30. Inside Chachapoyas regions

Chachapoyas
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- Chachapoyas, it's a nice town stuck in the High Selva region in the north Peru, between the desertic coast and the inland: the jungle or Selva.
- Here vegetation isn't luxurious: we're too high (2000-3000m above sea level). Hills are plenty of meadows and plantations.
- Chachapoyas, it's above all the name of the Indian people of there. They are taller than the average and used to live in circular buildings, while Incas' ones were angular.
- Many ancient Incas trails are still present in the region. Incas invaded the region 500 years ago.
- In the South of Chachapoyas, the valleys appear to be more abrupt. In the background, you can see Tingo Nuevo.
- Levanto village seems sorrowful during the rainy season. This season didn't let us enjoy any sunny day.
- All the rivers are flooding. The village Tingo has been devastated by a deadly flood, 20 years ago.
Kuelap
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- The cliff you can see over the montain isn't a cliff. It's a fortress. Kuelap, the Machu Picchu of the North Peru
- Closer, we discover massive walls, 20m high on average. Kuelap fortress is 500m long and 100m wide!
- Walls are curvy, sinuous as the snake, to resist earthquakes.
- The huge entry is an effective protection, as the corridor is going more and more narrow from a three men width outside to one man's inside.
- The fortress is millenium, conquered by the Incas 50 years before the arrival of the Spanish.
- Chachapoyas houses are round, with high walls and cone-shaped thatched roof.
- There are around 400 houses in the fortress.
- The imposing building is now invaded by vegetation and little bawler parrots.
- Chevrons on the back house represent the body of a snake whereas the diamonds on the front house represent the head.
- These ornaments symbolise the eyes of the Puma
Leymebamba
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- This little quiet town is situated upstream the valley in the south of Chachapoyas and Kuelap.
- Mummies have been discovered around the lake of Condors. It's two days walking away from Leymebamba.
- Chachapoyas vase.
Gocta
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- Another local curiosity we discovered is Gocta waterfall. It seems tiny, from here. Let me tell you Gocta is - only - 771m high and is ranked as the third higher waterfall in the world!
- Let's get closer...
- This is down the fall. Human for scale!
- As exposed, I'm having an extremely violent shower. It's like being in the middle of an unleashed sea, receiving huge packages of water, brutally and right in the face!
- Some wet and blown tourists
- The waterfall creates a microclimate around itself, a kind of jungle.
- An atmosphere of Selva.
- The progeny of Chachapoyas is very welcoming. We strongly recommend you this region!

30. Inside Chachapoyas regions

Chachapoyas

Kuelap

Leymebamba

Gocta

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