005 Gran Vilaya Trip

Challenging
Months:May to October (recommended)

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, D)

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 Abra Yumal - 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. Supper, Jacuzzi and night at our Choctamal Marvelous Spatuletail Lodge located on the road to Kuelap. (B, L, D)

DAY 6 Kuelap (Cuelap) - 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 that equals Machu Picchu. 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, D)

Day 7 Chachapoyas - Chiclayo

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

PRICE:
US$ 1,159 (2 a 3 pax)
US$ 960 (4 and up)

Single supplement: US$ 140

THE TOUR INCLUDES:
All entrance fees
Meals where noted in the program
Accommodations and taxes
All transportation specified in the program
Transfers between Chiclayo and Chachapoyas/Chachapoyas-Chiclayo
Horses, arrieros, tents, cooks, etc.
Bilingual Guide
Snacks, water bottles

NOT INCLUDED:
Airport taxes
Sleeping bag
Gratuities
Alcoholic beverages
Internal flights

Presentation of photographs of the Gran Vilaya Expedition

5 day expedition to the Gran Vilaya valley and Kuelap fortress

2 week trek to Gran Vilaya and Kuelap

If you would like more information or if you would like to make a reservatoin, e-mail us at kuelap@msn.com  or phone us on 1-866-396-9582