Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [275]
To get here, a mototaxi (three-wheeled motorcycle rickshaw taxi) from Casma costs around S5. You can also visit on a tour organized by Sechín Tours in Casma, or by using pedal power if you rent one of the company’s bicycles. The route is well signposted.
Other early sites in the Sechín area have not been excavated due to a lack of funds. From the museum, you can see the large, flat-topped hill of Sechín Alto in the distance. The nearby fortress of Chanquillo consists of several towers surrounded by concentric walls, but it is best appreciated from the air. Aerial photographs are on display at the museum.
The entry ticket to Sechín also allows you to visit the Mochica ruins of Pañamarca, 10km inland from the Panamericana on the road to Nepeña. These ruins are badly weathered, but you can see some of the covered murals if you ask the guard.
Tours & Guides
The friendly folks at Sechín Tours (41-1421; Hostal Monte Carlo, Nepeña 16; 8am-1pm & 3-8pm) arrange full-day trips to Sechín and Tortugas, including entrance fees, lunch and a Spanish-speaking guide, for S45 per person (minimum two people). You can rent mountain bikes here to explore the ruins under your own steam (for three hours S15, per day S30). They also rent sandboards (per day S5) for plummeting down the nearby Manchan dunes, a S10 mototaxi ride away. They also have a branch (Click here) in Huaraz if you want to set up a tour from there.
Sleeping & Eating
Hostal Gregori (9-631-4291; Ormeño 579; s/d S30/38, s/d without bathroom S15/24) Probably the best and most popular budget pick. This funky white hotel has random potted plants in specially designed crevices, architecturally rakish wall angles and very comfortable, fresh rooms. Hot water and TVs are available on request and the whole place has radiantly airy feng shui.
Hostal Monte Carlo (41-1421; Nepeña 16; s/d S20/48) The big rooms here couldn’t be any cleaner if your mother had scrubbed them herself. All come with TV. Sechín tours operates out of the reception, and there’s a neat little cafe serving cheap snacks (S1.50 to S4) and breakfasts (S3 to S6). It’s just east of the plaza.
Hotel El Farol (41-1064, in Lima 01-424 0517; Túpac Amaru 450; s/d S65/95; ) One of the fanciest places to bed down in Casma, El Farol curves around a fetching garden, complete with a dainty gazebo and a bamboo-lined restaurant and bar. The walled-in compound supplies an oasis of calm from the street clamor and has great rooms. There are useful maps and photographs in the lobby if you plan to explore surrounding ruins.
Hotel Los Poncianos (41-1599, /fax 41 2123; Panamericana Norte Km 376; s/d S65/95; ) Just a block off the main highway and six blocks from the Plaza de Armas, this place is in a hushed spot and has both an Olympic-sized pool and a children’s pool in its grounds. The restaurant will feed you, hot showers will bathe you, cable TV will entertain you and a ceiling fan will keep you cool.
There are no fancy restaurants in town, but for a passable coffee and early, bready breakfast try the bakery Sol Caribeño (Ormeño 544; snacks S2-5; 7am-6pm). La Careta (Peru 895; mains around S10; 7-11pm) is a popular meatery serving sizzling grills nightly – though be warned that the only ‘greens’ you’ll come across here are the indoor potted plants. Chifa Tío Sam (71-1447; Huarmey 138; mains around S10; 7am-9pm) is also a good place to grab a bite.
Getting There & Away
Colectivo taxis to Chimbote (S5, 45 minutes) leave frequently from the Plaza de Armas.
Several bus companies, including Cruz del Norte, Movil and Turismo Paraiso, have a communal booking office (41-2116; Ormeño 145) in front of the petrol station at the eastern end of town. Most buses stop here to pick up