Northern Peru – Nature & Culture Tour to Kuelap and Cajamarca
11 Days -10 Nights
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This journey through Northern Peru combines the dramatic natural landscapes of the Andes with the legacy of ancient civilizations that predate the Incas.
From the misty cloud forests surrounding Chachapoyas to the monumental fortress of Kuelap, travelers follow the trail of the enigmatic Chachapoya people—“the Warriors of the Clouds”—whose ruins still cling to mountain ridges above deep valleys.
The route then continues toward Cajamarca, a city that marks one of the most decisive turning points in South American history. Along the way, you’ll experience both the wild beauty of Peru’s highlands and the timeless rhythm of its rural towns.
Your adventure begins in Lima, with an easy overnight at the airport hotel before flying north to Jaén and transferring to Chachapoyas. Here, lush forests and steep canyons hide natural wonders like the towering Gocta Waterfall. The hike to its base is filled with orchids, bromeliads, and the sounds of tropical birds—an introduction to the region’s extraordinary biodiversity. Not far away lies Kuelap, a monumental walled city built centuries before Machu Picchu. Reached by cable car, the site stands guard over a sweeping mountain vista and reveals the sophisticated architecture and spiritual life of the Chachapoya culture.
The following days offer a gentler pace in Leymebamba, where museum collections of mummies and ancient quipus illuminate the connection between the Andes and the Amazon. From the valley’s hummingbird gardens to hikes in the cloud forest, this area invites quiet exploration and reflection.
Then, crossing the mighty Marañon River canyon, you’ll enter the high Andean heartland and the colonial city of Cajamarca. It was here that the Inca Empire met its tragic end in 1532, a moment still remembered in the stone walls of the Ransom Room.
Cajamarca’s surroundings are equally rich in pre-Columbian history. At Cumbemayo, ancient engineers carved aqueducts through volcanic rock to harness mountain water 3,500 years ago. Nearby at Otuzco and Kunturwasi, you’ll walk among burial niches and ceremonial platforms that reveal millennia of Andean artistry and devotion. Throughout the journey, each stop blends nature, archaeology, and living culture—offering an in-depth look at a lesser-traveled, profoundly beautiful part of Peru.
Lost World Adventures itineraries can be tailor-made according to your plans and preferences: budget, hotel selections, travel dates, optional excursions, length of trip, etc.
Day 1: Lima
Upon arrival in Lima, you’ll spend the night at the Wyndham Costa del Sol Airport Hotel, located adjacent to the terminal.
Day 2: Lima – Jaén – Chachapoyas
Take a short walk back to the terminal. Check in for your flight to Jaén. You will be met at the airport upon arrival and transferred to Chachapoyas. Your afternoon will be at leisure to walk around this charming town on your own.
Overnight at the Hotel Hacienda Achamaqui. All meals included today.
Day 3: Gocta Waterfall
A half day hike to visit one of the highest waterfalls in the world.Its 2,530 feet drop, in two impressive falls, provides a spectacular show and an experience you will always remember.As you walk through the rainforest, you’ll see orchids,giant ferns. trees and lots of birds. If you wish, you can swim in the lake below the waterfall.
We will have a typical lunch in the town of Cocachimba before heading back to the hotel.
You return to Hacienda Achamaqui for dinner and overnight. All meals included today.
Day 4: Kuelap, the great walled city of Northern Peru
This morning we will drive to the town of El Tingo Nuevo for the visit to Kuelap archaeological site. From there we will take a cable car to to the top of the Kuelap mountain.
Here, we will find an imposing building on the edge of a deep cliff. Recent archaeological research points out that this could have been an important religious center dedicated to the Chachapoyans gods, probably the god of thunder and rain. An impressive 2,000 feet long wall surrounds the citadel, the gates or main entrances are constructed as narrow walled passageways that continue to narrow as they reach upwards and into the fortress, so the income would remain restricted to the complex.
The site has been elected “the best far and away overseas attraction” in 2017 by the National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards in the UK.
You return to Hacienda Achamaqui for dinner and overnight. All meals included today.
Day 5: Leymebamba
After breakfast we will take the road to our next lodge located near the town of Leymebamba, where we will be arriving by noon.
Along the road we will make a short detour to visit an orchid garden showing some endemic orchid species of the Utcubamba valley.
After checking in at the lodge and have lunch, we will visit to the Leymebamba Museum, one of the most interesting museums in Peru where you can see the collection of more than 200 Inca-Chachapoyas mummies in a superb state of preservation. Furthermore, this museum has the largest collection of Kipus in Peru.
Overnight at Rangra Wasi Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 6: Leymebamba
Morning at leisure to enjoy the gardens of the lodge and have some rest from the activities of the previous days. You can spend the time at the hummingbird feeders in the garden or enjoying the view of the valley from your private veranda.
In the afternoon we will have a soft hike along the Atuén valley. This is a narrow valley surrounded by humid mountain forest full of ferns, bromeliads, and lots of colorful birds.
Overnight at Rangra Wasi Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 7: Leymebamba – Cajamarca
Full morning exploring the high elevation mountains above the lodge and the Rio Marañon valley. First we will make a short hike at 3,000 meters of elevation (about 10,000 feet) near in humid mountain forest, where we will be looking for birds. Then, we will explore a high elevation grassland at 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) which great opportunities for landscape photography.
After a short hike, we will have a picnic lunch at a lower elevation, at about 3,000 meters).
After lunch, we will drive all the way down the road to the margins of the Marañon valley, at an elevation of 1000 meters (3300 feet). The Marañon valley is a dry Andean valley, nestled among the northern Peruvian Andes. The valley is flanked by high elevation mountains, creating an incredible 2500-meter-deep canyon (8,200 feet).
After crossing the river, we will go on driving to the city of Cajamarca for about 4 hours to the city of Cajamarca, where is located our next hotel. The road crosses areas with high elevation mountains, grassland, and agricultural fields, offering great opportunities for landscape photography.
We should be arriving to the hotel in Cajamarca short after dusk.
Overnight at La Ensenada Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 8: Cajamarca
This morning we will have a visit to the city center. Cajamarca is a charming Andean city well known for its colonial architecture, mainly because of the colonial churches from the XVI to XVIII centuries like the Cathedral church, San Francisco church, and the Belen Monument Complex.
In the year 1532 AD the city witnessed the fall of the Inca Empire by the Spanish conquerors. In the city center still stands the “Ransom Room”, where the Spanish kept prisoner the Inca Atahualpa. This “room” also represents the moment when the Spanish and Inca cultures merged with one another and changed the history of Peru.
You will have the afternoon at leisure to rest from the previous activities.
Overnight at La Ensenada Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 9: Cajamarca
After breakfast we will drive to the archaeological site of Cumbemayo. This is a site where one of the oldest South American aqueduct is found. The purpose of the canal was to provide water to the people that inhabited the valley of Cajamarca 3,500 years ago. A landscape of cliffs and Andean grasslands surrounds the archaeological site, which make the visit a relaxing experience in contact with nature.
In the afternoon we will visit Otuzco. This is a pre-Inca archaeological complex located 5 miles from Cajamarca. The site is an old cemetery that consists of 337 burial cavities carved into solid rock. Its construction dates from 50 B.C. and was used until the year 1,450 D.C. by the ancient inhabitants of the valley of Cajamarca.
Overnight at La Ensenada Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 10: Cajamarca
Today we will explore the Kunturwasi archaeological center. This is a religious complex almost 3,100 years old. The hilltop temple is built upon a series of platforms, with huge steps leading up to a main plaza that displays a channel work that was designed to fill the plaza with water for ceremonial purposes.
Perhaps the most attractive artifacts are the stone monoliths, the best known is one that represents an anthropomorphic figure with crossed legs holding a trophy head to the waist, its eyes are quite interesting, one eye has the shape of a square, and the other one is a circle surrounded by a snake.
On-site Gold Museum, located at the entrance of the archaeological site. You can appreciate the earliest evidence of gold artwork in Latin America. The collection consists of ceramics and gold pieces as earrings, pendants, pectorals, bracelets, and crowns. We will take a picnic lunch near the archaeological site before heading back to Cajamarca.
Overnight at La Ensenada Boutique Hotel. All meals included today.
Day 11: Cajamarca – Lima
Morning at leisure. After a farewell lunch in the city center you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Lima.
Breakfast and lunch included today.
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Pre-Departure Frequently Asked Questions
Your transfer guide will be in the Arrivals Hall holding a sign with your name clearly on it. In most airports the arrivals hall is the room just after exiting baggage claim (or Customs & Immigration at international airports).
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