AMAZONAS:
LAND OF CHACHAPOYAS CULTURE
6 DAYS: CHACHAPOYAS, KUELAP PRE INCA CITADEL, KARAJIA SARCOPHAGI, GOCTA WATERFALL, REVASH MAUSOLEUM, LEYMEBAMBA MUSEUM
CHACHAPOYAS TOURS
AMAZONAS:
Come and tour or trek in Chachapoyas, an area of magnificent landscapes, diverse flora and fauna and incredible archaeological remains. Off the beaten track and away from the crowds. Chachapoyas in northern Peru: Kuelap, Gocta waterfall, Karajia, Revash and Leymebamba – a rich cultural experience.
See below a detail of the places we will visit:
Chachapoyas
Chachapoyas (founded as San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas, on September 5, 1538) is a city located in the mountains of the department of Amazonas Peru, capital of the province of Chachapoyas and the department of Amazonas. It stands on the eastern slope of the Andes mountain range, in a plain of the Utcubamba River basin, a tributary of the Marañón River. The city has a population of 32,026 inhabitants according to data from the 2017 National Census.
The city is made up of the oldest neighborhoods such as La Laguna, Yance, Santo Domingo, Luya Urco, Higos Urco; as well as popular urbanizations: Pedro Castro Alva, San Carlos de Murcia, Señor de los Milagros, October 16, etc.
The Sarcophagi of Karajia
The Sarcófagos de Karajía, or Carajía, are a set of sarcophagi or coffins according to the funerary tradition of the Chachapoyas in Peru, up to 2.50 m high with human shapes. They were found in the Karajía ravine in the Luya district of the Department of Amazonas in 1985 by the Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig thanks to the references provided by Carlos Torres Mas.
Gocta Waterfall
The Gocta waterfall, known locally as La Chorrera, is a waterfall that is located in the vicinity of the Peruvian villages of San Pablo, Cocachimba and La Coca, district of Valera, province of Bongará, department of Amazonas in northeastern Peru.
In March 2006, a group of explorers led by the German Stefan Ziemendorff, decided to take topographic measurements of the waterfall and discovered that its total height is 771 m1 (in two stages), which places it in the place number 17 in the world list of waterfalls and as the third highest waterfall in Peru, being the Tres Hermanas waterfall (914 m), in Junín) in first place, and the Yumbilla waterfall (895.4 m), in Amazonas, in second place.
The Gocta waterfall is visited by many tourists. There are several routes that can be taken to get to the waterfall, the main one is starting the journey from the city of Chachapoyas to the town of Cocachimba, there you can find all the basic services (food, lodging, etc.). , then walk approximately two and a half hours; you can also do the tour on horseback.
Kuelap adventure tour
KUELAP
Kuélap, or Cuélap, is an important pre-Inca archaeological site located in the northeastern Andes of Peru, in the Province of Luya, it was built by the Chachapoyas culture.
It forms a large stone architectural complex characterized by its monumental condition, with a large artificial platform, oriented from south to north, sitting on the calcareous rock ridge at the top of Cerro Barreta (at 3000 meters above sea level). The platform extends for almost 600 meters and its perimeter is a wall that at some points reaches 19 meters high.
It is estimated that its construction should have begun around the 11th century, coinciding with the flowering period of the Chachapoyas culture, and its occupation must have culminated in the middle of the 16th century. Its colossal walls and its complex interior architecture are evidence of its function as a well-organized population complex, which includes administrative, religious, ceremonial spaces and permanent residence spaces.
The archaeological complex of Kuélap is located in the Department of Amazonas, Luya province. It is accessed from the Leimebamba District road, leaving the paved road at the height of Nuevo Tingo, near the bank of the Utcubamba River, where the road continues along a carriageway uphill, until it reaches a plain in the vicinity of the monument, where there is a path that leads directly to the Citadel. It is also possible Access by a steep path that starts from the town of El Tingo, near the Utcubamba riverbank, with a distance of 8.9 kilometers and a drop of 1200 meters. From March 2, 2017, the complex can be accessed with the use of the cable cars.
Mausoleums of Revash
The Revash mausoleums are a necropolis belonging to the Chachapoyas Culture. They are located in the Santo Tomás district, Luya province, Amazonas department.
They were collective tombs that occupy natural caves or excavated in the rocky wall of an imposing ravine.
Described by the Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffman Doig, who maintains that the mausoleums are replicas of the houses where the people of the area lived.
Painted in red and cream, some have gabled roofs, without being necessary, because in the event of possible rains the hill served as protection. Some others have two levels and have T-shaped, cross or square windows. Part of the rocks are painted red with circles, flames, and other magical symbols.
Located at 2800 meters above sea level, it takes about 20 min. by car from Hierba Buena to reach the beginning of the trail that takes an hour and a half uphill walking
Leymebamba Museum or Mallqui Center
It was built from the need to have a suitable place for the conservation of mummies and archaeological materials recovered in the Laguna de los Cóndores in 1997. This work was carried out by the Mallqui Center with contributions from the international community from Austria, Finland , Italy and the United States, as well as important contributions from the Institute for Bioarcheology, the von Hagen family and the Discovery Channel.
The local community contributed with their work on sites and with construction materials. The town of Leymebamba is the owner of the museum and is represented by a Civil Association. Administrative and professional work in the museum is carried out by the Mallqui Center. It was inaugurated in June of the year 2000 with the presence of the Austrian Minister of Education, Dr. Elisabeth Gehrer.
The design corresponds to the architects Jorge Burga and Rosana Correa, while the museography is the product of the collaboration of Rodolfo Vera and Sonia Guillén. It was built using local architectural techniques such as mud with wooden and tile roofs, complemented with modern technical resources to meet the needs of conservation and exhibition of archaeological materials.
Most of the cultural remains that are exposed correspond to the Chachapoya culture and the time of Inca rule in the area. It also has a room dedicated to the traditional continuity in the region.
Starting from the museum, the Mallqui Center maintains a line of bioarchaeological research, management of archaeological collections, as well as educational programs, tourism, and the recovery and protection of natural resources.
