Chachapoyas to Cusco
Trip Type: Custom-Made Travel
Territory: South America
Region: Peru
Trip Price: $9,890
Duration: 15 days/14 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Lima, Peru / Lima, Peru
National Parklands:
All custom travel is tailored to the desires and interests of our traveling clients (see How Custom Travel Works tab). Trip pricing detailed is an estimate of the per person pricing for the sample itinerary detailed and includes all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences described. Actual pricing for the trip designed expressly for you and others traveling with you will depend on the features and elements developed during the trip planning process. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking per day, plus easy activities
Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration
High Five! – 5-10 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun
The Energy Index detailed above relates to the level of exertion associated with the sample trip detailed. This would be modified to fit the style and ability of your group as a part of the custom trip planning process
We’ve been tailoring custom journeys for clients since our very inception in the mid-1980s! The process is all about connecting the interests of the travelers with the best that a given destination has to offer. To achieve this, we rely upon good ol’ fashioned conversation! Our geographically focused travel designer love to meet new people and learn about their interests for travel. Understanding your goals informs the process immensely and serves as the foundation for the development of a bespoke travel experience for you and yours.
The trip detailed on this web page is a sample of something we’ve done for other clients over the years. In order to start the process of designing your own custom travel experience, just call us at (800) 445-2995 and ask to speak with one of our Travel Advisors. After a bit of time on the phone, you will then have the opportunity to connect with one of our travel designers.
The entire planning process is very personalized and works in an iterative fashion until a final, perfect trip has been created. We then secure all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences associated with your trip and send along abundant trip materials capturing these details – and much more about your travels!
You are met at the airport and escorted across the street to your hotel for check in.
An escort gets you to the right domestic airport terminal for your flight to Jaén, where you are met by a driver. You’ll stop for a traditional lunch along the way to Chachapoyas, and enjoy dinner tonight at your lodging.
Discover the treasures of the Mausoleums of Revash, and the Museum at Leymebamba. The outdoor mausoleums look like little houses. They are built into high limestone cliffs, constructed of rock and adobe and painted pink and cream. The Museum at Leymebamba contains an impressive array of daily and funerary objects, including more than 200 mummies.
A cool hike takes you uphill to the mysterious Karajia Sarcophagi. The 8-foot-tall figures look a little like the moai of Easter Island, with bodies. A detour into Quiocta Caverns reveals pottery shards and stalagtites. In the afternoon, meet a potter who still uses ancient tools and historical methods.
Your whole day is devoted to exploring the carefully restored Kuélap Fortress, which some people call “the Other Machu Picchu.” This mountaintop fortress is actually larger, and is considered the largest stone ruins in the New World. An eye-popping 20-minute cable car ride to the site saves you hiking an immense valley.
A drive of about an hour gets you to the trailhead for Gocta Falls. A guide leads you on the approximately two-hour hike through tropical forest to the falls, which are the third highest in the world. Enjoy great birding on the way! The waterfall was a local secret for a long time and has only recently made it onto the tourist map.
Transfer back to Jaén for a flight to Lima.
Enjoy a guided city tour. You might enjoy a special “foodie” experience—Lima has been named the World's Leading Culinary Destination many years in a row.
Fly to Cusco and descend in elevation to the Sacred Valley to help you acclimate. The day includes explorations at Moray Terraces (which may have been a 15th century “agricultural research station”) and Maras salt pans, which are still used exactly as they were in the time of the Incas.
Switch gears a bit with some whitewater rafting this morning, then get back into the Incan groove with a leisurely afternoon hike to Pumamarca Ruins, a hillside fortress with commanding views.
This is a big hiking day (all downhill), with a trek from Chinchero to Huchuy Qosqo ruins—a spectacular route to an important archaeological site. End the day walking down to the town of Lamay.
Catch the train to bucket list Machu Picchu! Explore Machu Picchu, then get a fabulous perspective by hiking a trail around the top of the mountain, past ancient altars, staircases, and tunnels, for a spectacular view overlooking Machu Picchu.
Catch the train down to Ollantaytambo to explore those famous ruins, then head back to Cusco.
There is much to discover (and many layers) in the ancient city, once the capital of the Inca Empire. Like the Koricancha Temple, once the center of Cusco. When the Spaniards arrived, they destroyed most of the temple and built a church on the site. And the Sacsayhuaman ruins, a fascinating walled complex on the outskirts of the city.
Wind down at the tranquil, water-based Tipón ruin, one of the lesser visited sites in the Sacred Valley—even though they are among the most impressive, with terraces, fountains, and water channels. This afternoon, transfer to the airport for connections home through Lima.
The Wyndham Costa del Sol at Jorge Chavez Lima International Airport is a comfortable 130-room property located inside the airport, offering an extremely convenient place for a quick overnight. Each guestroom features complimentary wireless internet access, TV with cable, marble bathroom with tub and shower, individual climate control, mini-bar, in-room safe and hairdryer. Breakfast is included in your stay.
La Casona de Chachapoyas is a hosteria that offers all the conveniences a traveler could want while still preserving its historical charm. The house, which has been in the family for four generations, and during the 1970’s, was a residence for the monks of San Jose Obrero.
Gocta Andes Lodge is designed to enjoy the view of the gocta falls. All rooms, which have either a balcony or a terrace, are oriented towards the falls. The same as the gardens, the pool and its surrounding terraces.
Dating back to 1914, this incredible hotel exudes Peruvian history and culture throughout. Located in Lima's hippest and most up-and-coming neighborhood of Barranco, travelers are immersed in the flourishing bohemian revival taking place around them. Hotel B is a beautiful arts-boutique hotel with rooms featuring a unique, upscale style that is all at once spacious, romantic, comfortable, historic, and with all the modern comforts you could dream of. Additionally, the property features a fine restaurant and bar, living room, library, enclosed central patio, a lounge, and an outdoor rooftop deck with stunning views.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba is a contemporary hacienda-style hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, in-between Cusco and Machu Picchu. Immersed in the countryside in a gorgeous area, Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba spans approximately 100 acres surrounded by imposing green mountains. All rooms in the Casa Hacienda and stand-alone luxury casitas feature breathtaking views of the valley, immersing guests in open space, serenity and relaxing solitude. Architecture and interiors are inspired by the area’s cultural history, with colonial furniture, authentic Inca masks and handcrafted woodwork that add to the hacienda’s local charm. This is, without a doubt, one of the best places to stay in all of Peru!
This hotel is located in the town just below Machu Picchu and blends in quite seamlessly to its surroundings. It consists of cozy, whitewashed guest cottages, all built with local materials and connected by stone pathways - making you feel as if you yourself are in an ancient Inca village. Recently rated by Travel & Leisure to be one of the top 500 hotels in the world, in addition to providing guests with the #1 value in Latin America, the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel is a stunningly unique and beautiful accommodation set high in the cloud forests of the Peruvian Andes. Orchid and cloud forest interpretive hikes are available around the hotel or you can choose to spend a solitary moment on the hotel’s miles of trails that wind through forests and past waterfalls. Stroll the lodge’s gardens, host to 372 native orchid species (the largest endemic collection open to the public in the world!) 172 bird species, and 111 species of butterflies.
The Belmond Hotel Monasterio was a former monastery, built in 1592 on top of the Inca Palace of Quala. Transformed into its current incarnation as recently as 1995, the atmosphere is stunning and still provides a true sense of a time gone by. The architecture and much of the artwork are original pieces from the time of the Spanish conquest.The hotel is just two blocks from the main square in Cusco and perfectly located for explorations of the city and ‘people watching’ from above. Recently voted by Travel & Leisure to be the ‘Best Hotel in South America’, we are quite sure you will enjoy your stay at the Monasterio!
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