Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [378]
Environmentalists long before Greenpeace members got into rubber dinghies, the Chachapoyas built structures that were in perfect harmony with their surroundings and that took advantage of nature’s aesthetic and practical contributions. The Chachapoyas religion is believed to have venerated some of the salient natural features of these territories; the serpent, the condor and the puma were worshipped as powerful representatives of the natural world.
The unique use of circular construction was complemented by intricate masonry friezes, which used zigzags and rhomboids. The buildings were covered by thatch roofs, which were tall and steep to facilitate the runoff of the area’s frequent rains. Hundreds of ruins illustrate Chachapoyas architecture, but none stand out as much as the impressive fortified city of Kuélap, surrounded by a colossal 20m-high wall and encompassing hundreds of dwellings and temples.
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Sleeping & Eating
Kuélap itself has limited sleeping options, although nearby towns provide a good range of accommodations and can be used as a base for exploring the area.
Hospedaje El Bebedero (r per person S12) sits just beneath the Kuélap ruins and has very basic rooms without electricity or running water; bringing your own sleeping bag is recommended. The nearby INC Hostel has free camping, but the rooms are permanently occupied by the Kuélap excavation team. The caretaker of the ruins is happy to cook up a basic dinner for you if you ask and you can buy drinks and some snacks near the ticket office. Alternatively, for truly local fare, go to the second house down the road from the Kuélap car park; it has an unsigned home kitchen (meals S2-5; 8am-4pm). Try the free-range cuy (you can hear them scampering around the kitchen) or egg soup with mote (corn dumplings).
The next closest sleeping choices are in the hamlet of María, two hours’ walk from Kuélap and connected to Chachapoyas by daily minibuses. Here you will find a cottage industry of half a dozen charming and near-identical hospedajes (r per person S9) – they all go to the same sign-maker for their signs. All offer clean, modest rooms with electric hot water and will cook up hearty meals for guests for about S5. Try Hospedaje el Torreón or Hospedaje Lirio. One hour further down the road from María and 3km above the village of Choctámal, the pleasant Choctámal Lodge (in Chachapoyas 47-8838; s/d S90/120) sits perched on a hillcrest with stunning 360-degree panoramas of the valley and Kuélap. The lodge has seven rustic but comfortable rooms here, all with some arty decorations and electric hot water. The caretakers are a wonderful local couple. Meals are available for S18 to S24.
In Tingo (elevation 1900m), at the far base of Kuélap, there’s the bare-bones Albergue León (r without bathroom per person S27), with tiny, bucolic rooms and electric hot water. On the outskirts, the inviting Valle Kuélap Hotel Inn (041-81-3025, in Chachapoyas 041-47-8258; vallekuelap@hotmail.com; s/d S9/18) is a great deal for furnished and comfortable duplex bungalows, all with smart decorations. You can get hot showers here and the restaurant has agreeable river views. Estancia Chillo (041-83-0108; www.estanciachillo.com; r per person incl meals S275), 5km south of Tingo, is one of the nicest places to stay in the area. The beautiful hacienda-style compound has rustic and well-designed rooms, complete with ranch props, wagon wheels and brightly colored pet parrots wandering the grounds. All the fixtures you see were handmade by the owner Oscar Arce Cáceres. You can organize guides from here (S36 per day) as well as horses or donkeys (S25 per day) to go out and explore nearby ruins.
Getting There