Exciting 10 to 12 hour horseback expedition into the rugged foothills of the Andes.
This is a horseback expedition to the mausoleum where 219 mummies were discovered and documented on the Discovery Channel in 1998. This site is located on a cliff above a huge alpine lake. In the rainy season this is behind a waterfall from the cliff above.  This appears to be a very sacred site where dead leaders were mummified and brought here from far away.  In Leymebamba we will see these mummies and a large treasure of artifacts in the museum donated by the Austrians.

Day 1  Cajamarca – Leymebamba

Airport pick up service in Cajamarca . Our bus climbs the sweeping cold cordillera and descends into an oven dry valley to cross the main trunk Marañon River.  Here a coastal Chimu Colony uses their irrigation skills to grow exotic tropical fruits in a micro ecological system. We go up to Leymebamba to spend the night.  (B, BL)

Day 2  Lake of the Condors

We saddle up early for an all day expedition into the 15,000 sq. km zone that was previously unexplored a few years ago and arrive at the Lake of the Condors. This supernatural mystic place is a huge pristine mountain lake with the mausoleum chulpa perched high on a cliff above it. Our camp is by the lake in a rustic facility.  (B,BL,D)

Day 3  Lake of the Condors

We climb up to the chulpa which the Discovery Channel documented in the 1998 recovery of  219 mummies from this damp cloud forest. Despite being behind a waterfall in the rainy season, these mummies were better preserved than ones from Egypt's desert pyramids.  This discovery made the zone famous because the entire area had never been filmed or seen by the outside world before this.  (B,L,D)

Day 4  Leymebamba

We leave camp for the long trip back to Leymebamba on horseback.  Night in local hostel in Leymebamba.  (B,BL)

Day 5  Leymebamba- Museum Centro Mallqui – Choctamal

Now we get to see Peru's brand new Centro Mallqui Museum that the Austrians donated for this unique 1998 discovery at Lake of the Condors (you have seen on the Discovery Channel). The 219 mummies are here along with many artifacts. On the way to Choctamal we will see the Revash Ruins.  Night in our Choctamal Marvelous Spatuletail Lodge  gateway to Kuelap and Gran Vilaya.  (B, BL, D)

Day 6  Choctamal – Kuelap – Chachapoyas

We will spend the day at Fortress Kuelap known as "the Machu Picchu of the North". It has over 400 buildings inside 3 levels of walls, and is the largest stone structure of the Americas.  Orchids and bromeliads cover the walls and trees inside this fortress.  Night in 3 star Colonial Mansion. (B, L)

Day 7  Chachapoyas - Chiclayo

Transfer to Chiclayo for your evening flight to Lima.  (B, BL)

RATES: 

2  paxes: US$  1,370  p.p
4 paxes or more: US$  1,182  p.p

THE TOUR INCLUDES:

• All entrance fees                                                                      
  
• Transfers to airport or bus station
  
• Meals where noted in the program                                                     
  
• All transportation specified in the program
  
• Transfer between cities
  
• Hotels specified in the program
  
• Bilingual guide 

NOT INCLUDED:

• Gratuities                                                                                 
  
• Alcoholic beverages
  
• Airport taxes
  
• Internal flights (we can provide upon request)

 

This Inca road to the Machu Picchu of Northern Peru is rated better than the Inca Trail in the south by all of our guests that tried both. You follow major Inca roads by horseback, cross the Cordillera Central and descend to a level of coffee farms. This birthplace of the Amazon River valley was first explored 20 years ago by Gene Savoy who claimed discovery of over twenty thousand stone structures of the Cloud People.  The conclusion is Fortress Kuelap, the largest building structure of the Americas containing 400 buildings. Kuelap is a larger scale of the many lost stone citadels in Gran Vilaya. These feature stone walls with 15 to 200 buildings, -- covered with bromeliads and orchids and hidden in the cloud forest.

Day 1 Chiclayo – Chachapoyas

Airport pick-up service from Chiclayo and transfer to Chachapoyas.  Night in 3 star Colonial Mansion hostel. (BL)

DAY 2  Karajia – Belen

Private transportation to Karajia to see the sarcophagus, then to Cohechan, and trek down to Belen. This is an ancient glacial tarn above the nightly freeze line with a meandering river panorama extending for miles. Dinner and camping.  (B, L, D)

DAY 3 Congon– Vilaya Valley

Descend to Congon on a mile long Inca staircase past the ruins of La Pirquilla to a level of bananas and coffee in the Congon Valley.  Dinner and camp. (B, BL, D)

DAY 4  Cacahuasha – Gran Vilaya

Hike to Cacahuasha, the mountain top ruins hidden by the cloud forest and covered with orchids and bromeliads in Gran Vilaya, found by our guide Damian on the original Gene Savoy expedition. They claimed discovery of thousands of ancient round stone structures all in fortified citadels hidden in this cloud forest.   Return to camp.  (B, BL, D)

DAY 5 Lanche- Choctamal

Cross the spine of the Cordillera Central on horseback through the cloud forest and the ancient Lanche citadel, looking down at the clouds. Despite missing pavement, all of these ancient roads were incredible engineered to follow the most efficient grade, and often with a buffer shoulder on the steep side. The Abra Yumal pass has views with clouds below where the main trunk Amazon River violently carved out a valley deeper than the Grand Canyon to enter the Amazon Basin. Jacuzzi and night at our Choctamal Marvelous Spatuletail Lodge located on the road to Kuelap.   (B, L, D)

DAY 6  Choctamal- Kuelap  - Chachapoyas

We will spend the day at Fortress Kuelap known also as “The Northern Peru Engineering Masterpiece”.  Kuelap has over 400 buildings inside 3 levels of walls and is the largest stone structure of both Americas.  Orchids and bromeliads cover the walls and trees inside this undiscovered gigantic fortress. On the way to Chachapoyas we will check out the decorated Platforms of Macro located on a cliff overlooking the Utcubamba River.  Overnight in a restored Colonial Mansion. (B, BL)

DAY 7 Chachapoyas – Chiclayo

Transfer to airport of Chiclayo for your evening flight to Lima.  (B,BL)

RATES:

2 paxes: US$    1,313 p.p
4 paxes or more: US$   1,139 p.p

THE TOUR INCLUDES:

• All entrance fees                                                                      
  
• Transfers to airport or bus station
  
• Meals where noted in the program                                                     
  
• All transportation specified in the program
  
• Transfer between cities
  
• Hotels specified in the program
  
• Bilingual guide 

NOT INCLUDED:

• Gratuities                                                                                 
  
• Alcoholic beverages
  
• Airport taxes
  
• Internal flights (we can provide upon request)

 

Day 1  Lima – Chiclayo

Transfer to the airport in Lima for your early flight to Chiclayo.  Chiclayo is Peru’s fourth largest city located in desert coast where the climate is warm and sunny almost all year.  We will visit a forest where we may see the endangered endemic Rufous Flycatcher and the Peruvian Plantcutter among others.   Night in Gran Hotel Chiclayo.  (L)

Day 2 Chaparri

Chaparri  is located between Chongoyape and Miracosta, two districts that belong to Chiclayo, this reserve has  an ecuatorial  dry forest , the plants that domain here are the  Algarrobo (Prosopis pallida) and a  mixture dry forest. This reserve give protection to  all the species that belong to the dry forest, animals and plants;  and make investigations that are related to that kind of  nature. With this investigations they were working with species that are in danger like the Spectacled Bear(Tremarctos ornatus),  Guanacos (Lama guanicoe), White-winged Guan (Penelope albipennis) and Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). One of the most important profits of this reserve is that the communities like Santa Catalina give a percent of their lands to create this reserve. Here there are 140 species of birds in  different types of habitats of Chaparri like Penelopealbipennis, Leptotila ochraceiventris, Aratinga erythrogenys, Forpus coelestis, Caprimulgus anthonyi, Picumnus sclateri, Tumbezia salvini y Phytotoma raimondii.  We stay the night in this spectacular reserve. (B, BL, D)

Day 3: Olmos- Chachapoyas

Olmos is well known for the relatively recent re-discovery of the White-winged Guan, first discovered en the 1870s and not seen again for 100 years. This extremely range-restricted guan has been found now in several valleys.  We have all day to explore the canyons and likely we will see Henna-hooded Foliage-gleaner, Elegant Crescentchest, White-headed Brush-finch, Henna-hooded Foliage-glea, White-winged, Tumbes Hummingbird (endemic) Red-masked Parakeet, plumbeous-backed Thursh, Cinereous Finchs (endemic),  White-Winged Guan.  Transfer to the city of Chachapoyas. Night in Chachapoyas colonial mansion 3 star Hostel (B,BL)

Day 4: Gocta- Levanto

This is similar but bigger and more spectacular than gigantic waterfalls you might have seen in the movies of pristine mountainous jungles. The measured height of 771 meters, This was just discovered in 2006ad  by  Stefan Ziemendorff,  and testifies to the remoteness and unfolding discoveries of America’s newly accessible and most pristine ecological and archeological destination. The best time to see it is from November to May in the rainy season when there a few hours of rain every day. This is considered the world’s 3rd highest waterfall. Although others may be higher, they only run off while it is raining. A unique feature here is that it is a substantial river that doesn’t dry up in the dry season as Angel Falls and others. Nowhere is there more spectacular high waterfalls than here! A unique feature near the falls is that the canopy is full of passion fruit vines with year around ripe fruit. This sustains colonies of endemic yellow-tailed monkeys (that exists only in northern eastern Peru) and unique bird species not normally found at this altitude or anywhere else like the cock of the rocks, tucanets and others. We spend tne night in Levanto lodge. (B, BL, D)

Day 5: Levanto

Early start with birding around Levanto Lodge. There are varities of hummingbirds found only in the Americas,  The world’s most spectacular and mysterious one is the Marvelous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) with less than 1000 estimated in existence, and can be seen  at this lodge.  Near the lodge you can look for more birds in Levanto:   (Penelope ortoni) Guan ,  (Columba fasciata albilinea)Band-tailed Pigeon, Leptotila sp. Dove, Mountain Cara cara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus ),  (Lesbia nuna) Green tailed train-bearer, (Lesbia victoriae juliae) Black-tailed Trainbearer, American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and others. We spend the night in Levanto Lodge.  (B, BL, D)

Day 6:  Pomacochas

Transfer to Pomacochas & La Florida located at the 326 Km between Chiclayo and Tarapoto, vultures, herons are divisible on the way to Pomacochas.  The rest of the afternoon if time allows we will be looking for the famous Marvelous Spatuletail around the area and other birds like Black Crested Warbler, Andean Lapwing, Grassland yellow-finch, Silver-backed and Blue-capped Tanagers, flowerpiercers, and Green-throated, Smoke-colored Pewee, Purple-throated Sunangel, Three-striped and Russet-crowned Warblers, Green-tailed Trainbearer, Smoke-colored Pewee, Sierran Elaenia, Tawny-rumped Tyrannulet, Streak-necked Flycatcher among others.   Night in Pomacochas(B, BL, D)

Day 7: Moyobamba

Ride to Moyobamba, the Orchid capital of Peru, located at 850 Km. On the way to Moyobamba we will stop in the Yacumama complex to see some animals from the region, and a nice typical lunch in a jungle setting restaurant.  Night in Moyobamba, Puerto Mirador hotel that has a lot of vegetation and we can observe some tropical birds, flowers, etc. from this hotel strategically located in the shores of the Mayo River.   (B, L) 

Day 8: Tarapoto

We will go on the road towards Yurimaguas into the lower Amazon rainforest to see the Plumbeous Euphonia, Northern-Slaty-Antshrike, Swalow-tailed Kite, Sulphur-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Pavonine Quetzal. The rare Dotted Tanager can be seen here. White-necked Jacobin, Painted Parakeet,Ocellated Woodcreeper, Green Honeycrepper, Scale-backed Antbird, Striolated Puffbird, Collared Trogon, Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Gilded Barbet,Blue Ground-Dove, Golden-collared Toucanet, Speckled Chachalaca.  Return to hotel for the afternoon flight to Lima.  (B, L)

RATES:

2 paxes: US$ 2,338 p.p
4 paxes or more: US$ 2,000 p.p

THE TOUR INCLUDES:

• All entrance fees                                                                      
  
• Transfers to airport or bus station
  
• Meals where noted in the program                                                     
  
• All transportation specified in the program
  
• Transfer between cities
  
• Hotels specified in the program
  
• Bilingual guide 

NOT INCLUDED:

• Gratuities                                                                                 
  
• Alcoholic beverages
  
• Airport taxes
  
• Internal flights (we can provide upon request)