The magnificent province of Chachapoyas

Chachapoyas is an amazing place to visit in Peru. Located in the Peruvian jungle in the Amazon region, it has tourist attractions for every kind of traveler. It rises on the eastern slope of the Andes mountain range, in the plain of the Utcubamba river basin and it is the most important city of the Amazon. Chachapoyas is not only known for its surreal sites, like Gocta or Kuelap, it is also known for its flora and fauna, especially the Spatultale Hummingbird. Now arriving to Chachapoyas is easier than you think. The Peruvian airline ATSA has inaugurated two flights a week, Mondays and Thursdays, to get direct there.

A stone fortress of a pre Inca culture is located in Chachapoyas in the top of the amazonian Andes: Kuelap. With 20-meters-high walls and a spectacular view of green mountains all around, Kuelap is one of the most important archaeological site in the Amazon Rainforest. In the inside of the monument travelers can find 420 circular houses that the pre Incas used for religious, administrative, and housing activities. The architecture of this place is astounding, it was discovered in 1843 and now it is a center for investigation. The Chachapoyas culture, who habited Kuelap, was a very developed and intelligent culture.  

Now, access to Kuelap is easier than anyone can imagine. This year, the Peruvian government inaugurated the first cableway in the country in Chachapoyas. The cable car ascends over the Tingo River and the extraordinary Uctubamba Valley until finally arriving at the Barreta Hill where the amazing archaeological ruin of Kuelap sits. Travelers can save 70 minutes in car by using the 20-minute cable car to arrive at Kuelap. This new convenience will create a more enjoyable and entertaining adventure in Chachapoyas.

Now, access to Kuelap is easier than anyone can imagine. This year, the Peruvian government inaugurated the first cableway in the country in Chachapoyas. The cable car ascends over the Tingo River and the extraordinary Uctubamba Valley until finally arriving at the Barreta Hill where the amazing archaeological ruin of Kuelap sits. Travelers can save 70 minutes in a car by using the 20-minute cable car to arrive to Kuelap. This new convenience will create a more enjoyable and entertaining adventure in Chachapoyas.

In Chachapoyas you can also find one of the tallest waterfalls in the world, the Gocta Waterfall. This illusory place, surrounded by beautiful and lush mountains, will awe every traveler. The Gocta falls measures 771 meters tall and its surroundings contain an incredible variety of flora and fauna. The two-hour hike to the falls is equally stunning, full of animals, plants, adventure, and great views. Gocta is not only known for its beauty, but also for the myths that surround the waterfall and the people living in the area. Myths have passed beyond generations and one says that a blonde mermaid lives in Gocta and, with the help of a big snake, she cares and protects the waterfall. The locals say that the stones behind the waterfall are so beautiful that they enchant people and make them enter. Afterwards, they disappear.

As said before, Chachapoyas has a great flora and fauna. In the area you can find endemic species such as the yellow-tailed woolly monkey and the cock of the rocks and also great flora like mahogany trees, ferns, lianas, mosses, orchids. But the most known animal is the endemic specie of hummingbird: the Spatultale Hummingbird. This bird is endemic to the Utcubamba river basin, in the high jungle of northern Peru. The hummingbird is 15 centimeters approximately and you can recognize it because of its violet, green and copper colors. Also the main characteristic is that males have two long outer tail feathers in the shape of a racket that cross each other and end in large blue-violet discs or ‘spatulas’, which can be moved independently. This specie is in danger of extinction because the trees in their habitat are disappearing.