Caral Chronicles
 

I went to Caral today. The Sacred City of Caral is some 200 km north of Lima. It is the most ancient city of the Americas, inhabited between roughly 2600 BCE and 2000 BCE, and is a well-studied site of the Caral civilization.

Since I live in Miraflores, a southern district of Lima, I had to drive across all the city to get the (north)Panamerica highway. Good to go on sunday since traffic is not so heavy.

There are other archeological sites from the same civilization in the northern valleys of Lima region, like Bandurria. However Caral is the best mantained site, and the most interesting. Since it's like 3 hours from Lima, visiting other sites requires 2 days (Bandurria and Caral may be visited in one day, but it's too rush. I strongly recommend to spend a weekend. If you go in summer you can combine it with beaches and swimming, though the heat in Caral may be too strong.

The whole Caral city contains around 19 pyramid complexes, but the best restored that conform the circuit are around 5. It's better to visit the site in winter or spring, cause in summer is very hot and the sun is very intense. The pyramids are not within the green fields of the valley, but in the sand near the arid hills.

For people who like history and archeological sites, Caral is a must. It is far more interest that the huacas within Lima, but of course the tour is not as exciting as the Cusco tours (the Inca buildings are from S. XV, so they are in better shape, besides the Incas got more "technology"). And the tour also gives you the opportunity of see more of the peruvian coast geography and its towns, its valleys, and enjoy the seafood.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...vic/caral5.jpg
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...vic/caral4.jpg
http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...vic/caral3.jpg
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I found also this interesting article:

Caral Cradle of Civilization/

I'll happily second Villavics recommendation. It was on my bucket list. Was there last year, well worth seeing the oldest city, imagining how it was then. BTW, was told it is situated and was important because it is there the crossing across the Andes is the shortest.
There is an less expensive company that takes a bus early. It had a silly stop on the way that only meant you arrived later to endure the heat. It is a short way. Leave early, arrive early to avoid the heat and the wait for the available tour guide. They have guides you need to use and they wait for the appropriate group size to start. Problem is I do not recall them having English guides.
Hey, afterwards continue on to the beach at MedioMundo and sunburn there.

About foreign tourists, that day I only saw a spaniard group. I couldn't confirm wether there already are English-speaking guides. I thought there aren't, until the guide asked Do all speak spanish?
Anyway I forgot to ask at the end if there are english speaking guides, but if you want to take I tour I suggest to ask before, the explanation is worth it.