Chachapoyas, a city of Amazonas located between the Andes and the jungle, is a treasure of natural surprises, such as its famous orchids, and also cultural ones, due to its colonial and republican style mansions.
Chachapoyas is close to the impressive Gocta waterfalls and the archaeological wonder of Kuélap; and in the center of the city, the Plaza Mayor is quite a spectacle as it is surrounded by beautiful buildings with typical colonial balconies.
Chachapoyas, capital of the department of Amazonas, is an Intermediate City, has a population of more than 32,026 inhabitants and an intercensal growth rate of 3.3%. The city is made up of 1 district. As of 2018, the city occupies a total area of 429 hectares and adds 20.29 hectares per year (ha / year) of new land to the urban area.
It is located in the center and in the Peruvian jungle at 2 335 m.a.s.l., in the Biome of Dry Forest - Tropical Lower Montane.
Founded on September 5, 1538, it maintains its colonial style that can be seen in its narrow streets and houses with large patios and gardens, high roofed ceilings and beautiful balconies.
In Chachapoyas there is much to see, do and talk, thanks to its friendly people who are always ready to show us their beautiful city.
Height:
2335 m a.s.l.
Climate:
Min. 11 ° C / Max. 23 ° C
What to visit in Chachapoyas?
Chachapoyas City
Founded by the Spanish conqueror Alonso de Alvarado, on September 5, 1538, with the name of San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas, this city owes its name to the word "Sachapuyos", which in Spanish means "men of the mist" , attributing this name to it because of the dense fog that usually covers the Cerro de Puma Urco, which is located in the vicinity of the city.
It is a city with a great predominance of colonial-style mansions, with tiled roofs and large patios surrounded by gardens and colorful balconies. Among the residences are the Casa de las Dos Rosas, the Casona Montante and the house of the traditionalist and recuperator of the Chachapoyan culture, Gilberto Tenorio Ruiz.
The Plaza de Armas is currently undergoing rehabilitation thanks to the intervention of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), through the Copesco Plan.
Kuelap
This fortress built entirely with stones, between the 11th and 16th centuries AD, constitutes the greatest material heritage of the Chachapoyas culture. It is located at the top of Cerro Barreta, in the upper part of the valley of the Utcubamba River, in the province of Luya, just over 70 kilometers southwest of the city of Chachapoyas.
This complex has a circular architecture that extends for almost 600 meters and has a perimeter wall that in some places reaches 19 meters in height.
There are three entrances that allow access to the heart of the fortress. In one of them the passages are narrowing to prevent more than one person from passing at the same time, which facilitated the defense of its former inhabitants.
Among the structures of Kuélap, the Templo Mayor stands out, one of the most important ceremonial centers. It has the shape of an inverted truncated cone, with a diameter of 13.5 meters in its upper part. There have been numerous evidences of diverse offerings in complex rituals that included placing human bones inside the inner container, which thus became a large ossuary.
El Pueblo Alto also stands out, located in the northern and western part of the site and has a wall that defines it and separates it from the rest of the settlement. It has three well-defined sectors, which are accessed through two places, one that allows access to the north and central sector and the other that allows access only to the southern sector, which is basically residential in nature.
Gocta Falls
It is one of the highest in the world. Divided into two falls that together reach 771 meters in height, Gocta is surrounded by lush vegetation and accessing it after a walk of more than 6 kilometers, allows you to appreciate a spectacular natural scene where various types of flowers and trees stand out.
Sarcophagi of Karajía
They are a set of sarcophagi or coffins according to the funerary tradition of the Chachapoya civilization, located in the district of Luya. They are unique in their kind for their colossal size, since they reach up to 2.50 meters high and for their careful preparation. The fact that they were located at the top of a ravine with difficult access, has allowed them to remain intact for a long time.
Leymebamba Museum
Inaugurated in June 2000, this cultural enclosure houses more than 200 mummies and their funerary offerings, recovered in 1997 from the Laguna de los Cóndores, through the emergency archaeological project directed by the Mallqui Center.
The rescue tasks made it possible to recover for local history a valuable archaeological collection that was at risk of disappearing due to the vandalism of huaqueros and unscrupulous visitors.
Based on an initiative by The Bioanthropology Foundation Peru-Centro Mallqui, the construction of the Leymebamba Museum was possible thanks to the financial contribution from a group of Austrian citizens and other private donations.
Other attractions
Other attractions that can be seen in the province of Chachapoyas are the San Antonio Tunnels, which are rock formations like natural bridges, located over the San Antonio River.
Likewise, the Forest of Palms of Ocol, in the district of Molino Pampa; the Yálape archaeological zone, four hectares in size, which constitutes an archaeological set of stones joined with mud mortar that belonged to the Chachapoyas and dates from the years 1,100 to 1,300 AD.
Tourism in other provinces
In the city of Lámud, Luya province, it is worth visiting its artistic Plaza de Armas, the Jucusbamba river valley, the Lamud Cross and the stone mills.
For its part, in the province of Bongará there are interesting natural attractions such as the sources of thermomedicinal waters of Chaquil and Corontacacha, Lake Pomacocha and the Utcubamba valley, habitat of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey, unique in the world and currently in danger of extinction.
One of the most beautiful natural settings in the Amazon region is the Pongo de Manseriche, considered one of the greatest hydraulic riches on a world scale. It is located in the district of Santa María de Nieva, province of Condorcanqui, northwest of Peru. The pongo is a geographical accident that is formed by the passage of a river, in this case the Marañón, through the Andes mountain range to reach the Amazon plain.
Gastronomy
Being located in the jungle, where the Andean and Amazonian geography and culture converge, the gastronomy of the Amazon region offers a wide range of stews where the Purtumute (made from beans and mote, with a dressing prepared with coriander ); the tacacho (mashed banana and seasoned with lard) with cecina (dried and smoked pork).
Other emblematic dishes include juane (rice and cassava), patarashca (soup made from river fish and aromatic herbs), Inchicapi (cream-type soup made from corn and peanuts, accompanied by chicken meat); the casserole (soup that includes beef, poultry and mutton, accompanied by vegetables such as cabbage, carrots and shelled corn).
The regional menu also considers fried guinea pig accompanied by a potato stew and toasted peanuts; the Inchik Uchu (boiled yucca accompanied with peanut, chili and coriander sauce), chonta salad (edible Amazon palm fiber), salty and sweet humitas based on corn; and tamales filled with pork, beef, chicken or chicken meat.
Other Tours in the Amazon of Perú
There are the top tours in the Peruvian Amazon such as Iquitos Explore Jungle, Amazon Rainforest in Puerto Maldonado and Manu in Cusco. These services involves the experience inside to the jungle, you could view flora and fauna of Peru. But you could upgrade the experience of your holidays to Peru. You can extent your holiday to add the Cusco city in your itinerary and hike to Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The Inca Trail is the most famous pedestrian path in the Americas. After flying from the capital of Peru, Lima, you will arrive in Cusco to walk for four days along a path through forests and dense fog, millenary stone steps and discovering the ruins of ancient fortifications and Inca cities, and all the time enjoying majestic views.
- 4 Day Inca Trail
- Salkantay Trek
- Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu 5 days
- Inca Quarry Trail 4 Days
- 2 Day Inca Trail Tour
- 2 Day Inca Trail with Camping
- 3 Day Inca Trail
- Vilcabamba Hike to Machu Picchu 6 days
- Choquequirao trek to Machu Picchu 9 days
- Ausangate trek 7 days
If you want to visit Machu Picchu, we recommend you to book your Machu Picchu Ticket in advance, so you will enjoy your Vacation in Machu Picchu without any problem.