KUELAP [AMAZONAS]

This seldom-visited region is still being explored and previously unknown pre-Inca sites have been discovered very recently. The Chachapoyas culture pre-dated the Incas by a thousand years, although it survived to fight alongside the Incas at the capture of Atahualpa by Pizarro in Cajamarca. This transition region between the Andes and the Amazon is a mist-shrouded forest where it is easy to imagine further treasures in store for those intrepid enough to journey there...

The fortress of Kuelap is located in the hamlet of the same name, in the district of Tingo, province of Luya, department of Amazonas, approximately 35 km south of the city of Chachapoyas and at 3000 m. It was built on a rocky summit of calcareous material and had an elliptic and extended shape orientated from north to south. The fortress must have been built during the Late Intermediary period, (between 800 and 1300 AD approximately). The Kuelap complex must have housed up to 3000 people, taking into consideration the residential character of the circular buildings and their size.

Herbaceous species flower among the walls of the fortress, including orchids and valerian. The entire area is one of astonishing natural beauty and is home to many species of birds, as well as larger fauna such as wild guinea pigs, hares, squirrels, skunks, red foxes, grey deer, snakes and lizards.