The department of Lambayeque is located on the coastal plain and combines arid zones, rich valleys, and dry forests. Chiclayo, bordered by fertile valleys and very close to the ocean, is the capital of the department and the commercial nexus among the three Peruvian regions: coast, highland, and jungle.

This territory was the cradle of the Mochicas, who lived there between the first and fourth centuries A.D., which makes Lambayeque one of the most interesting archeological destinations in the country. It was in 1987 that the famous royal tombs of Sipán were discovered, the burial remains of an important Mochican ruler. Besides the Sipán archeological site, you can visit the modern Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum that contains the most extraordinary gold pieces found in the excavations. Likewise, it is worth a visit to the Brunning Museum, located in the province of Lambayeque, and to the Sicán Museum, located in the province of Ferreñafe.

Túcume is another archeological site of unique beauty. There, you will see more than twenty adobe pyramids, all approximately forty meters high, that belong to the Lambayeque culture and which are nestled in an area full of wildlife and abundant vegetation. Another must see in Lambayeque is the Chaparrí Ecological Reserve, located in the district of Chongoyape. Here, the dry forests and the biodiversity they shelter are preserved.

Lambayeque also boasts one of the best cuisines in the country: exquisite rice with duck competes with cebiche in a competition where the gourmands are always the winners. The lovely port and beach resort of Pimentel and the tradition town of Saña with its Colonial houses and churches in ruins round out the attractions of this fascinating department.

Tourist Attractions

Province of Chiclayo
Cathedral of Chiclayo
Center of the city. Visiting hours: Mass time
This Neoclassical church dates back to 1869. The entrance has two doors and is flanked by Doric columns that stand in front of three arches. Inside, the building is formed by three naves and the highlight is the carved wooden image of Cristo Pobre (the Poor Christ).

Palacio Municipal de Chiclayo (Chiclayo City Hall)
Calle San Jose 823
It is a Republican building with wide windows and doors of forged iron. It was built in 1919, and the estimated cost was something around 30.000 pounds of gold.

Capilla de La Veronica (The Veronica Chapel)
Calle Torres Paz 294. Visiting hours: Mass time
The temple originated as a rustic shelter or small chapel that probably offered masses for the dead and celebrated festivals for the saints of the communities of Cinto and Collique. The church, built in 1840, is constructed on a rectangular plane with twin bell towers and a small atrium. Its domed ceiling is held up by beams of plastered carob wood, and its upper panel and niches are covered in bronze leaves.

Plazuela Elias Aguirre (Elias Aguirre Square)
Located between Calle Elias and Calle San Jose (block 3)
It was constructed in 1924 in honor of Commander Elias Aguirre, Chiclayan hero in the Battle of Angamos and one of the fighters in the War of the Pacific (1879). The designer of this plaza was the Peruvian sculptor David Lozano.

Mercado Artesanal de Monsefú (Monsefu Craft Market)
14 km / 9 miles south of Chiclayo (15 minutes by bus)
Monsefu is known for its straw weaving – hats, baskets, purses, and saddle bags – as well as works of cotton and thread. It is also famous for embroidery with gold and silver threads. There, you can find delicate napkins, table cloths, blouses, skirts, ponchos, and embroidered cloaks.

Eten
22 km / 14 miles south of Chiclayo (25 minutes by bus)
This Third Eucharistic City of the World celebrates with intense religious fervor the Fair of the Divine Child of the Miracle, which comemorates his appearance in the Consecrated Host three times on 22nd July 1619. It is the artisanal capital of “macora” straw weaving and delicate embroidery. The beach of Eten is located 2 km / 1 miles from the city.

Saña
46 km / 29 miles southeast of Chiclayo (1 hour and 30 minutes by bus)
In Saña, you are able to see the remains of what once was the vice royal city founded in 1563. It is a ghost town, the origin of legends and stories such as the one that tells the invasion and sacking suffered inflicted bythe pirate Edward Davis in 1686. It was destroyed by the El Niño Phenomenon in 1720.

Today, it houses the remains of the San Agustín and San Francisco Convents as well as the porch of the Iglesia La Merced (Mercy Church). This is also the cradle of such Afro-American dances as the erotic “Golpe de Tierra” (Strike the Ground), the tondero, and the festejo.

Archeological Complex of the Huaca Rajada – Señor de Sipán
(Lord of Sipan)
35 km / 22 miles southeast of Chiclayo (45 minutes by car)
It is located at the borders of what once was the Pomalca plantation. There, in 1987, a tomb of a Mochican ruler, later named the Lord of Sipan, was discovered with intact vestiges. The findings allowed experts to learn about the burial rituals of a Mochican sovereign who was buried with a warrior, a priest, two women, a boy, a dog, a llama, and a guardian with both feet amputated. The burial paraphernalia included numerous items of gold and silver jewelry inlaid with turquoise and lapis lazuli.

The pre-Inca construction, or huaca, is formed by a burial platform and two truncated adobe pyramids that also belonged to the Mochican culture (first – fourth centuries A.D.).

Pimentel Beach Resort
11 km / 7 miles west of Chiclayo (15 minutes by car)
This modern beach resort is a good place to surf. You can also observe fishermen who still make use of the ancestral rafts, “caballitos de totora” (little horses of totora reeds), traditionally used on the north coast of Peru since the pre-Colombian era.

Chaparri Ecological Reserve
95 km / 59 miles southeast of Chiclayo (1 hour and 30 minutes by car)
Visits upon phone reservation – (074) 433194 – 452299
This area of 34.412 hectares belongs to the Muchik Santa Catalina de Chongoyape farming community. This is the first private conservation area in Peru.

Its main objective is the preservation of the dry forests in the area and the rich biodiversity that it shelters. Also, it hopes to establish a mechanism that will allow for the sustainable use of its natural resources. Important endangered species found there are the spectacled bear, the guanaco, the white winged guan, and the Andean condor.

Useful Information

Altitude
Capital: Chiclayo (29 msnm)
Lowest point: 4 masl / 13 fasl (Pimentel)
Highest point: 3078 masl / 10.098 fasl (Incahuasi)

Climate
The city of Chiclayo has an arid, warm climate with an average annual maximum temperature of 26.2ºC (79.2ºF) and a minimum of 17.3ºC (63.1ºF). When the El Niño Phenomenon happens, the climate varies, the level of precipitation rises and the temperature can increase.

Access Routes
By land: Lima – Chiclayo: 770 km (479 miles) on the Pan-American Highway North (10 hours by car)
By air: Regular flights from Lima to Chiclayo (1 hour)

Distances from Chiclayo to the Following Cities
Ferreñafe(Province of Ferreñafe) 18 km / 20 minutes
Lambayeque(Province of Lambayeque) 12 km / 10 minutes.

Directory

Airport
Jose Abelardo Quiñones Gonzales International Airport
Avenida Bolognesi. Telephone: (074) 23-3192. Attention: 24 hours

Overland Transport
Chiclayo
Avenida Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, block 2. Attention: 24 hours

Health Centers
- Chiclayo
Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo National Hospital
Calle Hipólito Unanue 180, Chiclayo. Telephone: (074) 23-7776. Attention: 24 hours

- Docente Las Mercedes Regional Hospital
Avenida Luis Gonzales 635, Chiclayo. Telephone: (074) 23-8232 / 23-7411 / 23-7021. Attention: 24 hours

- Lambayeque
Belén Hospital of Lambayeque
Calle Ramón Castilla 597, Lambayeque. Telephone: (074) 28-1190. Attention: 24 hours

Local Police
Comisaría de Chiclayo (Chiclayo Police Station). Calle Vicente de la Vega 1182, Chiclayo. Telephone: (074) 27-0751. Attention: 24 hours

Tourism Police. Avenida Sáenz Peña 830, Chiclayo
Telephone: (074) 23-5181. Attention: 24 hours

Craft Markets
Paseo Artesanal. Calle Colón, block 1

Postal Services
- Chiclayo. Jiron Elías Aguirre 140. Telephone: (074) 23-7031. Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 8:30 P.M.; Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

- Lambayeque. Jiron Atahualpa 120. Telephone: (074) 28-2246. Attention: Mon. – Sat. 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.

Tourist Information

Regional Government of LAMBAYEQUE www.regionlambayeque.gob.pe

Peru.info