Amazon Adventures

Peru

Easy Chachapoyas Tours

Highlights of the Chachapoyan Culture (all year)

Day 1 - Meet at Chiclayo airport and transfer to Chachapoyas, seeing waterfalls and spectacular panoramas along the way. Overnight in 3 * colonial mansion. L,D

Day 2 - High on a steep cliff we will see the spectacular 8 foot high funeral sarcophagus of Karajia. From there we will go and see more sarcophagus higher on a sheer cliff than any building you have ever seen. Overnight above the clouds in our village co-op Choctamal Marvelous Spatuletail Lodge where you can observe hummingbirds. The lodge is located in the road to Kuelap at only 45 minutes from the fortress, excellent panoramic views of Kuelap and the Abra Yumal Pass. (B, L, D)

Day 3 - early visit to Kuelap. This is the most important Chachapoyan ruins and the largest structure in South America. Its 4 sets of walls range from one to two telephone poles tall and contain 400 stone buildings. This "Machu Picchu of the North" is much larger, older and more mysterious than the Machu Picchu near Cusco. Kuelap is at a mild elevation of 3000 meters, or just under 10,000 feet. The climate and vegetation give the feeling of an eternal spring. Almost continuous clouds and mist above and below it create a biosphere. Many orchids and bromeliads cover the stone buildings inside of the 3rd, 4th and 5th levels of soaring walls that are inside of the other walls. Many of the buildings are decorated with elaborate stone geometric designs. On the way to Chachapoyas we will observe the platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River. Overnight in our three star colonial mansion. B,L,D

Day 4 - return to Chiclayo, visiting the pyramids at Tucume (if time allows) to connect with flight or bus to Lima. B,L

Price: $742 each for 2-3 people, $638 each for 4 or more. Single supplement: US$ 99

THE TOUR INCLUDES:
All entrance fees , Transfers to airport or bus station , Meals where noted in the program , Accommodations and taxes , All transportation specified in the program, Snacks, water bottles , Bilingual guide, Private transportation to the zone

NOT INCLUDED:
Gratuities , Alcoholic beverages, Internal flights (we can provide upon request), Airport taxes

Chachapoyas Adventure (all year)

Legends say the Chachapoyans were tall fair skinned warriors, and they built their fortified cities on mountaintops all over the mysterious Dept. of Amazonas. This trip (segment) offers Americas' largest & most mysterious fortress, with soaring stone walls inside of walls, built to stop the advance of an empire. You will also see the 2nd largest fortress and the Inca Military Garrison guarding the empire's major crossroads. Walk downhill on perhaps the Inca's best un-restored highway. This trip offers the world's driest desert and thousands of mini-ecological zones with natives, plants and animals adapted to each extreme. No other zone offers Americas' greatest varieties and most advanced ancient Indian culture. --- Optional extra day, leave by Tarapoto with trekking and boating in the Amazon rainforest.

Day 1 - Meet at Chiclayo airport and transfer to Chachapoyas, seeing waterfalls and spectacular panoramas along the way. Overnight in 3 * colonial mansion. L,D

DAY 2 Levanto
Visit Sonche Canon an Inca Mitima village, (the residents were transplants from Huanuco in the Inca heartland to pacify the rebellious Cloud People.) Huancas main business is pottery making since ancient times, providing for the entire zone. A five minute walk takes us to a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon. After lunch we will visit Levanto (one hour from Chachapoyas). Levanto was the most significant city of the zone at the time of the Inca invasion and also in the Spanish colonial era We wiil see a colonial church as old as Lima with its high carved altar. We will go to the fortified ruins of Yalape overlooking the city, and also see the 22 km Inca Canal, which brought water to Levanto. Nearby is Colla Cruz, this was a major crosspoads of the empire's roads with over 2000 miles of miles of major roads going north to Ecuador and Columbia, south to Huanuco and Cusco and east to the Amazon. We will see the Inca military garrison that guarded this intersection. This is the zone's first restoration, which revealed a major defeat of the Incas by the Cloud people in the revolution against the Spanish. Night in Levanto Community Lodge high in the mountains. (B, L, D).

DAY 3 IncaTrail-Choctamal ,
Inca Trail to Chachapoyas (3 hours downhill), lunch in Chachapoyas and night in our Choctamal Marvelous Spatuletail Lodge located on the road to Kuelap, where you can observe hummingbirds and variety of orchids. (B,L,D)

DAY 4 Fortress Kuelap
We will spend the day at Fortress Kuelap known as "the Machu Picchu of the North". Kuelap has over 400 buildings inside 3 levels of walls, and is the largest stone structure in all South America. Orchids and bromeliads cover the walls and trees inside this fortress On the way to Chachapoyas we will observe the platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River Overnight in beautiful Colonial Mansion, 3 star hotel. (B,L,D)

DAY 5Chachapoyas/Chiclayo .
Early departure to Chiclayo, see Tucume on the way to Chiclayo if time allows. Transfer to airport for your night flight to Lima (B, BL)

Price: $882 each for 2-3 people, $750 each for 4 or more. Single supplement: US$ 130

Optional: transfer to Tarapoto instead of Chiclayo. (9 hours) This adds a mountainous Amazon aspect to this trip so this cross section of Peru offers an extreme geography and life and cultures adapted to the world's greatest rainforest, 2nd highest mountains. Airplane from Tarapoto leaves the next day to Lima.

Extra price: night in Puerto Palmeras Resort.

THE TOUR INCLUDES:
All entrance fees , Transfers to airport or bus station , Meals where noted in the program , Accommodations and taxes , All transportation specified in the program, Snacks, water bottles , Bilingual guide, Private transportation to the zone

NOT INCLUDED:
Gratuities , Alcoholic beverages, Internal flights (we can provide upon request), Airport taxes

Tour to Gocta waterfall and Kuelap (All year)

On March 22, 2006 German explorer Stefan Ziemendorff reported he had found the third highest waterfall in the world located in the isolated northern jungle near Chachapoyas. In a two hours trek you can see a pristine cloud forest jungle. Passion fruit vines in the canopy have year around fruit that sustains a colony of monkeys and varieties of birds feeding on this fruit. You can see a variety of medical plants, hummingbirds, toucans, monkeys, and butterflies.

The height of 771 meters is thought to be relatively accurate, though Ziemendorff suspects the true figure could be within 13 meters in either direction. The falls has a regular to high volume of flow becoming an immensely powerful waterfall during the rainy season. However unlike other world class waterfalls, it doesn't dry up in the dry season.

Day 1 Tarapoto - Moyobamba
Flight to Tarapoto airport and if time allows we will visit Lamas, located at only 22 km from Tarapoto City. The Lamistas are descendants of the Chancas who defeated by the Incas when trying to invade Cusco, fled to the jungle for shelter. Lamistas still maintain their traditions and Quechua language. Night in beautiful 3 star jungle hotel in Moyobamba. (L, D)

Day 2 Moyobamba - Pomacochas
Visit thermal bath in the morning and an orchid display. On the way to Pomacochas we will see jungle complex with variety of animals from the area and have a typical lunch in a jungle setting. We will spend the night in a 3 star hotel in a beautiful lake. (B,L,D)

Day 3 Pomacochas - waterfall - Chachapoyas
Private transportation to within two hours hike to El Mirador where you can observe the Gocta waterfall. During the hike you will be able to observe variety of hummingbirds, toucans, birds, flowers, monkeys and other species from the region. Night in Chachapoyas colonial mansion 3 star Hostel. (B,L,D)

Day 4 Chachapoyas - Kuelap - Chachapoyas
We will spend the day at Fortress Kuelap known as "the Machu Picchu of the North". Kuelap has over 400 buildings inside 3 levels of walls, and is the largest stone structure in all South America. Orchids and bromeliads cover the walls and trees inside this fortress. On the way to Chachapoyas we will observe the platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River. Overnight in beautiful Colonial Mansion, 3 star hostel. (B, BL, D)

Day 5 Chachapoyas - Chiclayo
Early departure to Chiclayo and transfer to airport for your evening flight to Lima. (B, BL)

Price per person:
2 - 3 people US$ 903.
4 or more US$ 769
Single supplement: US$150

THE TOUR INCLUDES:
All entrance fees , Transfers to airport or bus station , Meals where noted in the program , Accommodations and taxes , All transportation specified in the program, Transfer between cities, Bilingual guide

NOT INCLUDED:
Gratuities , Alcoholic beverages, Internal flights (we can provide upon request), Airport taxes

NORTHERN PERU'S EXTREME CROSS
SECTION - 7 DAYS/6 NIGHTS
Tarapoto – Moyobamba – Chachapoyas - Chiclayo
(Includes the JUNGLE, ANDES AND DESERT COAST)

(Easy) suitable for retirees, families, using hotels,
restaurants, private vehicle, and only light day walks

Northern Peru offers the world's most extreme geography: its greatest rainforest, driest desert, and 2nd highest mountains. These offer thousands of mini-ecological zones with natives, plants and animals adapted to each zone. Tarapoto and Moyobamba transitions from the Basin to mountain jungles & huge waterfalls. Kuelap is the "Machu Picchu of Northern Peru" with Peru's most mysterious and largest variety of ruins in the Andes. We have many of the world's most exotic and almost extinct hummingbird that we are working to preserve at our lodges.

Day 1 Lima - Tarapoto
Flight from Lima to Tarapoto on the marginal jungle edge. Stay night at the luxury resort Puerto Palmeras.

Day 2 Tarapoto - Chachapoyas
We will visit Lamas, located at only 22 km from Tarapoto City. The Lamistas are descendants of the Chancas who defeated by the Incas when trying to invade Cusco, fled to the jungle for shelter. Lamistas still maintain their traditions and Quechua language. Before lunch will visit an orchid display . We will see jungle complex with variety of animals from the area and have a typical lunch in a jungle setting. We will spend the night in a 3 star hotel in Chachapoyas Colonial Mansion. (B,L)

Day 3 Chachapoyas - Levanto
Bus 1 hour to Levanto, the most significant city of the Inca and colonial Spanish era. Twenty minute walk up to explore the Yalape ruins, and the Inca Canal. See the restored Inca Garrison built to guard this major hub of Inca roads radiating out over 2000 miles from here. Spend afternoon in Levanto where they have a kiln to reproduce pottery in the ancient style. Optional 4 hour downhill walk on perhaps Peru's best un-restored Inca highway. We stay the night at the Choctamal Lodge, high in the cloud forest looking down at the clouds. (B, BL, D)

Day 4Choctamal - Kuelap
Coach 35 minutes to Kuelap to see the largest structure of South America. Inside its 4 or 5 levels of huge walls, are over 400 stone buildings. On the way to Chachapoyas we will observe the platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River. Night in Chachapoyas. (B, L, D)

Day 5Chiclayo
Coach to Chiclayo 9 hours and stay night in another 3 Star Hotel. On this trip you will have seen the world's most extreme conditions, the mightiest rainforest, the 2nd highest mountain range, and the driest desert. The most advanced culture left the richest gold tomb of the Americas, the Lord of Sipan. This is on the Pacific coast in an environment like Egypt, with 270 pyramids, and a rich desert soil irrigated by a river and huge canals taking water from mountains over 100 miles away. (B, BL, D)

Day 6 Chiclayo – Lima
Visit the Sipan museum, the most important discovery was the tomb of the lord of Sipan, who archaeologists have concluded was a royal ruler from over 1600 years ago. The larger museum, the Museo Tumbas Reales houses the magnificent collection of artifacts found in the tomb of The Lord of Sipan, now world famous, as it is considered the most magnificent archaeological find in the Americas. After lunch we will visit the Sican Museum, Sican Culture developed from 750 ad, as the descendants of the Moche (100-800aD) and predecessors of the later Chimu cultures. The gold, silver and semi precious stone artifacts and accessories are beautifully displayed in the museum in a very educational manner. Transfer to airport for your evening flight to Lima. (B,A)

Price per person: 2 - 3 people = US$ 927, 4 or more = US$ 763
Single supplement: US$170

THE TOUR INCLUDES:
All entrance fees , Transfers to airport or bus station , Meals where noted in the program , Accommodations and taxes , All transportation specified in the program , Bilingual Guide

NOT INCLUDED:
Airport taxes , Gratuities , Alcoholic beverages, Internal flights, Snacks, water bottles

Archeological Tour of Northern Peru
Cajamarca, Chachapoyas, Chiclayo

Pizarro's tiny band of conquistadores and horses marched to Cajamarca, the city of destiny. Here they captured the world's largest empire, and in the Inca's cell, they filled it 3 times with gold and silver. We cross the main trunk Amazon where it leaves the world's 2nd highest mountains to enter the domain of the Chachapoyan Cloud People. This newly accessible zone was the Andes most fortified and mysterious with the highest density of ruins. On a high mountain, Fortress Kuelap is the largest building of the Americas. We end our tour in Chiclayo where America's most advanced civilization lived on the world's driest desert with 26 pyramids. The Lord of Sipan was recently discovered in a pyramid that was America's richest gold-filled tomb.

Day 1 Lima-Cajamarca
Flight from Lima to Cajamarca, the city of destiny. Pizarro marched his tiny band of 270 Spaniards here to capture Inca Atahualpa and the world's largest empire. We will see the cell where the Inca was held captive. It was filled 3 times with gold & silver for his ransom before he was executed. Night in Cajamarca in a beautiful Hacienda. (D)

Day 2 Cajamarca - Leymebamba
Our bus climbs the sweeping cold cordillera and descends into an oven dry valley deeper than the Grand Canyon to cross the main trunk Amazon River Here a coastal Chimu Colony uses their irrigation skills to grow exotic tropical fruits in a micro ecological system. The Cordillera a mile above receives over 100 inches more rain per year than the dry river valley.(B,BL,D)

Day 3 Leymebamba -Choctamal
Now we get to see Peru's brand new Centro Mallqui Museum that the Austrians donated for this unique 1998 discovery at Lake of the Condors (you have seen on the Discovery Channel). The 219 mummies are here along with many artifacts being investigated by Peruvian Dr. Sonia Guillen, (the worlds best mummy authority). She has also set up the advanced new laboratory in Cairo for the Egyptians. On the way to Choctamal we will stop to see the Revash Ruins. Night in our Choctamal Lodge (gateway to Kuelap and Gran Vilaya),and have a well-deserved soak in the hot tub. (B, BL, D)

Day 4 Kuelap-Chachapoyas
We will spend the day at Fortress Kuelap known as "the Machu Picchu of the North". Kuelap has over 400 buildings inside 3 levels of walls, and is the largest stone structure in all South America. Orchids and bromeliads cover the walls and trees inside this fortress. On the way to Chachapoyas we will observe the platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River. Overnight in beautiful Colonial Mansion, 3 star hotel. (B, L, D)

Day 5 Chachapoyas -Karajia
We will go to see the spectacular 8-foot high funeral sarcophagus of Karajia on a cliff, resembling statues of Easter Island. We will go to the 8-foot high funeral sarcophagus of Karajia on a cliff, resembling statues of Easter Island and continue on our route of the condors to see 30 newly discovered sarcophagi. Overnight.in a restored 3 star Colonial Mansion. (B. BL, D)

Day 6 Chachapoyas -Chiclayo
Transfer to Chiclayo for your evening flight to Lima. (B, BL)

Price: 2 - 3 people = US$ 1,074 per person. 4 - 9 people = US$ 882 per person.
Single supplement: US$210

THE TOUR INCLUDES: All entrance fees, transfers to airport or bus station, meals where noted in the program,accommodations and taxes , all transportation specified in the program, snacks,
water bottles, bilingual guide

NOT INCLUDED: Airport taxes , Gratuities , Alcoholic beverages, Internal flights