Trujillo

A 1-day break in Trujillo

Getting from Piura to Trujillo

To get from Piura to Trujillo, you can book a bus with several companies. We took a Cruz del Sur day bus, but overnight options are also available.

  • Cost: 80 soles per person for day trip, 60 soles for overnight.
  • Duration: Approximately 8 hours
  • Tickets can be booked through the Cruz del Sur website.

Each bus company leaves from their own bus station (well-marked on Google Maps and on the ticket). We highly recommend paying a little bit more to have a more comfortable bus. We bought tickets for a 160° recliner bus and we did not regret it! The bus itself was incredibly comfortable and felt very safe.

Cruz del Sur website:

https://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/ 

One Full Day in Trujillo

 

Chan Chan Ruins:

We started the day by visiting Chan Chan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While it’s possible to take a bus, we opted for an Uber (12 soles). If you visit, make sure to go directly to the ruins entrance and not just the museum, as they’re quite far apart.

 

The entrance fee is 10 soles, which also gives access to three other sites (Huaca Arco Iris, Huaca La Esmeralda and Museo de Sitio Chan Chan). Although only 20% of the ruins are original, it’s still worth the visit. One of the highlights was walking outside of the archeological site, following the road outside back to the main street and going of the path on the left. It was completely empty, and we had the ruins to ourselves. This route leads to a temple and eventually to the museum, passing through a greener area where we spotted brightly coloured lizards and many bird species. If you are lucky, you can even spot foxes and snakes (venomous coral snakes and their harmless lookalikes).

La Huaca de la Luna:

After Chan Chan, we took an Uber (18 soles) to La Huaca de la Luna, arriving just in time as it closes around 15:00. Tickets cost 10 soles, and entry is only allowed with a guided tour, which is included in the price. The guides work for tips, but tipping is optional.

We found La Huaca de la Luna even more impressive than Chan Chan. Unlike many archaeological sites, nothing here is restored, and the original wall paintings are incredibly well-preserved.

 

From Huaca de la Luna, we took a colectivo (2.5 soles), which runs every 10 minutes. There are colectivos going to the site as well, but we couldn’t figure out where to find them in the city and we were short on time.

Final Thoughts

One full day in Trujillo is definitely enough. While the ruins are interesting, the city itself doesn’t have much else to offer. We wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit unless you’re already passing through on a bus from Ecuador to Peru, as Trujillo is quite far from other major sightseeing destinations. If you do find yourself here, the archaeological sites are worth checking out, but it’s not a must-visit destination.