Trujillo Travel Guide | Featuring Moche Ruins, Colonial Streets & Huanchaco Surf

If you go above Lima to strike out at Peru’s lesser-visited North, chances are that you will visit Trujillo. Far from a transit stop, Peru’s third largest city is a destination in its own right. The city is an elegant colonial affair, with my favourite plaza in Peru. Its brilliant cafes, balmy climate and museums make it feel more like a city break than an adventure into wildest Peru. It also sits on the Pacific Ocean, even having a claim to inventing surfing, and it is freckled with the evocative ruins of the Moche people, one of Peru’s whackier ancient peoples. Why visit Trujillo A lot of Peru will feel very unfamiliar. That is the reason why you visited though, right? You came for the mountains and remnants of mysterious civilizations. Sometimes though, it can feel slightly exhausting. Trujillo offers a nice change of pace. The city has all the amenities you have at home — Western chains, clean chaos-free streets and relaxed cafes. But, needing a change, you can head over to ruins like Huaca de la Luna, and explore the world of Moche human sacrifices, or hit the beach to shred the waves of Huanchacho. This ability to dip in and out of Peru’s excitement makes Trujillo the best of...