Cajamarca

Introduction

Cajamarca is a department in the north of Peru, sharing a border with Ecuador and administered by a regional government. Its capital, the city of Cajamarca, sits at an elevation of 2,700 metres in the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world.

Part of the department's territory reaches into the Amazon rainforest, so your travels here can take you from high Andean terrain down toward the Amazon basin.

Before you go

Cajamarca sits at a high altitude, so plan to take it easy for your first day or two in town. Drink plenty of water, and go easy on alcohol and caffeine while you adjust. The altitude can leave you short of breath and cause headaches, so give yourself time before filling your schedule.

The climate is mild, dry and sunny, but conditions swing over the course of a day: nights are quite cold while the daytime sun can be very strong. Pack sunscreen and warm clothes. Once you're out and about, traffic is likely your biggest risk — drivers often assume you'll get out of their way, driving the wrong way down a one-way street is not uncommon, and stopping at stop signs is. Look around before you cross. The central city is fairly safe, but keep an eye out for pickpockets and hold on to your belongings, and avoid travelling away from the city centre after dark.

Getting there

You can reach Cajamarca by air or by bus. Daily flights connect the city with Lima, arriving at the Aeropuerto Armando Revoredo. Airlines serving the route include LATAM and LC Perú.

By road, luxury buses make the journey from Lima in about 16 hours, and several buses a day run from Trujillo, a trip of around 7 hours. From Cajamarca you can continue onward to the town of Celendín, where connecting buses reach Chachapoyas, or travel through the highlands by road to Chota and back down to Chiclayo. Linea offers connections from Chiclayo, Pacasmayo, and Trujillo, among other places.

Getting around

Cajamarca's historic core is compact enough that most of the sights can be covered on foot, with the Plaza de Armas as the hub and restaurants, shops and attractions clustered around it. Bear in mind that the city is hilly, so walks take more effort than the short distances suggest, and take extra care after dark. There is no rail, metro or tram network, so getting around and reaching the city is done by road or by air.

• Micro buses, colectivos or combis — Peruvians call them micro buses. A very cheap and easy way to get around, with most trips costing S/1 or less and no haggling over the fare. They are often crowded and somewhat dangerous. Combis are minivans on short routes, described as practical and fast, while larger microbuses serve interprovincial connections. Micro buses for the airport, Otuzco and Combayo leave at the first intersection of Dos de Mayo, northwest of the river.
• Mototaxis — three-wheeled converted motorcycles with a roof and doors, seating two passengers. The smallest but fastest mode in the city, used to extend combi and micro routes. Very economical and lots of fun, but a little dangerous, as they don't fare well in accidents. Most trips in town run between S/2 and S/3.
• Taxis — most are Daewoo Ticos or Toyota Corolla wagons, and fares are cheaper than in Lima. Taxis lack meters, so ask the driver what the fare is before you get in; whatever fare you agree to includes the tip. Expect around S/7 for a trip in town and about S/15 to the airport or to Baños del Inca. Taxis are the primary transport to and from the airport. To book ahead, companies in the city include Taxi Seguro, Super Seguro and Taxi Unidos.
• Cycling — viable for visiting the tourist sites, since the areas you'd want to cover have few and minimal slopes. Travel agencies organize bicitours, personal or group, with itineraries of one, two or three days, including private transport, a guided route, cycling equipment, hydration and optional accommodation. City-center hotels rent bicycles by the hour or for a full day, and bicycle workshops and spare-parts shops can be found a couple of blocks from the Plaza de Armas and elsewhere. Cycling is hindered, though, by the hilly landscape, a lack of dedicated bike lanes and sparse cycling infrastructure, and routes often require rugged bikes suited to dirt paths.

For regional attractions, private-vehicle tours run routes including Baños del Inca, Cumbemayo, Llacanora, Ventanillas de Otuzco, Namora and Granja Porcón, with companies located around the Plaza de Armas.

Where to stay

Cajamarca has plenty of inexpensive places to sleep, and the choice is broad: alongside the many hotels and hostels in town, you'll find spa hotels on the outskirts. Budget travellers can look at Hostal Cruz de Piedra, where rooms come with cable TV, hot water and private bathrooms, and some have a view of the park on Cerro Santa Apalonia.

For a mid-range stay, Hospedaje Posada de Belén sits on the corner of the Plaza de Armas and offers good bedding, friendly staff and WiFi; ask for a room facing the Plaza if you like natural light. Hospedaje los Jazmines occupies a colonial building with a garden and coffee bar, good wifi, hot water, cable TV and rooms cleaned daily, a short walk from the Plaza de Armas, with quieter rooms at the back. Other mid-range options include Hostal Cajamarca, Casona del Inca, Hostal Hatunkay in Barrio San Pedro, Hostal Peru, El Portal del Marques Hotel, Casa Blanca Hotel, San Lorenzo Hotel, La Portada del Sol Hostal (both the city and hacienda locations), Los Pinos Inn Hostal, Los Balcones de la Recoleta Hostal, El Cumbe Inn Hostal, El Cabildo Hostal and La Campina Hostal. If you'd rather splurge, the Hotel Costa del Sol stands on the Plaza de Armas with a hot water pool, spa and gym, while the Continental Hotel and the Gran Continental Hotel offer hot water, TV, Internet and a restaurant, and the Posada del Puruay Hotel is a farmhouse conversion a short drive out of town with a restaurant known for its fondue, plus horseback rides and trout fishing.

Food & drink

Cajamarca's dairy industry shapes much of the local diet, so expect plenty of dishes served in cream sauce. For the adventurous, several restaurants serve cuy (guinea pig), and street vendors sell tamales and other snacks, especially around dinner time.

• La Ideal Panaderia y Pasteleria — a clean, modern spot for coffee, cakes, hamburgers and rolls, with excellent service.
• Pia — tasty pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) at a bargain price, on Amazonas near the Plaza de Armas.
• El Cajamarques — one of the top restaurants in town; the courtyard with exotic birds and wildlife is the real attraction.
• Super Chicken — good chicken and fries, with locations in the Recoleta and El Quinde shopping center; eat in or take out.
• Renzos — Italian food, pizza and pasta, one block up from the Plaza.
• La Cena — a large family-style restaurant towards the west end of Via Evitamiento, known for pollo a la braza and parrilla.
• Punta Sal — the place to go for ceviche, a marinated raw seafood dish.
• Chifa Hong Kong — proper Cantonese Chinese food on the Plaza de Armas, better than the usual chifa.
• Cascanuez — serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but desserts are the main attraction.
• Don Paco — fine dining for a good price, with good pizzas, just off the Plaza across from the San Francisco Church.
• Querubino — Mediterranean dining with a Peruvian influence, north west of the Plaza on Amalia Puga.
• Bella's Cafe — great Peruvian coffee, cappuccino, Pisco Sour and Margaritas, plus breakfast, quesadillas, tacos with homemade tortillas and pizza; wifi for customers.

For drinks, street vendors sell home-made juice worth trying. Chicha de jora is a sweet homemade alcoholic drink made from corn, and locally produced chocolate is widely available for hot drinks or can be made for you at many restaurants. Myshky Cafe, half a block from the Plaza de Armas, serves espressos, lattes and mochas made with coffee beans from Jaén, along with frappés, chai lattes, desserts and sandwiches.

What to see and do

In Cajamarca itself, start at the Plaza de Armas, where the Baroque Cathedral of Cajamarca (Catedral de Santa Catalina) faces the square. Nearby stands the Church San Francisco de Asis, begun in 1699, with the Museum San Francisco attached to it. The Museum Belen, an archaeological and ethnographic collection housed in the historic Belén building, is another stop, as is the Church La Recoleta. The Ransom Room (Cuarto de Rescate) is the only building left from the Inca empire in the city, where the Inca Atahualpa was held captive by Francisco Pizarro. For a view over the city, climb to the Viewpoint Santa Apolonia, which holds a "seat of the Inca" where the emperor supposedly addressed his subjects; there is an entry fee for the top.

Outside the city, the pre-Inca necropolis of Ventanillas de Otuzco is easy to reach by microbus, with tourist infrastructure and information plates in English, while the larger and better-preserved Ventanillas de Combayo see few visitors and no infrastructure at all — do not touch the stone, as it is not solid. Llacanora is a picturesque town with waterfalls a fairly easy walk away, plus a farm with a lake and gardens nearby. At Kuntur Wasi, near San Pablo, you can see monolithic statues and a museum of ceramics, semi-precious stones and gold objects. The Inca's Baths (Baños del Inca) are natural hot springs in the town of the same name, and Cumbe Mayo is a pre-Columbian aqueduct built to bring water to Cajamarca in the dry season; it sits at high altitude and can be cold and wet in the rainy season. For a walk, the Catarata de Plan Manzanas waterfall is reached via Huambocancha Alta and a trail over the top of the falls, through traditional farming countryside. Granja Porcón is an Evangelical farming colony with tourist services and a zoo, and in the Mollepampa district you can view pottery. If your visit falls in February or March, Carnaval de Cajamarca fills the days with paint, water bombs and parades, while the Feria de Todos los Santos is held on November 1.

When to go

Three days in Cajamarca

Day one: Start in Cajamarca itself, in the Andes of northern Peru. Base yourself around the Plaza de Armas, where you can get your bearings and watch daily life unfold. From Cajamarca you can reach Otuzco and Combayo, both worth a look for their carved rock faces. If you have arrived by air, Aeropuerto Armando Revoredo is served by airlines such as LATAM and LC Perú; by road, you can come from Trujillo, Chiclayo, Pacasmayo or the coast along the Línea. Once you are settled, drink in the Andean atmosphere and take your time.

Day two: Head out to the surrounding countryside. Otuzco and Combayo make a good pairing, and you can travel by micro, combis or taxi as Peruvians do. Pack for changeable Andean weather: it can be warm by day and bitterly cold at night, so layers help. Look for local dishes and the drink of the region, and bear in mind that altitudes here are high. There is no need to rush; the pace of the Andes is slow.

Day three: Look beyond Cajamarca toward the wider region. From Cajamarca you can continue to Celendín, Chachapoyas, Chota or back toward Chiclayo and Trujillo. If you are flying out, Aeropuerto Armando Revoredo connects to Lima with LATAM and LC Perú. Part of the appeal of this corner of Peru is the journey itself, whether you are heading toward the Amazon or back to the coast. Pack once more, and enjoy your last day in the Andes.