Travel destinations Peru – Cities

Chachapoyas

The city of Chachapoyas in the northern Andes takes its name from the Chachapoya people, who long resisted Inca rule. The magnificent Kuelap Fortress complex is a testament to its peculiar architecture (mostly round buildings) and construction with flat stones in which stone decorations are incorporated. Also unique is the mighty wall with funnel-shaped entrances, which made forced entry impossible.

A distinctive feature of Chachapoya culture is the mummification of the dead, their placement inside sarcophaguses, and the construction of burial sites in the midst of high, inaccessible cliffs (Revash, Karajía). In Leimebamba, many mummies can be seen that were found in a rock face by the lake «Laguna de los Condores".

Much further south is another Chachapoya town, still hidden in the dense vegetation of the mountain jungle: Gran Pajatén.

Population

About 32 000.

Altitude

2540 m.

Average high and low temperature

January: 19,6 °C / 9,4 °C, February: 19,5 °C / 9,7 °C, March: 19,3 °C / 9,9 °C, April: 19,9 °C / 9,7 °C, May: 20,1 °C / 9,2 °C, June: 19,8 °C / 8,3 °C, July: 19,4 °C / 7,7 °C, August: 20,0 °C / 7,5 °C, September: 20,1 °C / 8,5 °C, October: 20,4 °C / 9,1 °C, November: 21,0 °C / 9,1 °C, December: 20,9 °C / 9,1 °C.

Average rainfall

January: 78 mm, February: 92 mm, March: 137 mm, April: 82 mm, May: 34 mm, June: 20 mm, July: 21 mm, August: 20 mm, September: 54 mm, October: 85 mm, November: 82 mm, December: 745 mm.

Average relative humidity

Annual average: 74%.

Source of statistical data: Senamhi.

Travel programs:

		PTW-PER006 Northern Peru 13 days / 12 nights Round trip: Lima, Chiclayo, Chachapoyas, Karajía, Kuelap, Leymebamba, Gocta, Tarapoto, Lamas, Laguna Azul, Tarapoto, Lima.
		PTW-TAR003 Tarapoto + Chachapoyas 7 days / 6 nights Combination of two important tourist centers in the north of Peru: jungle area around Tarapoto + Andean mountains with historical sites around Chachapoyas.
		PTW-CHK001 Chachapoyas: History and Nature 5 days / 4 nights Travel to the mountains in the north of Peru, where the Chachapoya people once lived, to get to know witnesses of their culture and architecture (Kuelap, Karají) and to marvel at Gocta, the third largest waterfall in the world.
		PTW-CHK002 Laguna de los Cóndores 3 days / 3 nights 219 mummies were discovered at the inaccessible lake «Laguna de los Cóndores». Strenuous tour following a secondary Inca trail to a beautiful crystal clear mountain lake. The mausoleum on a rock face high above the lake.
		PTW-CHK003 Gran Vilaya 4 days / 3 nights Hike in the northern Andes through impressive landscapes with small rural villages and archaeological sites belonging to the Chachapoyas culture.
		PTW-CHK004 Inka-Trail 3 days / 2 nights The Inca-Trail through northern Peru offers a great mix of pre-inca archaeological sites, pre-hispanic trails and small colonial towns with wonderful views of the Andes.
		PTW-CHK005 Revash, Leymebamba Day trip The Revash mausoleums are burial buildings that housed several mummies at the same time. The museum in Leymebamba contains more than 2000 archaeological finds from northern Peru, including the mummies from Laguna de los Cóndores.
		PTW-CHK006 Huaylla Belén and Karajía Day trip Huaylla Belén, an exceptional valley surrounded by cloud forest and lush nature. The Karajía sarcophagi are a burial site of the Chachapoyas culture.
		PTW-CHK007 Yumbilla Day trip The Yumbilla Waterfall is located in the «Valley of the Waterfalls» in the municipality of Cuispes in the Amazon region. With a total height of 896 m, it is the fifth highest waterfall in the world and the second highest in Peru.