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Chachapoyas Explorer 7 Days/6 Nights.

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 mountain-top 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.

Ten fixed departure programs allow clients to explore and discover Chachapoyas and Cajamarca, site of the first contact between the Spanish conquistadors and the Inca civilization. These programs are new and are specially designed for those people with a special interest in archaeology, or for those with 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 not only known 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, Buff-bridled Inca-Finch among others.

Fixed departure Itinerary - Medium Adventure Starting from Chiclayo for 2007

Day 1: Chiclayo/Chachapoyas
In the morning you will depart from Chiclayo by private car, van or minibus with air conditioning. You will cross 4 different Peruvian departments: Lambayeque, south Piura, the North of Cajamarca and end in Amazonas, Starting in the coast and arriving in the late afternoon in the cloud forest of Chachapoyas. Box lunch and dinner included. Overnight at Hostal El Chillo. (L/D)

Day 2: Chachapoyas
After breakfast you will 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 to its history have captured the attention of archaeologists, international magazines and film companies. Box Lunch. Following your visit to Kuelap, you will return to Chillo for the night. Dinner and overnight at Hostal El Chillo. (B/L/D)

Day 3: Chachapoyas
After breakfast you will enjoy an excursion to observe the burial towers of Macro, an outpost of the Chachapoyas culture built into cliffs overlooking the Utcubamba River. It’s unique location allowed for contact via signal fires with the fortress, high above in the mountains and visible through a cleft in the valley hills. Then you will enjoy an excursion by horse to visit the colorful funeral 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. You will return to Chillo. Dinner and overnight at Hostal El Chillo. (B/L/D)

Day 4: Chachapoyas/Leymebamba
This morning you will drive towards Leymebamba. On the way you will stop at Las Palmas where a light trek will start to La Congona, a spectacular settlement pattern of the Chachapoyas culture. In this area you will be able to discover outstanding friezes and defensive towers still virgin in the jungle. After picnic lunch return to Leymebamba where we will spend a night at local hostel. Dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

Day 5: Leymebamba/Cajamarca
Morning visit the Museum of Leymebamba with its amazing collection of well preserved pre-inca mummies discovered in the Laguna de los Condores. Then continue to you will drive to Celendin and then to Cajamarca, crossing two cordilleras and several different habitats, such as cloud forest, agricultural land, desert-like areas and the Marañon Canyon. Box lunch on way. Overnight at Laguna Seca hotel and Spa. (B/L/D)

Comments : The journey from Leimebamba to Celendin, by way of the Maranon Canyon, is one of Peru’s most spectacular drives. The Maranon River forms one of the world’s deepest canyons, and you will descend through different ecosystems from over 10,000 feet in altitude to the town of Balsas at 4,000 ft. After crossing the river you then ascend back through the various habitats to nearly 10,000 ft above sea level.

Day 6: Cajamarca
Morning light trek through the Cajamarca countryside to see local people in their daily activities including children going to school. Then we visit the Ventanillas de Otuzco, a pre-Inca cemetery that features a gallery of secondary burial niches (located 5 miles from the city). After lunch exploration of the main points of the city: Main Square, the Cathedral and the 17th Century San Francisco church, which houses the Museum of Religious Art. Continue on to the Ransom; which Atahualpa, the last Inca emperor, filled once with gold and twice with silver so as to obtain his freedom in 1532; to the Belen complex which includes the Belen church constructed entirely of sculptures volcanic rock and finally on to Santa Apolonia Hill, for a scenic view of the valley of Cajamarca and where one may also see the ceremonial Inca seat. Finally we will take a delicious cup of coffee at local cafeteria. Return to hotel to enjoy its swimming pools with thermal waters or a nice massage at the Spa. (This service is not included in the price). Farewell dinner and overnight at Hotel Laguna Seca. (B/L/D)

Comments : Cajamarca was a major center of the Inca Empire. It is most famous for being the place of first contact between Pizarro and the Inca army, which he defeated in a one-sided battle shortly thereafter, and captured Atahualpa, the last of the independent Inca monarchs. Although the Inca city was razed to the ground, Cajamarca boasts many beautiful colonial buildings, as well as the Inca-era “Ransom Room,” where Atahualpa was kept as a prisoner of the Spanish before being garroted.

Day 7: Cajamarca/Lima
You will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima.

Optional Extensions

F.D. Kunturwasi
Visit this ceremonial center of formative period (1200-50 BC) of ancient Andean civilization with an architectural complex and stone monoliths. Includes: Transportation from Cajamarca to Kunturwasi, Box lunch, entrance fee and transportation to Trujillo’s airport to take the night flight to Lima.

One more day in Cajamarca
It includes an additional day to explore different parts of the city and visit Cumbemayo where we will admire the Hydraulic knowledge ( a canal cut into rock) from the Incas use for the management of water and land. Includes: an extra night at Cajamarca, private transportation, guide and entrance fees.

Trujillo Extension for Chachapoyas Explorer

Day 7 Cajamarca/Trujillo
You will depart Cajamarca in the morning via private car/bus for the overland journey down through the mountains to Trujillo. Early afternoon arrival and visit the colonial city of Trujillo. Overnight at Libertador Hotel.

Day 8 Trujillo/Lima
After breakfast visit the beautiful Moche Sun and Moon temples, and then continue to the beach for a relaxing lunch in the town of Huanchaco. After lunch you will visit Chan Chan, the sprawling ruined city of the Chimu culture. At the end of the afternoon you will transfer to the airport to take the flight to Lima.

Comments : The pyramids of the Sun and Moon, just south of Trujillo, are the largest structures ever put up in South America, and are second in the Western Hemisphere only to the Pyramid of Cholula, Mexico, in size. They formed the spiritual center of the Moche Empire, a highly sophisticated yet mysterious culture that pre-dated the Incas by nearly 1000 years. It is quite certain that the Moche Indians had contact with other civilizations in the ancient Americas, and there is good reason to believe they may have been influenced by Asian ocean-going voyagers as well.

The Pyramid of the Moon contains a central, vaulted chamber, and the mountain directly behind, Cerro Blanco, appears to have been shaped by humans into a pyramid form as well.

Despite their achievements in architecture, metal-working, and ceramics (one can still find countless pottery shards in the sands surrounding the site), the Moche were very militaristic, and scenes from their pottery depict ritual bloodletting and torture. They may have evolved a system of “black” magic that aided them in their conquests of neighboring peoples, or they may have taken spiritual teachings from Asia and twisted their meanings into bizarre new practices over the centuries.

Huanchaco is a fishing town where “caballitos de totora” are still used by the local inhabitants, who venture into the cold currents of the Pacific in these precarious-looking reed boats.

This massive adobe city, really a series of royal compounds built by the Chimu, was a major source of gold for both the Incas, and later, for the Spanish. Though well-looted over the centuries, gold artifacts still occasionally appear in the drifting sands.

Contacts between Chan Chan and the Asian continent have never been proven, but there are tantalizing hints. Pottery figures depict Asiatic men with beards and turbans; even the name “Chan Chan” seems to be Chinese in origin. Don’t miss the famous “honeycombs,” where strange acoustic effects allow visitors to whisper to each other over long distances inside the adobe structures. (NOTE: We hope that recent El Nino rains have not altered this peculiar archeological and architectural feature.)

More Information:

Kuelap  Revash  Leymebamba Museum  Chachapoyas Map  Ports Facilities for Crouise Tours in the North of Peru