Vira Vira special (VIR)

14 days/13 nights

Start Lima/Chiclayo, end Cajamarca or Lima

On our trekking adventure you will see some of the copious magical spots of this amazing area. Towering Andes bow suddenly to verdant, choking jungle valleys. Mysterious fortresses crown desolate peaks, bequeathing their secrets of monumental battles and ancient inhabitants to only the hardiest explorers.

Vira Vira and its highlights

Vira Vira is a highlight on the trek. No other site - not even the world-famous nearby citadel of Kuelap - can match the sheer scale of mystery shrouding this summit city in the clouds.

En route, there are many highlights. You stay at the delightful town of Chachapoyas, gaze at Gocta Waterfall - the third highest in the world and only discovered in 2006 - explore Kuelap, see cliff-top mummies and pre-Inca ruins.

Vira Vira itself is quite the metropolis with more than 200 Chachapoya roundhouses enclosed by a defensive wall.

We spend a day exploring Vira Vira from our base camp by the sacred Huayabamba Lake - itself an archeological site ringed with cliff tombs. We then travel to the historic city of Cajamarca, site of the first battle between Spaniard and Inca over 450 years ago.

Background

Chachapoyas is the capital of the department of Amazonas, situated in the northeast of Peru. It is a remote area of sub-tropical valleys, half way down the eastern slopes of the Andes with vegetation typical of ceja de selva (eyebrow of the jungle). The jungle is impenetrable, dense with low trees, bromeliads, bamboos, orchids and mosses.

Despite its remoteness Chachapoyas is becoming increasingly popular with travellers. They come to see the archaeological remains of Kuélap, and the other amazing remains from the prehispanic Chachapoya culture. They have somehow survived in apparently unsuitable surroundings.

Cliff top living

Amazonas was the seat of the Chachapoya culture. It later became a part of the Inca Empire under Inca Túpac Yupanqui, and was then conquered by the Spanish.

The Chachapoya culture developed in this area around AD800. There is evidence that people lived in villages of up to several hundred people, in circular houses.

Archaeologists have found tombs on inaccessible cliff tops, and ancient agricultural terraces. The Chachapoya lived in small independent groups, fighting each other for resources. They built their cities on ridges in the cloud forest, and put their dead in cliff top mausoleums together with ceramics, textiles and other objects from their culture.

We also offer a short Tajopampa trek, or a stunning trek on the fabled Qapaq Ñan Inca Highway.

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.