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CHACHAPOYAS Archaeology study tour PRIVATE DEPARTURE ITINERARY STARTING FROM CHICLAYO

The Chachapoyas Study Tour aims to combine education and tourism in northern Peru. We begin our trip exploring the Moche and Chimu cultures of the dry coast and will venture over some mountain passes into the spectacular world of the Chachapoya, nestled in the orchid-rich cloud forest. While all the services are provided by InkaNatura Travel, we will be hosted by an archeologist from the Leymebamba Museum and their very friendly staff. We will be staying at the exclusive museum guest rooms and receive lectures and enjoy joint meals and exclusive time with top archeologists.

Day 1 Chiclayo (L/D)
Arrival to Chiclayo, reception and transfer to Gran Hotel Chiclayo.
Full day tour visiting:

• Visit of the original excavation site of the Lord of Sipan Tomb
• Tucume pyramids
• Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum

Overnight at selected hotel in Chiclayo

Day 2 Chiclayo/Leymebamba (B/BL/D)
Morning departure from Chiclayo by private car, van or minibus to the remote town of Leymebamba. On this scenic ride we will start out on the coast, pass two mountain ranges and arrive in the late afternoon in the Cloudforest. Box lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Casa Mallqui in Leymebamba Museum.

Day 3 Leymebamba Museum (B/L/D)
Morning breakfast with the archaeologist
Guided visit to Leymebamba Museum including :

Lecture : Overview of Chachapoya Culture and Iconography
Lecture : Andean mummies and funerary archaeology

Lunch
Explore Leymebamba town including demonstration and talk on the textile tradition in the area since prehispanic times.
Overnight at Leymebamba Museum

Day 4 Leymebamba Museum (B/L/D)
Breakfast
Visit Revash and site lecture about the different funerary customs of the Chachapoya
Sunday visit the local market
Site lecture about the cultural legacy of the Chachapoya.
Lunch with informal talk about the Chachapoya culinary customs.
The influence of the Inka in Chachapoya culture with special emphasis on Quipus.
Dinner and overnight at Leymebamba museum

Day 5 Leymebamba Museum (B/BL/D)
Explore La Congona with site lecture about Chachapoyas architecture.
Trek and horse riding.
Visit natural reserve La Palmas and
Site lecture on the environmental resources of the area. Special presentation of orchids and birds.
Box Lunch included
Overnight at Leymebamba Museum.

Day 6 Leymebamba Museum/Chillo (B/BL/D)
Morning breakfast.
Depart to Kuelap with an archaeologist from the Museum.
Site Lecture about the war strategies of the Chachapoyas
Overnight at El Chillo or in the city of Chachapoyas

Day 07 To Chiclayo (B/BL)
Transfer to Chiclayo
Late flight to Lima for Trujillo or Cusco extension.

Day 8 Chiclayo - Lima
Early morning return flight to Lima.
Day room at Lima.

Optional : Extra day in Leymebamba for the following activities :

1. Helping any public school (cleaning, painting, etc.)
2. Helping a local family in the farm or in the agriculture or building special containers for guinea pigs.
3. Helping at the museum in daily chores and special conservations tasks.

Proyect Overview

Inaugurated in June 2000, Museo Leymebamba displays more than 200 mummies and their burial offerings recovered in 1997 from the Laguna de los Cóndores by a salvage project conducted by Centro Mallqui. Once at risk from looters and vandals, today this valuable collection is housed in the Museo Leymebamba. An initiative of The Bioanthropology Foundation Peru-Centro Mallqui, Museo Leymebamba’s construction was made possible by a donation from a group of Austrian citizens as well as by funds from private donors.

The Museum has different goals that include investigation, conservation, promotion of the Leymebamba region and its invaluable historic legacy, as well as the protection of cultural and natural resources. At the same time, the museum needs to cover the high museum costs that can not be covered with entrance fees. The Museum is looking for new sources of economic income and this is how the idea arose to promote some study tours in conjunction with InkaNatura Travel.

About the Museum
The Museum’s design reflects local architectural traditions, with regional building techniques and materials used in its construction. Gardens filled with rich and varied native flora surround the museum, while an orchid garden that displays more than 100 native orchid species.
There are three museum halls dedicated to the archaeological finds from the Laguna de los Cóndores, including a room that has been specially conditioned to house the mummies within ideal conditions for their conservation. Additionally there is an ethnographic hall that presents the varied lifestyles of the region’s modern inhabitants; a fifth hall is dedicated to host cultural and scientific activities.
The Museo Leymebamba Association, made up of residents of Leymebamba and the staff of Centro Mallqui, reflect the active interest and involvement of the people of Leymebamba in Museum projects and activities designed to benefit the community

Sonia Guillen, Ph.D.
Peruvian bioarchaeologist graduated from University of Michigan. A specialist in the study of mummies and funerary contexts. She is the Director of Museo Leymebamba although she is not 100% of her time at Leymebamba she will supervise the program.

Accommodation
The museum has built 5 rooms in local style to accommodate individuals or small groups that visit Leymebamba for scientific reasons, as tourists, or for those participating in the educational program.

Bathroom with hot water showers available.

Food
The Museum has trained some local people to prepare healthy meals using local products. Full board is included in the Museum and this includes Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack or box lunch when it is necessary. If a traveler has any special dietary requirements, he/she must inform as soon as possible to be prepared

What to bring

Methodology
The activities combine general lectures that will help put the Chachapoya culture in perspective to the Inca and other historical milestones of Peruvian history. These lectures will be accompanied by slides and occasionally a video.

The site lectures will address very specific topics such as architecture, excavations, etc . When visiting local people we will discuss the traditional customs of the Chachapoya as they can still be seen today.

Our price include
Transportation from Chiclayo to Chachapoyas and back; accommodations with meals according to the program; English-speaking assistant, lectures, guided excursions and list of most used Spanish phrases and expressions.

Our price does not include
Airport taxes, excess baggage charges, additional nights in Chachapoyas or Cajamarca caused by flight cancellations. Travelers should bring some to pay for sundries such as domestic or international telephone calls, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, airport taxes, tips and other personal expenses.

General Conditions
In each booking please indicate the following information:

• Complete name of the passenger and birth date.
• Passport number and nationality.
• Occupation.
• Any special food requirements (vegetarian, low salt, low fat, diabetic or other)
• Any special medical requirements.
• Where you plan to stay in Chiclayo if you are not booking it through us.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHACHAPOYAS
Travelers may recall three recent TV shows about the Chachapoya on Discovery Channel, BBC and other important international TV networks. Interesting articles also have appeared in a number of prominent international magazines.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
We recommend the following books

• “Warriors of the Cloud: A Lost Civilization in the Upper Amazon of Peru“
  By Keith Muscutt. University of New Mexico Press, 1998. Highly recommended
• “The Incas and their ancestors”: The Archaeology of Peru
  By Michael E Moseley, Revised edition, Thames &Hudson, 2001
• Chachapoyas, the Lost Kingdom
  Edited by Elena Gonzalez and Rafael Leon, includes articles by Adriana Von Hagen, and Sonia Guillen. Collection APU AFP Integra 2002

For a detailed list of bibliography please contact us.