DAY 1 LIMA
(Meal Plan: None)
Welcome to Peru! Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to your hotel in Lima.
DAY 2 LIMA – JAEN
(Meal Plan: Breakfast)
Enjoy your morning at leisure. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport in Lima to take your flight to Jaen – the new gateway to the Amazonas region in Northern Peru.
IMPORTANT: The region of Amazonas lies between 1,400-3,000m (4,600 -9,900 ft). We recommend dressing in layers and packing a waterproof jacket, walking shoes, sunscreen, a hat and mosquito repellent. The rainy season begins in November and ends in April, the remainder of the year is considered the dry season.
DAY 3 JAEN – LEYMEBAMBA
(Meal Plan: Breaakfast, Lunch)
Today’s excursion takes you to Revash and Leymebamba in the south of Amazonas province. First, the vehicle takes you to the town of San Bartolo (2,800 m/9,100 ft.) where you will hike (approx. 1 hour each direction) to reach the funerary site of Revash, a spectacular site left behind by the Chachapoyas culture. These house-like structures built into the cliffs of the Utcubamba Valley contained dozens of well preserved mummies. Take in the beauty of the immensity of the valley surrounding it. You continue your journey by road to Leymebamba (about a one-hour drive). There, you visit the Malqui Museum which displays over 200 mummies found at the Lagoon of the Condors as well as a collection of related artifacts including quipus and reconstructed examples of the Karajia sarcophagi before returning to your hotel.
DAY 4 LEYMEBAMBA – KUELAP – MILPUJ
(Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Today, the impressive fortress of the Chachapoyan people awaits you. After breakfast, you leave for Nuevo Tingo (30-minute drive), the starting point for your Kuelap excursion. There, you board a bus that will take you to the ‘Anden de Salida’ cable car station. The ‘Telecabinas’, Peru’s first cable car, will take you on a 20 minute ride to La Malca station (and ascends from 2,000m to 3,000m/ 6,560ft. to 9,842 ft.). A short 2km (1.2miles) walk separates La Malca station from Kuelap. Perched majestically on a hilltop overlooking verdant Andean landscapes and the Utcubamba River lies what used to be the most important administrative, cultural and military center of the Chachapoyan culture – also known as the ‘Cloud People’ (800 AD – 1530 AD). Several buildings inside of the complex have walls decorated with friezes that depict eyes and birds.
OPTIONAL: On Sundays, you can visit the Yerbabuena market in Leymebamba before leaving for Nuevo Tingo.
IMPORTANT: On Mondays, the cable car is under maintenance. The tickets for bus and cable car are valid for fixed departures. It’s important to arrive on time.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before heading to the private conservation area of Milpuj. En route, stop to see the Macro Ruins. The Amazonas contain some extraordinary archaeological sites with remarkably fewer visitors than the South of Peru. Your program includes simple and eco-friendly accommodation run by committed and local entrepreneurs. This journey has been designed for nature and archaeology lovers who are looking for genuine contact with locals, whilst contributing to the conservation of the environment with their stay. Once in Milpuj, you will be introduced to your hosts, Mrs. Lola and her son Perico. With a lot of determination, they have completely reforested what is known as Milpuj La Heredad. Here, they built four rooms out of local stone and adobe that blends in with the natural surroundings: Casa Hacienda Milpuj, a homestay surrounded by lush vegetation. A stay here is an immersive experience, a place to unwind and disconnect, there is no TV and only limited Wi-Fi. Enjoy your homemade dinner before retiring for the night.
DAY 5 MILPUJ – COCACHIMBA
(Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch)
During breakfast, take the chance to listen to Señora Lola and Perico tell their story behind the eco-stay. Señora Lola fled Lima in 2000 to her family land in search of a simpler, more tranquil life. Sometime later her son Perico followed her. Milpuj still has one of the few existing dry forests in the Utcubamba Valley (1,800m/5,900 ft), and they decided to stay and create one the first private conservation areas in the Amazonas. Due to the steady rise in the price of the legume tree called ‘tara’, large areas of land became deforested. Successively, five hectares of tara have been planted at Milpuj.
This morning you head with your guide and driver to the sarcophagi of Karajia. After a 2-hour drive, you reach Cruzpata, the starting point for a 2km (1.2miles) steep walk down to the sarcophagi. Perched high up on the cliff (you can’t get a close view) stand the 2.5m (8.2 ft.) tall sarcophagi, sculptured like humans and made out of bamboo and clay. The six sculptures are supposed to be the final resting place of important personalities of the Chachapoyan culture. You return along the same path you came and drive back to your hotel. Along the way, you will stop for lunch.
OPTIONAL: You may opt to replace your visit to Karajia with the lesser-known sarcophagi in ‘Pueblo de los Muertos’ (or the ‘Town of the Dead’) if weather conditions allow (the last leg is an unpaved road, that becomes inaccessible when it rains)
DAY 6 CHACHAPOYAS – COCACHIMBA – CHACHAPOYAS
(Meal Plan: Breakfast)
After breakfast, you set off for the Gocta Falls. Your journey begins in the town of
Cocachimba which is the trailhead for your 5km hike (approx. 2.5-hours one way) through the forest. Along the trail you will find some sections of uphills and downhills as well as those that are flat and others with stone steps. You might be able to see different species of hummingbirds including the endemic Spatuletail hummingbird which can only found in the Amazonas region, the Cock of the Rock (Peru’s national bird) as well as orchids and bromeliads. As the jungle gives way, you will find yourself face-to-face with the breath-taking Gocta Falls (771m/2,530 ft.) whose sheer size will make you feel minuscule as you cast your eyes skyward. During the rainy season the water level is much higher, but, a trip to the Gocta Falls is still worth it in the dry season where you can stand in awe at its feet and appreciate its mammoth size. After some time for shooting photos, you hike back along the same path to Cocachimba.
IMPORTANT: It is possible to hire a horse led by a local villager (to be booked in advance) should you feel that the trek may be too challenging.
DAY 7 COCACHIMBA – JAEN – LIMA
(Meal Plan: Breakfast)
Your trip to this unique region comes to the end. You will be transferred to the airport in Jaen in time for your flight back to Lima. Upon arrival in Lima, you will be transferred to your hotel.
DAY 8 LIMA
(Meal Plan: Breakfast)
At an appropriate time, you will be transferred to the airport in Lima for your
international flight home.