After a while in the Northern Sierra of the country spent visiting archaeological sites and nature hiking, it was time for us to move onto the coast to a warmer (or at least we thought so!) destination: Chiclayo.
On a misty cold morning of August, which got us thinking we took a night bus to the wrong destination, we finally pull up into the terminal of Chiclayo (this time the bus company, not the city). Honest impression? Well, at first sight it doesn’t really look like we’re going to remember the city for its beauty but hey… the day is still young, time to settle in at our place (Hostel Costa Cielo) and go out for a little exploration.
The main plaza, the area around the centre, a couple of nice buildings but still, this place still doesn’t convince us. It is not until we stop talking with a taxi driver that we find out a little more. “This city is boring, nothing to do and its ugly.”, were his words. We’re sure every city has its own charm but trying to find that here sounds more like mission impossible! Picture yourself a lot of traffic, busy messy markets, lots of chops and plenty of colectivos that can be compared to India’s worst tuk-tuks. Yep, THAT messy.
Chiclayo downtown
As usual though, not everything is completely black or white. True that the city might not be your dream destination in terms of beauty but how could you say no to some apparently great archaeological sites and museums?
Although we did our “research” homework, it is not until we have a chat with the hostel manage that we figure out there are four neighbouring towns where all attractions are concentrated: Lambayeque, Sipan, Ferreñafe and Tucume.
Museum Tumbas Reales de Sipan, cameras are not allowed inside
LAMBAYEQUE
Just outside the city limits, here’s where you can find the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan, a very modern museum inside which are stored most of the artefacts (but also mummies and skeletons) found at the archaeological site of Huaca Rajada.
If you’re interested about learning the dark past of the country and like history but even if you’re not, this is a must-visit. From bottles, pins, bones to jewellery, there’s nothing not being left behind here and it’s all put into context in relationship to whom was the original owner.
In this town there’s also the lesser known Museum Brünig which we didn’t visit.
Getting here: There are plenty of colectivos heading to Lamabayeque (surely it has happened to you to hear people screaming it from some colectivos speeding by) but if you really wanna make sure to catch your ride, just head to the colectivo terminal at Av. Jose Eufemio Lora with Av. San Jose. Colectivos follow more or less then 5am to 5pm time, cost 1.50 soles/pp and take 15-20min to drop you right in front of the Lambeyeque market.
Entrance and timings: The museum is open from 8am to 5.30pm and the entrance is worth 10 soles/pp.
SIPAN PUEBLO
Not to be mistaken for the “Museum de Sipan”, this place is where the archaeological site Huaca Rajada is found. Most of the artefacts have been moved to Lambayeque long ago but the museum on-site still hold some beautiful ones, including mummies.
At the actual site there’s not much to see but really nice (and real-looking) reconstructions of what it looked when it was once found by the archaeologist. Seeing both the Museum of Sipan and this site itself is a great combo!
EPSEL terminal
Getting here: Getting to Huaca Rajada is not as common as going to other places and its usually mistaken with the museum (both named Sipan). That said, colectivo leaving on a frequent basis (15-20min ride) can be found at the EPSEL colectivo terminal at Av. Jose Quiñones Gonzales with Av. Augusto B. Leguia. Remember that when you say you’re going to Sipan, you will have to specify PUEBLO and not museum a goo number of times: colectivos will do everything to get you on-board, especially for a small misuderstanding.
Entrance and timings: The site is open from 8am to 5pm but the museum closes one hour earlier at 4pm. The entrance ticket of 10 soles/pp include the visit to both.
TUCUME
Also known as the Pyramids of Tucume, this huge site is possibly the biggest yet less cared for of the three. In comparison to Huaca Rajada, this place is spread over a huge area and boasts several excavation site which sadly are mostly closed to the public.
When we visited, we were only able to see Huaca Las Balsas (part of the complex) and the mirador, since all the other sites were under maintenance (and have stayed so for the past two months). Las Balsas was nice but with the other Huacas closed down, it was not really worth coming all the way here.
The museum on site is good sized, very modern and definitely worth a look.
Colectivo leaving for Tucume at Lambayeque market
Getting here: On the way there, just take a colectivo to Lambeyeque and from where you’ll be dropped off at the Mercado, hop on onto any colectivo saying (or shouting) Tucume. The whole journey from Chiclayo should take you around 45min (20min + 25min) and each leg should cost around 1-1.5 soles/pp. Once in Tucume, you can decide to walk the 1.5km to the site or just take a tuk-tuk to the entrance of the museum for 3 soles.
Entrance and timings: The site & museum are open from 8am to 5pm (even though you can wander the site until 5.30pm). There are three type of tickets you can buy: the A ( main site+mirador), the B (Las Balsas+mirador) or A+B (main site+Las Balsas+mirador). The simple ticket costs 10 soles/pp and the all-inclusive one 12 soles/pp; visit to the museum is included with any ticket.
FERREÑAFE
We didn’t visit this site because by the third day we kinda felt it wasn’t worth moving too much around for another museum. Anyhow, many people told us good things about the Sican National Museum that you can find here.
Getting here: Colectivos for just 1.50 soles/pp can be taken from the EPSEL terminal and only take 15-20min to get to the museum.
Entrance and timings: The museum is open 9am to 5pm and costs 15 soles/pp.
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