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Chiclayo - Chachapoyas - Leymebamba
Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
This magnificent megalithic construction was discovered in 1843...
its volume is three times that of the Great Pyramid of Cheops...
-- Alvaro Rocha, Chachapoyas: The Architecture of Wonder, Rumbos Magazine
Land Price (4 days/3 nights)
Private US$ 1,795 per person
The land price includes escorted transfers, private excursions with professional guides and chauffeurs, entrance fees, selected category of accommodations, gourmet cuisine, all land and water transportation, and travel insurance for guests through the age of 59 years (over that age, there is a supplementary fee). All prices are per person based on two people sharing a guest room. For a detailed description of our services, see Opulent Itineraries. Season: May through October.
We recommend that this tour be preceded by our 5 or 6-night Northern Kingdoms.
Air fares are in addition to the land price.
Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
The Lost World of Chachapoyas
The pre-Columbian Chachapoyas culture, conquered in the 15th century by the Incas, has left a landscape scattered with villages and burial sites which until recently has been largely overlooked by archaeologists.
Situated in the cloud forests around the town of Chachapoyas in Peru's northern Amazonas Department, these sites are dominated by the mighty fortress of Kuelap, perched majestically atop cliffs overlooking the verdant Andean landscape.
In Chachapoyas, remnants of the past invite discovery by the bold adventurer, and the cultures of the present extend a friendly welcome. This expedition allows guests to explore and discover Chachapoyas and Cajamarca, site of the first contact between the Spanish conquistadors and the Inca civilization. The itinerary is new and specially designed for those people with an interest in archaeology and a taste for adventure. The area is still new to tourism, but we have taken every care to provide as comfortable a stay as possible, with air-conditioned vehicles and expert guides.
The area is known not only for its startling archaeological discoveries but also for being one of the most important centers for birds with restricted ranges. We offer specialized birdwatching programs, guided by some of Peru's best birding guides, which provide an opportunity to look for Marañon endemics such as Marvelous Spatuletail, Peruvian Pigeon, Yellow-faced Parrotlet, Marañon Thrush and Buff-bridled Inca-Finch, among others.
View from the Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Highlights
Chachapoyas
Day 1: Chiclayo - Chachapoyas. Morning departure from Chiclayo by private car. Starting on the coast, you'll arrive in the cloud forest of Chachapoyas by late afternoon. Box lunch on the way. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
Day 2: Chachapoyas (Revash - Museo Leymebamba). In the morning, an excursion by horse to the colorful funereal buildings of Revash, perched on a ledge up high on a cliff. Box lunch. Continue to the Museo Leymebamba, with its amazing collection of well-preserved, pre-inca mummies discovered in the Laguna de los Condores. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
Day 3: Chachapoyas (Kuelap). Visit Kuelap, a spectacular pre-Inca walled city hidden atop a precipitous mountain. Box lunch. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
Day 4: Chachapoyas - Chiclayo - Lima. Return to Chiclayo by road. Box lunch. Late afternoon arrival and transfer to the airport. Flight to Lima.
Optional tours
For all of our Chachapoyas expeditions, there are options for trekking to Kuelap, light rafting on the Utcubamba River and trekking to La Laguna de los Condores, where the pre-Inca mummies now in the Museo Leymebamba were discovered. For the 6-night tour, there is also an option to spend an extra night in Cajamarca with sightseeing. Please inquire.
Details
Entry corridor, Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Chachapoyas, which means "People of the Clouds", is the name of a civilization that fought from high forest strongholds in resistance to Inca expansion and Spanish invasion. One of the last kingdoms to succumb to the Inca, its legacy includes one of South America's archaeological wonders -- the defensive fortress of Kuelap. Perched on the shoulder of a 10,000-foot mountain, this 9th century citadel comprises an urban complex of more than 400 stone edifices -- homes, palaces and temples enclosed by a 70-foot-tall stone wall. Their architecture demonstrates decidedly non-Inca features, such as protruding geometric patterns, cornices and friezes. Kuelap's setting is unforgettably beautiful -- a tropical cloud forest festooned with orchids and steeped in mystery.
The Revash Tombs, the Karajia Sarcophagi and the extensive network of Chachapoyas paved trails also serve as a reminder of the greatness of this vanished nation. Archaeologists just now are mapping and excavating many important Chachapoyas sites. The museum in Leymebamba, which displays 200 mummies recovered from the remote Lake of the Condors, describes the extraordinary embalming methods of the Chachapoya, their lifestyle and culture. The Museum also houses a collection of knotted Quipu, the record-keeping device of the Incas.
The "Torreón", a watchtower inside the Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Day 1: Chiclayo - Chachapoyas
Morning departure from Chiclayo by private car, crossing four different Peruvian departments: Lambayeque, the south of Piura, the north of Cajamarca and Amazonas. Starting on the coast, you'll arrive in the cloud forest of Chachapoyas by late afternoon. Box lunch on the way. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
A house inside the Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Day 2: Chachapoyas (Revash - Museo Leymebamba)
Breakfast. In the morning, an excursion by horse to the colorful funereal buildings of Revash, perched on a ledge up high on a cliff. They overlook a valley and tributary of the Utcubamba near the town of Santo Tomas. The cliff walls at Revash are decorated with geometric designs and figures of camelids. Some of the tombs are decorated with T and cross-shaped niches. Box lunch. Continue to the Museo Leymebamba, with its amazing collection of well-preserved, pre-inca mummies discovered in the Laguna de los Condores. Return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
Characteristic Chachapoyan rhomboid design in friezes inside the Fortress of Kuelap.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Day 3: Chachapoyas (Kuelap)
Breakfast. Visit Kuelap, a spectacular pre-Inca walled city hidden atop a precipitous mountain. Although Kuelap was discovered 60 years before Machu Picchu, it is not as well-known to the outside world. Nevertheless, recent amazing discoveries in nearby areas that relate to Kuelap and its history have captured the attention of archaeologists, international magazines and film companies. Box lunch. Following your visit to Kuelap, return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight in Hostal Estancia Chillo.
Leymebamba.
Photo: Mylene d'Auriol Stoessel.
Day 4: Chachapoyas - Chiclayo - Lima
Breakfast. Return to Chiclayo by road. Box lunch on the way. Late afternoon arrival and transfer to the airport for the flight to Lima. A direct flight from Chachapoyas to Chiclayo or Trujillo is available at additional cost.
Extraordinary explorations.
© 2011 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Travel & Peru Tours. All rights reserved.
