Amazonas
Chachapoyas
Amazonas
Located between the imposing Andes mountain range and the immeasurable Amazon jungle, the Amazon region is home to the Kuélap archaeological site, nestling high in the mountains and surrounded by forest, and with imposing 62-feet high stone walls.
Access is possible thanks to a modern cable car system that allows you to enjoy the landscape with a bird's eye view. And located very close to Kuélap is one of the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in the world. Plunging over 2,500 feet, the Gocta waterfall is breathtakingly beautiful.
Location
Mountains, the lowland jungle and the northern Peruvian Amazon jungle
Capital
Chachapoyas (2335 meters)
Elevation
min.: 230 meters (Santa María de Nieva)
max.: 3450 meters (Chuquibamba)
Climate
Temperature
Max.: 23 °C Min.: 11 °C
Arriving
By land
Lima - Chiclayo - Chachapoyas: 1219 km / 22 hr
Trujillo - Chiclayo - Chachapoyas: 653 km / 13 hr
Chiclayo - Chachapoyas: 449 km / 10 hr
Cajamarca - Chachapoyas: 336 km / 10 hr
Jaén - Chachapoyas: 183 km / 4 hr
By air
Lima - Chachapoyas: 1 h 45 min
Tarapoto - Chachapoyas: 25 min
What to buy?
The women of the Amazon make garments and accessories such as ponchos, vests and blankets using the illahua, the traditional backstrap loom technique. They reproduce their own designs on these fine items drawing on the iconography of the Chachapoyas region. Natural ceramic pieces on which artists capture the beauty of the local flora and fauna in vivid colors are the most outstanding examples of the region’s decorative arts.
What to eat?
The region’s gastronomy is nourished by Andean and jungle traditions. Outstanding dishes include the not-to-be-missed cuy serrano (fried guinea pig in a roasted peanut stew), juane de yucca (grated and boiled manioc rice and chicken and/or beef jerky wrapped in corn husk), cecina (cured pork), tamales and humitas (both mashed corn wrapped in its husk with varied fillings). Drinks include guarapo (sugarcane juice) and licor de leche (liquor with whey). The region’s production of coffee, cacao, exotic fruits like pitajaya and ancient roots like the arracacha, is also outstanding.
Tours (5 days the minimum recommended stay)
Chachapoyas
Kuélap Archeological Complex
Gocta Falls
Leymebamba Museum and Revash Mausoleums
Karajía Sarcophagi and Quiocta Cavern
Lagoon of the Condors
The Chachapoyas Main Square
The city center conforms to the characteristic checkerboard layout of colonial cities.
In the middle of the square there is a bronze fountain. The square is surrounded by colonial houses with balconies worked in wood.
The Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza Mansion
Location: Intersection of jr. Ayacucho and Ortiz Arrieta.
Visiting Hours: Mon-Fri: 09:00 - 13:00 hrs.
Hero and forefather of Peruvian independence, Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza was born on 17 April 1750 in this house that is currently the home and seat of the Bishop of Chachapoyas. The most notable features are the entrance, the main courtyard, the bishop’s hall and the reception hall. The house has both colonial and republican influences.
The Leymebamba Museum
Location: Av. Austria s/n, Leymebamba.
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 10:00 - 16:30 hrs.
Ticket entry.
The museum includes Pre-Hispanic weapons and ceramics found in the area. The most outstanding items are the mummies and objects extracted from the Lagoon of the Condors.
Lagoon of the Condors
Location: From the locality of Leymebamba, 93 km to the south of the city of Chachapoyas (2 hr. by car), it is a hike of between 8 and 12 hours to the lagoon (the journey can also be done by mule).
Ticket entry.
More than 200 mummies and approximately 2000 items belonging to the Inca and Chachapoya cultures were discovered in this lagoon. The rock paintings that adorn the outcrops on the shore should also be appreciated.
The Quiocta Cavern
Location: 45 km to the northwest of the city of Chachapoyas (1 hr. 30 min. by car and 10 min. on foot).
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 08:00 - 16:00 hrs.
Ticket entry.
Human skulls and bones as well as curious stalactite and stalagmite formations are found in this cavern, which has a depth of 580 meters.
The Karajía Sarcophagi
Location: 51 km to the northwest of the city of Chachapoyas (2 hr. by car) towards the Cruzpata community and 1 km on foot (30 min).
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 08:00 - 17:00 hrs.
Ticket entry.
Modeled with small stones held together by mud and straw, these anthropoid sarcophagi measure up to 2 meters in height. On the outside they are painted in ocher and white, simulating masks. Preserved mummies are found inside with their funeral dowry. Also known as purunmachos, the sarcophagi are nestled on top of a cliff.
Kuélap Archeological Complex
Location: 72 km to the southwest of the city of Chachapoyas (2 hr. 30 min. by car) towards La Malca and 25 min. on foot). Can also access to Nuevo Tingo (01 hour by car) and take the cable car (20 minutes) to La Malca.
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 08:00 - 16:00 hrs.
Ticket entry.
Surrounded by a protective wall of 1900 meters in length, the fortified citadel was a political, religious and military center for the Chachapoya culture (AD 500 – AD 1450). It is divided into two levels: the Lower Village and the Upper Village. A feature of the former, with its structures decorated with rhomboid and zigzag figures, is the Tintero (the Inkpot), which is ceremonial in nature. The ceremonial platform and the north tower, which served as a lookout, are found in the Upper Village.
The Revash Mausoleums
Location: 74 km to the south of the city of Chachapoyas towards San Bartolo (2 hr. 40 min. by car) and 1km (25 min. on foot).
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 09:00 - 16:00 hrs.
Ticket entry.
This is a funeral center with mausoleums of up to 3 stories and sloping roofs, embedded in a mountain. Only its facades can be seen, with quadrangular niches, in the form of the cross and “T”. Some of the sections have ocher rock paintings depicting animals and people.
Gocta Falls
Location: 44 km to the north of the city of Chachapoyas (1 hr. by car) towards the village of Cocachimba and 6.3 km (2 hr. 30 min on foot).
Visiting Hours: Mon-Sun: 07:00 - 17:30 hrs.
Ticket entry.
The walk to the falls, which is also known as La Chorrea, is the perfect opportunity to appreciate the exuberant flora and fauna of the area, including in particular the different species of monkey and the Andean cock-of-the rock. At 771 meters, it is the third highest waterfall in Peru.
