Chan Chan & Huacas del Sol y Luna tour from Trujillo: Private SUV

Walk inside a 20-meter pyramid, then explore the clay palaces of an ancient mud city

A private full-day tour from Trujillo visiting Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian mud city, and the Temples of the Sun and Moon: Moche and Chimú archaeological sites with a live guide in multiple languages. The tour includes hotel pickup, an air-conditioned SUV, water, Wi-Fi during transfers, and a lunch break at a beachside fishing village where you can ride traditional reed boats. Children from age 5 are welcome. The day runs about eight hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Chan Chan and Huacas Sun and Moon

• Visit decorated Chimu temple
• See 12th century sea ritual temple
• Explore Chan Chan palaces with guide
• Relax and try caballitos de totora
• Visit Huacas Sol y Luna museum
• Tour Huaca de la Luna pyramid
• Photo stop at Huaca del Sol

The experience

How do you see both the mud palaces of Chan Chan and the painted pyramid temples in one day without renting a car? This tour strings them together in sequence: you start at Chan Chan, walking the courtyards and royal palaces of the Chimú kings built entirely from adobe and clay, then move to the Temples of the Sun and Moon, where the Moche built their ritual centers with facades still holding their original colors after more than a thousand years. The guide is a local who speaks English, Spanish, Italian or French and knows which details matter: the rainbow and dragon motifs carved into the temple walls, the fishing nets and squirrels etched into the stone, the ritual versus everyday pottery that fills the site museum.

Between the two main stops, you break at Huanchaco, a fishing village on the coast where you can ride a caballito de totora (a traditional reed boat the fishermen still use), and eat ceviche while looking at the water. This is not a rushed lunch. It is built into the day so you are not eating in the vehicle. The SUV is modern and air-conditioned, which matters in the Trujillo heat, and the driver tracks your hotel pickup time so you are not waiting at the curb.

The Temples of the Sun and Moon are two structures, but you enter only the Moon (the one open to visitors since 1995) for roughly an hour inside the courtyards and overlapping squares. The Sun temple sits nearby for photos. The site museum holds over 500 ceramics recovered during three decades of excavation, so you see both the temples themselves and the objects that tell you what they were for. The whole day moves at a pace that lets you stand in front of things instead of racing between them.

What’s included

• Modern air-conditioned SUV with Wi-Fi during transfers.
• bottled water throughout the day.
• experienced local guide in English, Spanish, Italian or French.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• entry to Chan Chan and the Temples of the Sun and Moon.
• access to the site museum with over 500 ceramics.
• time to ride a traditional reed boat at Huanchaco village.

Before you book

Days and timesWednesday to Sunday

AgesAdult (18 to 70 years) · Child (5 to 16 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 38 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 6 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessiblePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Norte Expedition

Is this one for you?Eight hours is long enough to see both sites without skipping the details (the painted facades, the carved palace walls, the museum), but short enough that you are back by evening. If your schedule has only a half-day free, this tour will not fit. If you have a full day and want to understand two different pre-Columbian cultures in one outing, this is the way to do it without driving yourself.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 16 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly can I see inside the Temples of the Sun and Moon?

The Temples of the Sun and Moon are Moche structures built over a thousand years ago. You enter the Pyramid of the Moon for about an hour, walking through its courtyards and overlapping squares and seeing the 20-meter-high facade with its intact original colors still visible. The Temple of the Sun stands nearby for photographs. The site museum displays over 500 ceramics from 30 years of excavations, showing both ritual pottery and everyday objects used by the Moche people.

What is Chan Chan and how much time do I spend there?

Chan Chan is the largest pre-Columbian mud city in South America, built by the Chimú culture. You walk and explore the royal palaces constructed entirely from adobe and clay, where you can still see the carved designs (rainbows, dragons, fishing nets and other motifs) that decorated the walls. The tour guide leads you through the best-preserved sections and explains the layout and purpose of the palaces.

Do I need to arrange my own lunch, or is it included?

Lunch is not included in the tour price, but the itinerary includes a break at Huanchaco, a fishing village on the coast, where you can eat at local restaurants serving fresh ceviche and other regional food. This is also where you have the option to ride a caballito de totora, a traditional reed boat still used by local fishermen.

How long is the full tour, and what time does it start?

The tour runs about eight hours. Hotel pickup is included, so the driver will collect you from your accommodation at a time arranged when you book, and return you at the end of the day.