We stayed in a quirky guesthouse in Trujillo which served as a great spot to visit the local archaeological sites from. Our first stop was Huaca del Sol y la Luna – only La Luna is open to the public, the site served as a sacrificial centre and has amazingly restored and uncovered carvings and painted walls. We climbed through the various levels, each built on top of the next and the ceremonial spot at the top where sacrifices are thought to have taken place. Our guide explained that the San Pedro cactus may have been used for its hallucinogenic properties to help those up for sacrifice to deal with their fate. It’s crazy, having seen the intricate carvings, to think that the whole complex was simply left to be taken by the desert.

On our second day we visited the Chaca Chan complex which is impressive in size at around 14 square kilometres but I was disappointed by the obvious restoration – the site looked brand new. By the time we reached the final Huaca we had lost interest, climbing up and down the various ramps and levels we were more interested in the Peruvian Inca Orchid dogs that we found, complete with puppies!