I visited the archaeological site of Caral-Supe in March 2020 during my trip to Peru. I left the town of Huaraz (hotspot for the Huascaran and Chavin WHS) in the morning on a shared taxi to Barranca. They wait in town and leave when they have four passengers. I managed to negotiate with my collectivo driver to take me to the archaeological site and then back to Barranca where I was spending the night. We stopped in town where a friend of his and her son joined us to ease the wait for my driver. It was at the parking lot on the north side of the Rio Supe that my visit began.

I was quite happy to have reached the site and to be able to visit it. The green valley of the Rio Supe makes for a pleasant landscape and makes it easy to understand why these early civilizations chose to settle here. The path leads through a small forest to a short but steep climb. It is at the top of this climb that the site can be seen for the first time. The path to the entrance offers many beautiful views of the site. There is also a large map on a board showing all the points of interest on the site, as well as suggested routes of varying lengths. I was already planning to do a very complete tour.

I was a little disappointed when I arrived at the visitor centre. Not only was the interpretation centre closed, but it was mandatory to be accompanied by a (spanish-speaking) guide for the visit. However, this site is perfectly set up to be visited independently! The paths and accessible areas are clearly marked, the trails are lined with comprehensive bilingual interpretation panels (placed above our heads and facing downwards so as not to fade under the harsh rays of the sun), and routes are suggested. I was rather annoyed at having to follow a guide and the other visitors with whom I was sharing the cost. The tour was going to be shorter (we didn't cover all the areas of the site) and the pace imposed by the guide would not allow me to read the panels in order to delve deeper into what he was explaining and validate that my understanding of Spanish was good. This annoyance may have affected my appreciation of the site.

All in all, this archaeological site is very impressive for its age and its excellent state of conservation. It was built about 5,000 years ago! That means at the same time of early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and the Indus Valley. The people of Caral built six great rock pyramids, ceremonial plazas, and residential areas made of adobe. However, these structures are generally unremarkable and very similar one to the other. The artistic details of the constructions have long since disappeared, and only beige stone pyramids remain. The circular structures of the Templo del Anfiteatro and the Edificio Piramidal Mayor (picture) are the most interesting and unique. I acknowledge that this site is a remarkable witness to the beginnings of human civilization. Despite this, the guided tour and the relative monotony of the remains left me wanting more.

After meeting my driver, he drove me back to Barranca where I was staying. A phone call from the receptionist of my hotel allowed me to get a driver to go to Lomas de Lachay the next morning, and then to Lima.