Huaral and its charm await you: get to know its fascinating tourist attractions

Huaral and its charm await you: get to know its fascinating tourist attractions

If you want to treasure an unforgettable travel experience getting to know places of extraordinary natural and architectural beauty, you only have to travel 76 kilometers along the Panamericana Norte, cross the serpentine or the Pasamayo bypass, and reach Huaral, the northern province closest to the Lima city.

Huaral is one of the most complete and impressive options for sightseeing near Lima in your free time. The province, located in the 'small north', offers beach, mountain, archaeology, adventure and much more tourist attractions to choose from, all under a calm climate and a warm welcome from residents.

Corners like the Chancay Castle and the Aucallama dunes are especially popular during the summer; vestiges of ancient cultures, such as Rúpac and Las Shicras, impress those who visit them; and areas of natural splendor, such as the Santa Rosa wetlands, are fantastic for seeing various species.

Where is Huaral?

The province of Huaral is located north of Lima. In particular, the homonymous city that is its capital is located about 75 kilometers from the center of the capital.

How to get to Huaral from Lima?

To get to Huaral from Lima, you must take the North Pan-American Highway. You can get to this town with an interprovincial bus or private mobility. In the latter case, the trip can take about two hours.

Weather in Huaral

Huaral has mild temperatures during the summer (December to March), while the dry periods go from April to December. The temperature reaches maximums of 28 °C in February and minimums of 16 °C in August.

Tourist places of Huaral

Check out our list below with the 10 best places in Huaral to spend an unforgettable trip:

Santa Rosa Wetlands

The Santa Rosa wetlands are located in the Chancay district, a 40-hectare ecosystem that is ideal for fans of wildlife viewing, as it is home to hundreds of species of birds, as well as various specimens of vascular flora. It is an important corner to be in contact with nature.

Chancay Castle

Also in Chancay is this monumental rock and concrete castle, built on a cliff in 1924. Its 4,000 square meters of extension offer history, themed tours, swimming pools, towers, tunnels, incredible views of the sea, restaurants and even lodging and meeting rooms. reception.

Inside, special environments have been set up such as the "Chancay Culture Museum", which houses the most important private museum collection of said pre-Hispanic culture. Likewise, there is a Natural History Museum, which contains one of the country's largest collections of stuffed animals using the taxidermy technique.

Finally, you can see the "Hall of memories", where antiques from the family that built the Castle of Chancay are exhibited, including some of the furniture designed by the founder, Doña Consuelo Amat y León, who lived in this property from the beginning.

Hacienda Huando House

4 km from Huaral we can appreciate this old and beautiful hacienda, which in the 1960s experienced its greatest splendor and fame for the production of Huando oranges. The chapel, with its marble lions, and 200-year-old ficus trees are among its most attractive corners.

Municipal Museum of Chancay

This cultural venue was inaugurated on July 23, 1991, and its first exhibition with the theme of Chancay culture was launched on December 9 of that year.

Over time, this museum has become one of the main centers of cultural dissemination in the north of Chile, while establishing itself as one of the most representative tourist resources in the entire province of Chancay. Through its collections, the museum offers an experience where the past and the present converge, embarking the visitor on an adventure through the history of Chancay and the Norte Chico.

Inside, textiles from the Chancay civilization are exhibited, representations of their productive activities such as agriculture and fishing, their architecture and daily life. Other exhibition topics have to do with the sinking of the Chilean ship Covadonga during the War of the Pacific, expressions of religiosity in Chancay, as well as current cultural manifestations.

Eco Truly Park

It is a beautiful and peaceful ecological, artistic and self-sustaining community, where residents and volunteers live in harmony with nature. It is located at kilometer 19.5 of the Pasamayo serpentine, in the district of Aucallama.

This ecological farm stands out for its unique conical and oval-shaped constructions of oriental cultural inspiration made with adobe and other natural materials that are friendly to the environment and that are integrated into the coastal space near the sea where the community called "Eco Village" is located.

At Eco Truly Park, visitors can participate in sustainable activities such as organic agriculture, eco-constructions, sustainable tourism, yoga classes, spiritual and meditation retreats, oriental art, among others.

Visiting this attraction in Huaral is also a good opportunity to meet people from all over the world who constantly visit and exchange experiences at the Eco Truly Park.

Rupac

This imposing archaeological complex, called the Machu Picchu of the Sierra de Lima, is located on top of a large mountain in the district of Atavillos Bajo, at 3,580 meters above sea level. Due to this location it is also known as the “city in the clouds”.

This impressive citadel, with buildings up to ten meters high, made entirely of stone and located in the highest parts of the mountain, is attributed to the Atavillos, a pre-Inca culture that flourished between 1,200 and 1,600 years after Christ.

According to archaeological investigations carried out, its inhabitants had a strong religious and military influence, demonstrated in the vestiges of apparent cemeteries and temples found in the place, as well as in the situation of the complex, which allowed total control of the area.

Los Atavillos would have been conquered by the Inca Pachacútec and its riches were such that the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro would have claimed them in possession for the King of Spain, calling himself the Marquis of Los Atavillos.

Due to its importance as an ancestral material heritage and regional identity factor, this archaeological site was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation on June 25, 1999. Likewise, the Congress of the Republic declared it a tourist heritage of priority national interest in 2017.

Chacra Beach and Sea

In the lower part of the Pasamayo serpentine you can visit Chacra y Mar, a wide and quiet beach surrounded by spectacular cliffs, where you can practice all kinds of activities or relax. Nearby is the Eco Truly Park, a self-sustaining ecological community of Hare Krishna believers.

San Salvador de Pampas

On the way to Rúpac you will find San Salvador de Pampas, a town known as the 'ghost town' because it was left empty when its inhabitants moved to a nearby area. The houses are standing, but abandoned. On weekends it is reactivated and receives tourists.

Collpa hot springs

The community of Santa Catalina is home to this rural corner with pools of thermo-medicinal waters between 35 °C and 40 °C, which help combat stress and other discomforts. They contain minerals such as lithium, sodium and magnesium. Nearby you will also find restaurants and lodging.

Rio Seco Beach

Río Seco beach is another of the best places that the Huaral coast offers for a day of sun and relaxation. It is provided with numerous kiosks and even houses the remains of an old guano shipping port, prior to the Pacific War.

Temple of the Shicras

Discovered in 2006, the imposing Las Shicras archaeological complex in the Chancay Valley is about 4,800 years old, making it contemporary with Caral, and was occupied for about eight centuries. The place was the scene of religious rituals, according to the researchers.

Aucallama

This district located on the border with Lima has a lot to offer. The sand dunes in San Graciano are perfect for adventure activities such as sandboarding and tubular cars. Likewise, there are the hills of San Juan de Aucallama, where the amancaes flourish, the birds sing and the vizcachas hide.