4 Best Shopping in The North Coast and Northern Highlands, Peru

The tiny pueblo of Catacaos, 12 km (7 miles) southwest of Piura, is famous for its textiles, gold and silver figurines and jewelry, and excellent pottery. The small market, filled with street stalls and shops, is open daily until 6 pm. Look around as much as you like, but to get the best price, only closely examine what you really want to buy. The town also has excellent picanterías to sample northern cuisine. To get to Catacaos, take the Pan-American Highway. A taxi should cost around S/30 round-trip.

The indoor market on Avenida Balta is no longer Chiclayo's main market. Once famed for its ceramics, weavings, and charms made by local curanderos (folk healers), it's now known mainly for selling fresh food and for having a nice little "food court" in the back.

Beginning at the intersection of Avenida Balta and Avenida Arica, this vast and popular market has fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit from local farms, as well as clothing, DVDs and CDs, handbags, and more. You can also ask at any of the stalls to point you to the southwest corner, where there is an extensive mercado de brujos (witchdoctor's market). As elsewhere in Peru, this is a place where dozens of herbalists, curanderos, and shamans offer their folk remedies, many of them made of dried animals like armadillos and llama fetuses. Wander around and enjoy, but don't lose your companions in the crowd, and keep a close guard on your belongings.