CAJAMARCA AND CHACHAPOYAS
5 DAYS/ 4 NIGHTS
DAY 01 ARRIVAL TO CAJAMARCA / VISIT OF THE CITY
After being picked up at Cajamarca's airport, we will head to the "Ventanillas de Otuzco," a small rocky outcrop of volcanic tuff located 7 km from Cajamarca on the right bank of the Chonta River. This site was skillfully used during the Middle Horizon (550-900 AD) to carve rectangular tombs into this low-hardness rock wall, aligned and superimposed. Its visibility and accessibility facilitated its early looting. After checking into the hotel, we will enjoy lunch before walking through the historic center of Cajamarca to visit its main square where the encounter between the Inca and Spanish worlds took place in 1532, the famous and restored rescue room where the Inca Atahualpa was held captive, and the beautiful 18th-century Betlemita convent. Overnight stay in Cajamarca (2750 masl).
DAY 02 CAJAMARCA / LEYMEBAMBA
7:30 AM Today, we must depart early from Cajamarca to cross the imposing Central Andes mountain range and the deep bed of the mythical Marañón River in an estimated 8 hours. During the journey, we will enjoy one of the most beautiful scenic routes in Peru. We will observe plantations of wheat, barley, broad beans, and tubers, extensive areas reforested with alder, pine, eucalyptus, and queñua, vast pastures that support the cattle and dairy production of Cajamarca, and fertile inter-Andean valleys producing various fruits. We will cross the torrid dry shrub forest that shelters the Marañón River, and upon entering the Amazonas region, we will find prized plantations of cocoa, mango, and coconut trees. Before ascending to the humid montane forests and the cloudy high Andean páramos, which mark the altitudinal limit of the Barro Negro mountain range, we will begin the descent to the fertile valley of the Utcubamba River. We will stop shortly before reaching the town of Leymebamba to visit its famous "Ethno-archaeological Museum" and see the exceptional Chachapoya-Inca collection rescued in 1997 from the Laguna de los Cóndores.
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You will spend the night in the peaceful town of Leymebamba (2207 masl), where the Utcubamba River valley begins.
DAY 03 INTERACTION VISIT IN REVASH
Departing from Leymebamba, we will head to the community of San Bartolo (2800 masl), where a cultural promoter will welcome you and guide you to the interpretation center to explain today's itinerary. Afterward, we will visit a local's house to learn about the unique construction of the houses in this region. (If your country has similar constructions, it would be interesting to share this information with the hosts.) After this visit, we will begin the hike to the Revash Mausoleums. This one-hour hike on a well-maintained path will lead us to the cliffside viewpoint, where we will find a succession of collective tombs of the Chachapoya elite, built on narrow ledges and resembling small houses with niches and ochre-colored magical-religious pictograms. Throughout the hike, the guide will explain about the medicinal plants and fauna found in the area. Upon returning to the village, we will enjoy a local lunch and participate in bread-making using a clay oven. In this way, we can contribute to the sustainability of these communities, who are the guardians of these ancestral burial sites. Overnight stay in Cajamarca (2750 masl).
DAY 04 VISIT TO THE FORTIFIED CITADEL KUELAP
Llacta Kuélap (3030 masl) is a huge elliptical construction that rises 3,030 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge overlooking the upper Utcubamba Valley. The citadel impresses with the extent of its high overlapping platforms, temples, and the spatial distribution of the 420 circular dwellings within. At first, it was considered a fortress, but after research work, it has been identified as a fortified citadel.
Overnight stay in Chachapoyas (2335 masl)
DAY 05 TRIP TO LIMA
​Transfer to Chachapoyas airport for your flight to Lima.
SERVICES INCLUDED
​Mobility, guided tour, cable car ticket, entrance fees, lunch and accommodation with breakfast.
SERVICES NOT INCLUDED
​Medical care and travel assistance insurance, dinners, laundry and ironing, tips to service staff, telephone calls, horses, unspecified extras.
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MINIMUM PRICE TWO PEOPLE
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DISCOUNT FOR LARGER GROUPS.
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