6-day Chachapoyas tour: Kuelap, sacred tombs & Gocta Falls

Walk through 1,500 years of Chachapoya history, from fortress walls to cliff tombs

A 6-day tour of the Chachapoya culture in Peru's Amazon region, based in Chachapoyas and visiting archaeological sites across the cloud forest. You start in the village of Huancas, climb Kuelap Fortress by cable car, hike to the anthropomorphic sarcophagi built into vertical cliffs at Karajía, explore the Quiocta Cave system, see 219 mummies at Leymebamba Museum, and trek to Gocta Falls: the world's third-highest waterfall. A live guide in English or Spanish leads all sites. The itinerary includes transport, entrance fees, and protective gear for the cave.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Chachapoyas city and Huancas tour

• Reception and hotel transfer
• Transfer to Huancas village
• Visit Sonche Canyon viewpoint
• Enjoy viewpoint architecture and landscape
• Visit Huanca Urco archaeological site
• Participate in Huancas pottery experience
• View Chachapoyas city from Luya Urco viewpoint
• Tour Chachapoyas independence square and crafts
• Walk historic El Comercio street
• Return to hotel

Day 2: Kuelap fortress and cable car

• Pickup from hotel
• Transfer to Kuelap via Nuevo Tingo
• Board cable car to Malca
• Walk to Kuelap fortress
• Explore Kuelap citadel
• Lunch at Nuevo Tingo
• Return to Chachapoyas

Day 3: Karajía sarcophagi and Quiocta cavern

• Travel to Cruzpata
• Walk to Karajía sarcophagi
• Return to vehicle
• Transfer to Lamud for lunch
• Visit Quiocta interpretation room
• Tour Quiocta cavern on platforms
• Return to Chachapoyas

Day 4: Revash and Leymebamba museums

• Transfer to San Bartolo for Revash visit
• Guided tour of Revash funeral center
• Return to vehicle
• Lunch break
• Visit Leymebamba community museum
• Guided museum tour and shopping
• Return to Chachapoyas

Day 5: Gocta Falls hike and visit

• Pickup and transfer to Cocachimba
• Reserve lunch at Cocachimba
• Hike to Gocta Falls
• Enjoy Gocta Falls and take photos
• Return hike to Cocachimba
• Lunch at Cocachimba
• Return to Chachapoyas

Day 6: Airport transfer and departure

• Transfer to Chachapoyas airport

The experience

You arrive at Chachapoyas airport and settle into your hotel with the afternoon free to adjust to the altitude. The tour proper begins the next day in Huancas, a village whose residents were relocated here during the Inca conquest. From a ridge viewpoint you look down 980 meters into the Sonche Canyon, where the river cuts a narrow gorge for 11 kilometers before joining the Utcubamba. You visit the archaeological site of Huanca Urco, walk through the pre-Hispanic road (Capac Ñan), and spend time at a potter's house watching and participating in the ancestral ceramic techniques still used there. Back in Chachapoyas city, the guide takes you through the Independence Square, the colonial balconies of El Comercio street, and the walnut-craft workshops where artisans show their work.

Kuelap Fortress occupies day two. You travel to Nuevo Tingo, board a cable car for 22 minutes, then walk 30 minutes through the citadel's narrow passageways. The stone walls rise up to 20 meters high, enclosing circular houses decorated with geometric friezes, ceremonial spaces, and tombs hidden within. Day three takes you to the sarcophagi of Karajía: anthropomorphic statues carved into an inaccessible cliff face, holding the mummified remains of pre-Inca rulers. A 30-minute downhill walk from Cruzpata reaches them. After lunch in Lamud, you visit the Quiocta Cave, where you walk on illuminated platforms through funerary chambers, stalactite and stalagmite formations, each section lit to show the archaeological detail.

Day four covers Revash, a funeral center of multi-story rectangular structures decorated with cruciform niches and cave paintings of human and animal figures. After a guided tour and lunch, you visit Leymebamba Museum, which holds 219 mummies in good condition alongside textiles, quipus, ceramics and weapons from the Chachapoya, Chachapoya-Inca and other Andean cultures. The final full day is a trek to Gocta Falls. You travel 45 kilometers to Cocachimba village, then walk about 5 kilometers (roughly two hours each way) to reach the base of the 771-meter waterfall, divided into two jumps. The varied flora and fauna include bird species found nowhere else. On the last day, a transfer takes you to the airport.

What’s included

• A live guide in English or Spanish throughout all sites.
• air-conditioned transport between locations.
• entrance fees to Kuelap Fortress, Karajía, Revash, Leymebamba Museum and Quiocta Cave.
• the cable car ticket to Kuelap.
• protective gear for the cave visit.
• hotel pickup and airport transfer on the first and last days.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 14:00Last departure this season: 26 Dec

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (18 to 85 years) · Child (3 to 17 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 14

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 12 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Kuelap Adventure

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English or Spanish, so choose the language that matches your comfort level. The itinerary mixes walking (30 minutes to Kuelap, 30 minutes to Karajía, about 5 kilometers to Gocta Falls) with vehicle travel and museum time, so it suits travelers with moderate fitness who want to move through the sites without a punishing pace.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 17 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What is Kuelap Fortress and why does the tour use a cable car to reach it?

Kuelap is a 1,500-year-old fortified citadel built by the Chachapoya culture, with stone walls up to 20 meters high surrounding circular houses, ceremonial sites and tombs. The cable car carries you 22 minutes from Nuevo Tingo to the Malca stop, then a 30-minute walk leads through the fortress's narrow passageways and stone-carved details.

Can I participate in local activities, or is this only sightseeing?

You spend time at a potter's house in Huancas where you watch and participate in the ancestral ceramic techniques still used by the community. The itinerary is built around experiencing the living culture alongside the archaeological sites.

How physically demanding is the trek to Gocta Falls?

The walk to Gocta Falls covers about 5 kilometers and takes roughly two hours per stretch (up and back). The path is a hiking trail. You'll need a moderate level of fitness. The waterfall itself sits at 771 meters high, making it the world's third-highest.

What does Leymebamba Museum display?

Leymebamba Museum houses 219 mummies in good condition, along with textiles, quipus (knotted recording devices), ceramics and weapons belonging to the Chachapoya culture and other Andean peoples. A guided tour and time to explore the museum gardens are included.

Are the sarcophagi of Karajía and Revash accessible, or do they require climbing?

Karajía's sarcophagi are anthropomorphic statues built into a vertical, inaccessible cliff face. You reach them via a 30-minute downhill walk from Cruzpata village. Revash is a funeral center of rectangular multi-story structures on a hillside, reached by vehicle and walking. Both sites are navigable but involve uneven terrain.

What equipment and support does the tour provide for the Quiocta Cave?

The tour supplies protective equipment for the cave visit. You walk on illuminated platforms through the cavern's funerary chambers, stalactite and stalagmite sections, and archaeological interpretation rooms. Each sector has artificial lighting to show the details and make photography easier.