There are several churches in the area of the Plaza de Armas, one of which (San Francisco) includes the "Ransom Room" in which the Inca Atahualpa was held captive by Spanish conquistadors.
The steps on Santa Apolonia hill lead up to the "Inca Seat", where the Inca supposedly addressed his subjects. The hill offers a nice view of the city below.
Mariposa - Carnaval de Cajamarca 2011
Carnaval de Cajamarca, held every year, will be from the 18th of February to the 13th of March in 2011. The three most important days include the day of water and paint, participants cover themselves and each other in paint while onlookers throw water at them. The following two days are parade days with the first going through the Plaza de Armas while the latter sticks to the concourse and features floats and the queens of carnaval, tickets for seats on the concourse range from around S/.15.00 to S/.30.00. Be prepared to get wet on all occacsions from water bombs and kids water pistols. This event is one that should not be missed.
Catarata de Plan Manzanas is a nice waterfall about 9km from Cajamarca. Take a microbus (19 or 59A - S/.1.00 each way leaving about every 30 minutes until about 9pm) to Huambocancha Alta and get off at Plan Manzanas (road or carretera Bambamarca). You´ll need to ask the locals for directions as its not a particularly well known attraction, don´t give up just because the first person you ask doesn´t know anything about it. The locals are very friendly and you´ll probably be able to find one who´ll take you to the waterfall and give you directions for an alternate route back to the road for a small fee (S/.5.00 to S/.10.00). The trail will take you over the top of the falls. They hold a carnaval celebration 2 days after the main parade on the concourse in Cajamarca (well they did in 2011). Very beautiful countryside in a traditional Peruvian farming community. Its about a 30 minute walk each way from the road to the waterfall and the bus trip is also around 30 minutes each way. Allow 3 to 4 hours for this trip.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cajamarca
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cajamarca - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Cajamarca hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Cajamarca Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
