Chachapoyas Peru

Night Bus
I took a night bus for two nights, back-to-back from Cuenca, Ecuador to Chiclaya (one night) then four hours later, another night bus from Chiclaya to Chachapoyas. It was a brutal two days of almost no sleep. Chachapoya is located up in the mountains only a few hours from the Amazon (it didn’t feel like how I imagined the Amazon). The town is rather small and you could walk it from side to side in less than an hour. The famous Inca trail went right through the middle of the town and only two blocks from my hostel.

Kuelap Ruins
Two hours from Chachapoyas is an ancient Chachapoya tribal structure similar to Masada in many ways (later occupied by the Incas). Many believe it to be superior to MachuPichu in both size and expansiveness but to me it seemed in the early stages of excavation. Perhaps in 10 years it will be more impressive as more of it is restored or dirt removed. The structure, situated on a ridge overlooking the Utcubamba Valley in northern Peru, is roughly 600 meters in length and 110 meters in width. It was likely built to defend against the Huari or other hostile peoples. Radiocarbon dating samples show that the structures construction started in the 6th century AD and occupied until the Early Colonial period (1532-1570).

Rainy Christmas
It rained almost all day, every day while I was in Chachapoyas. However, there were a few moments without rain. Oddly, locals don’t use umbrellas and rarely use rain coats or ponchos. However, they do wear knee high rubber boots which are required for mud anywhere outside the city limits. My wonderful hostel had a nice Christmas dinner for everyone. It was a very pleasant and relaxing evening. Christmas day there were several parades with cute children dancing and the city gave each child of the city a toy present (based on their age). Kids waited a couple hours in line to get their toys from the city hall off the central square (while being entertained on stage by Micky Mouse, Hello Kitty and a clown).

Cost of a Typical Day in Chachapoyas
A few people have been asking what it costs to travel like this. Here is a typical breakdown of what I’m spending to travel. Most days I spend between $15 and $20 for food and lodging. If I were to have a dorm room, my costs would drop to $6/night. I could save even more by buying groceries and cooking in the kitchen, but I like trying different local foods as I travel and when it is this cheap, I don’t want to pass up the opportunity. My tour of Kuelap cost me $22 for the van, lunch, tour guide and park entry (all day event).
Private room: $11/night
Breakfast: $3 (full Americano breakfast of eggs, bread, juice and coffee)
Lunch: $2 (soup, chicken, rice and fries)
Dinner: $3 (chicken, rice & veggies)