Chachapoyas trek
Outline itinerary – day 1
We take a short flight from Lima to Chiclayo airport and then travel for 9 to 10 hours through some of Peru’s most varied and scenic landscapes. There is plenty of opportunity to photograph the desert, mountains and rivers we pass. Chachapoyas hotel.
Day 2
We leave Chachapoyas early and drive for three hours to the magnificent fortress of Kuelap - South America's largest ancient stone construction. We explore the many ceremonial constructions, aqueducts and brilliant layout as a group and on your own. We then continue our journey to Leymebamba (four hours). Hotel.
Day 3
After breakfast we visit Peru's brand new Centro Mallqui Museum. The Austrians donated the museum to house the mummies found in a unique discovery in 1997, in the nearby Laguna de los Cóndores.
We trek to Tajopampa, up a beautiful forested gorge carved out by the Atuen River, a secret of the area. There is a cluster of ruins within 3 km, which we will visit today and tomorrow.
Day 4
Close to Tajopampa are the mind-boggling cliff tombs of La Petaca and Diablo Huasi. The myriad constructions are situated high up on inaccessible cliffs. Sit and marvel at this tapestry of buildings and pictographs - it's not unusual to identify a new construction every trip. We can only speculate how the ancient people placed their dead in such a place. Return to Tajopampa for the night.
Day 5
We leave Tajopampa in the morning, rejoin the Inca road and trek towards the village of Atuen. Atuen lies at the source of a river, rendering it instantly sacred by the Chachapoyas and Inca who resided here. The ancients even created a snake-shaped lake here by paving the bottom with rocks in the desired formation. At 11,600 feet (3,550 meters), this is another cold night and those brave enough can wash in the two Inca baths close by. Camp.
Day 6
After an early breakfast we leave Atuen and follow Qapaq Ñan. We go up and over a high 13,300-foot (4,000 metre) pass before dropping into a broad flat valley, ringed by jagged peaks.
Leaving the flat valley we climb up to another pass before dropping down to the Laguna Huayabamba. This is a round-as-an-orange lake watched over by the ruined peak city of Vira Vira. Camp.
Day 7
Today we will explore the ruins of Vira Vira and with luck may spot Andean condors in the magic of this forgotten settlement. The area was lifted from obscurity and introduced to explorers by Keith Muscutt, author of Chachapoyas: Warriors of the Clouds. We spend a second night overlooking Laguna Huayabamba. Camp.
Day 8
We climb over the pass by which we arrived and descend into the broad flat valley of Las Quinuas to rejoin the Inca road. We take a diversion from the road and traverse around a hillside and onto the village of Uchucmarca (6 hours). Here our private transport will meet us to take us to Bolivar (1.5 hours). Hotel
Day 9
Today is a rest day with a short walk to the ruins above the village of Bolivar. This spectacular archaeological site is situated on a narrow ridge between to hollows that would once have been lakes. Return to the hotel in Bolivar. (B, L, D)
Day 10/11
We will make a two-day journey into the mountains surrounding Bolivar. Few outsiders have explored these parts, yet many sites exist, forgotten among the majestic mountains.
First day we visit the tombs of Shomenat and then carry on to Laguna Shopol for a night in tents. The next day we head on to Pakarischa a huge tower overlooking the flat high valet below. Night 10, camp. Return to Bolivar for our last night
Day 12
Today we travel by private transport to Cajamarca (10-12 hours). This beautiful colonial city witnessed a major turning point in world history when the Spanish captured the Inca Atahualpa and held him to ransom.
Dip in the natural Inca thermal baths and immerse yourself in some of the finest colonial architecture on the continent. We spend the night at a beautiful colonial hotel.
Day 13
End of tour.
You could extend your trip by trekking the Inca Trail or visiting the Amazon.
Check out our Peru group trips, or our many tailor made Peru options. You can always contact the office for more information on tailor made and group options.
What’s included
9 days trekking with all meals, all entrance fees and taxes, transfers to airport or bus station, meals as specified above, all transportation specified in the program, camping equipment, horse and arrieros, cook, bilingual guide and assistant, hotel in Cajamarca, hotel in Chachapoyas, hostel in Leymebamba, hostel at Bolivar, horse support, camping in Vango Equinox 35, 2 man tents.
Not included
International flights (we can look for these for you), tips, alcoholic drinks, internal flights (we can provide these – at £120 per person total approx. depending on route availability and prices at the time), airport taxes, sleeping bag |
