe with warm yellow walls and a varied menu.

Cafetería El Parador (Hotel Chavín, Gálvez 222; breakfasts S6-9, sandwiches S4-8; 7am-11pm) This place has several breakfast combos, mediocre coffee and sandwiches and a bar with ice-cold beers.

Getting There & Away

To get to Lima, flag down one of the many buses heading in that direction. Most buses from Lima going up the coast can drop you in Barranca. For Huaraz, catch a minibus (S1) to the petrol station at the Huaraz turnoff. From there, infrequent buses stop to pick up passengers (S15, five hours) or you can catch a much faster colectivo taxi (S25, 3½ hours).

CASMA

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A small and unflustered Peruvian coastal town, Casma has little to do except watch the whirring of passing buses. The big draw here is the archaeological site of Sechín, about 5km away. Casma’s once-important colonial port (11km from town) was sacked by various pirates during the 17th century and the town today is merely a friendly blip on the historical radar.

From here, the Pan-American Hwy branches off for Huaraz via the Callán Pass (4225m). This route is tough on your backside but offers excellent panoramic views of the Cordillera Blanca. Most points of interest in town lie along the Pan-American Hwy, between the Plaza de Armas in the west and the petrol station in the east.

Information

There’s no tourist office, but Sechín Tours (41-1421; Hostal Monte Carlo, Nepeña 16; 8am-1pm & 3-8pm) has a small office in the Hostal Monte Carlo that dishes out tourist information and travelers’ assistance, and also arranges local tours. There’s a branch of BCP (71 1314, 71 1471; Bolívar 111) here and several internet cafes line the plaza.

Sights

Sechín (adult S6; 8am-5pm), 5km southeast of Casma, is one of Peru’s granddaddy archaeological sites, dating from about 1600 BC. It is among the more important and well-preserved ruins along this coast, though it has suffered some damage from grave robbers and natural disasters.

The warlike people who built this temple remain shrouded in mystery. The site consists of three outside walls of the main temple, which are completely covered in gruesome 4m-high bas-relief