Safari to Chachapoyas

ancient citadels and dramatic waterfalls

Set high in the Andes Mountains, 300 km inland and 700 km north of Lima, Chachapoyas is a small town of only 30,000 people, but which is nonetheless the capital of the Amazonas Region.

Set at 2335m (7700’) and surrounded by high mountains, the city was founded in 1538 by the Spanish conquistador Alonso de Alvarado and remains to this day a fairly quaint and attractive place.

The name Chachapoyas means ‘cloud forest’ in the local language, referring to the local mountain climate, which experiences a great deal more rainfall than the arid coastline, but far less than towns a little further east down the Amazon Basin like Moyobamba (which is only 100 km away but gets four times as much rain).

Although this region is way off the main tourist routes, the town is significant as a base from which to explore various ancient sites which are scattered amongst these mountains, the most notable amongst which are the mountain citadel of Kuelap and the cliff-side necropolis of Revash.

The impressive Gocta Falls is the third highest cascade in the world and the hike in is a real highlight.

Chachapoyas can be accessed by air from Lima, but at these altitudes the clouds can close in very quickly, causing last minute timetable changes, delays and cancellations. We therefore try to avoid using the airport here.

The area can also be reached by road, as part of a much more extensive exploration of the north of the country, usually coming up from the coast at Chiclayo and looping back south to Cajamarca.

Where to stay

The difficulty with choosing a place to stay in the Chachapoyas area is that the main points of interest are quite far apart, it’s a good 80 km from Gocta Falls in the north to Museo Leymebamba in the south.

The best solution is usually to spend 2-3 nights in two different properties, with Gocta Lodge being the obvious option in the north and Kentitambo being perhaps the best option in the south. The area is easily interesting enough to warrant a stay of 4-5 nights.

once home to the enigmatic Cloud People