Chachapoyas and the trek to Kuelap
Day 217 Mon 4/4 – D218 Tue 5/4 Chachapoyas
Chachapoyas, the capital of Amazonas, is a lovely little town in the mountains. It is starting tp get a lot of tourism these days, thanks to the discovery of Kuelap, an arqueological site that is almost as impressive as Machu Picchu. I had heard a few travellers tell me about Chachapoyas in Peru and decided to extend my stay in Peru a week to visit Kuelap and Chachapoyas.
I was tired when I arrived in Chachapoyas and spent the morning in bed. I hadnt managed to sleep well on the bus, even though it was a cama. I walked around town, visitng a couple of interesting places, before spending some time finding a tour company that had enough people to venture out on a 4 day trip (including a 2 day trek), ending the 4th day with a trip to Kuelap. I finally found a company, but they werent going out till Wednesday, which meant I had a day to kill and not much to do.
Day 219 Wed 6/4 – D222 Sat 9/4 Gran Vilaya trek
First day – Pueblo de los Muertos and Karajia, where there are sarcofagii. Total of 2 hours of walking. Evening at Valle Belen, which is mouthwateringly beautiful, and freezing cold! Lack of electricity doesnt help 🙂
Second day – 6 hours of hiking, some of it involving wading through streams and rivers, and walking through quite a lot of mud. Beautiful views help me keep going. Spent the night with a family in Congon.
Third day – Visibilty is close to zero as clouds encompass everything and the rain pours! 5 hours of walking, 2 hours of horse riding, after a fashion. I just held the reins and let the horse do its thing. Occasionally I had to prod the horse on as it stopped occasionally to eat leaves and play with the other two horses. I was worried once when it playfully reared its front legs. The cloud cleared up for a few minutes during lunch, just to offer a glimpse of what might have been! The night at Choctomal is better as there is hot water for a long awaited shower.
Fourth day – Barely 20 minutes of walking as we take a tour to Kuelap. Kuelap is amazing and well worth the day spent walking through mud! The guide is extremely knowledgeable and we spent a good two hours there at the site.
Day 223 Sun 10/4
Election day in Peru. Bus doesnt leave till late at night, so spend the day reading, watching some football and trying to get internet access – slow connection spoiled any ideas of that!
Tags: Travel
Damu