CHACHAPOYA'S HIGHLIGHTS
8 days / 7 nights

Explore the splendour of the Chachapoyas kingdom in style. A private vehicle brings you to the zone's highlights - from Kuelap to Leymebamba - and your stay at the Gran Hotel Vilaya every night guarantees a comfortable night's sleep.

Day 1: Lima to Chachapoyas

First flight from Lima to Chiclayo. You are met at Chiclayo airport and driven by private transport to Chachapoyas (9 hours). It is a beautiful journey that takes you from the coastal city of Chiclayo and then crosses the desert. We then cross over the Andes and descend to the Marañon River which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. We cross the river and then make the long ascent to Chachapoyas via the fabulous Utcubamba Canyon. We arrive at Chachapoyas and the Gran Hotel Vilaya. (L, D)

Day 2: Excursion to Purumllacta

Purumllacta lies east of Chachapoyas. It is a fascinating site that doesn't fit the usual model of a Chachapoyas settlement. Here we find rectangular houses connected by stairways on slopes covered with stone terraces. Still partially covered by forest and scrub, there are many secrets hidden within to the purpose of Purumllacta. Return to Gran Hotel Vilaya for the evening. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Excursion to Levanto

The village of Levanto was established in 1538. On the way we stop at the pre-Hispanic ruins of Yalape, which include a well-preserved irrigation canal. Also admire a typical reconstructed Chachapoyan roundhouse. For fit walkers with strong knees there is an optional hike back to Chachapoyas on an Inca road (3 hours). Return to Gran Hotel Vilaya for the night. (B, L, D).

Day 4: Pueblo de los Muertos

Today we head east to the other side of the Utcubamba Canyon. Above the village of Lamud is the photogenic site of Pueblo de los Muertos. It is a burial site with roundhouse style tombs mad of mud perched on a ledge. Also at the site are sarcophagi and a stunning view of the Utcubamba Canyon. Returning to our transport we return to the Utcubamba River and head south to El Chillo, a converted hacienda and here stay the night. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Excursion to La Jalca Grande

Today we visit La Jalca Grande, the most traditional village in the area and the sixth oldest Spanish settlement in Peru. Many of the locals still wear traditional dress and congregate by the stone church, which displays Chachapoyas and catholic symbols. We eat a lunch of typical food from this high area (2900m). Return to El Chillo in the evening. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Revash and Leymebamba Museum

We drive to Yerbabuena (1 hour) and we walk for a steady 2 hours uphill to have a close up view of a different style of cliff tomb. This extremely photogenic sit is perched on a yellow cliff and the tombs are like mini houses with red pictographs above and date back to 1200AD. We continue on to Leymebamba (45mins) and visit the new museum that has the 219 mummies found at a nearby lake in 1997. Return to El Chillo for the night. (B, L, D)

Day 7: Kuelap

To get the best opportunity for photography we leave the lodge early and drive for 1.5 hours to the car park at Kuelap. The towering walls and hundreds of roundhouses capped by the cloud forest at 3,000 meters (9,900 feet) above sea level always amaze first time visitors. We'll explore the many ceremonial constructions, aqueducts and brilliant layout as a group with plenty of opportunities to wander on you own. We then travel three hours by private transport back to Chachapoyas, soaking in the electric scenery made all the more so by the setting sun. Night in the Gran Hotel Vilaya. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Chachapoyas to Lima

Leaving early from the Gran Hotel Vilaya we make the return trip to Chiclayo. There is plenty of time to visit the famous Bruning Museum on the way at Lambayeque that holds the gold found at the Moche ruin of Sipan. Last flight from Chiclayo to Lima. (B, L, D)

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