Huaca Huallamarca

Tickets and tours: which to book

Nothing for Huaca Huallamarca alone is sold on GetYourGuide. The site is run by the Ministry of Culture as a site museum, and the only ticket is a small entry fee paid at the gate. It covers the museum rooms and the walk up the ramp to the top of the pyramid. There is no booking or timed entry, and visits are relaxed.

Guided visits in Spanish are sometimes offered by the site staff, and the museum panels give a clear account of the three phases of use. An English-speaking guide can be arranged through agencies in Lima, but for a site of this size most visitors manage on their own.

City tours of Lima sold by agencies in Miraflores usually focus on the historic centre, the cathedral and the catacombs of San Francisco, sometimes adding Huaca Pucllana rather than Huallamarca. Private guides offering a pre-Hispanic Lima itinerary can add Huallamarca to a day that also covers Pucllana and the Larco Museum. Hop-on bus routes and cycling tours through San Isidro occasionally pass it without stopping. The sensible plan is to walk or take a taxi here on your own, combine it with a stroll through the olive grove of El Olivar and pay at the gate.

A short history

The Huallas began the pyramid between about 200 BC and AD 200, building platforms one above another as a ceremonial centre. It was later abandoned and reused as a cemetery from about AD 900 to 1300, and the Incas used it as a public building in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Travellers dug for burials in the 19th century, and in the early 20th the mound was quarried and cut for a road. Julio C. Tello excavated it in 1942, and plans to demolish it were stopped. Under the mayor Carlos Neuhaus the pyramid was rebuilt between 1958 and 1960, and the site museum opened, with further excavations in the 1990s.

Getting there

Huaca Huallamarca stands on a residential street in San Isidro, one of Lima's business and residential districts, a short walk from the El Olivar park. From Miraflores a taxi takes about 15 minutes, depending on traffic; use an app or an official taxi. The Metropolitano bus line along the Via Expresa has stations in San Isidro, from where the walk is about 20 minutes. Walking from central Miraflores takes about 40 minutes through quiet streets. Jorge Chavez International Airport is about 40 minutes to an hour away by car. There is street parking nearby, although spaces are limited on weekdays.

Rules and what to bring

Stay on the ramp and marked paths, and do not climb on the walls or the adobes, which crumble easily. Photography is usually allowed outside; ask about flash in the museum. Drones are not allowed in Lima's urban areas without a permit. Bring sun cream in summer, as the summit has no shade. There are toilets at the entrance, and cafes in San Isidro a few minutes away. As anywhere in Lima, keep valuables out of sight.

When to go

Lima has a mild desert climate. From December to April the summer brings sunshine and warm days, which give the best views from the top. From June to October the city lies under a grey sea mist, the garua, and the air is cool and damp, but it is still fine for a visit. Rain is almost unknown.

The site is quiet on most days. School groups visit on weekday mornings in term time, and local families come on Sundays, but crowds are rare. The museum is closed on Mondays, like many in Peru, and public holidays may bring changed hours. Come in the morning, when traffic in San Isidro is lighter and the light is clear, and pair it with a walk in El Olivar. Allow about an hour for the museum and the pyramid, or 40 minutes if you skip the summit.