The Northern Highlands - Chachapoyas

Chachapoyas refers to the region, the city and in Quechuen means Warriors of the Clouds with regards to the people who have lived here.

Sarcophagus, Andean mountain villages, Valley Belen, exploring ruins of pre-inca civilisations, bonfires it´s was quite a trek.

We´ve covered many miles in this vertical landscape, by different means of transport. Our first car journey slipped and slid so precariously close to the edge we all had to get out. The direction wasn´t conforming to what the tires suggested.
We´ve walked a long way, at points up to 3000 meters. Little of it flat. Judging distances has been difficult with one functioning eye, after infecting my eye on the first day. Descending was then made especially difficult, causing me to fall here and there, as well as hard work on the knees and ankles. I must admit I felt a little sorry for myself at times, when my vision was blurred and my eye aching in the bright light of the day, but not half as sorry as I felt for the mules who carried us on the ascent.
Along a never ending mountain, which only seemed to get steeper and rockier, offering variations of panoramic views.
Having never ridden a mule before, and not receiving
any guidelines on how to handle it,
relaxing was not the easiest state
to reach as his fancy foot-work trotted
steeply down the narrow winding path,
rocks becoming loose with every step,
which clung to the mountain edge.
I tried not to look down to the valley below.

Towards the end of our ride we had gained enough confidence to encourage our mule to the front of the group, with names we´d picked, like Murphy mule and Murdock mule being called in hope of winning the race, we galloped across lumpy ground and jumped up rocks. Brilliant fun. Which left me walking like John Wayne and unable to sit down comfortably.

Our trek began on the first day of four, with clambering down a mountain side to view the sarcophagus and mummy remains, human bones! The sarcophagus are wedged high into the mountain edge where they´ve been sitting pretty for a thousand years, facing east, watching the sunrise and overlooking the lush green valley. You wouldn´t see them unless you knew they were there, even with the humans skulls, looking down at us, indicating the possibility of mummy's and golden treasure stored behind.

Many of the ruins in the Chachapoyas were re-discovered in 1985 by Gene Savoy. On leaving the area he took the gold he found with him.

After lunch on that first day in a small mountain town with local cuisine of rice, lentils, chicken and coca tea, we made our way to Valley Belen. A lush green plateau with a river curving its way through it, laced with horses and cows roaming free.

Our home for the night was a mud cabin, where we collected wood to cook with and to keep us warm throughout the night, singing with the harmonica, drinking liquor de leche and chewing coca leaves.



The second day I woke with the swollen red weeping eye infection. I took my contact out for the next week! We had another companion that day, actually two. A man of the land, and his mule, who kindly carried our bags. Together they led the way through Valley Belen up a steep track up to 3000 meters before the 4 hour decline down an Inca path.


On the way stopping to explore Pilquilla, walking through the jungle, where no path has been trodden yet, evidence of the amount of excavation that could be done here. The ground is soft as it lays around the pre-Inca ruins, hiding its pottery and mummy's below. Discovered only 22 years ago the government doesn´t have the funds to invest in excavation of all sites, or even half of them. Pilquilla is older than Machu Picchu, about the same size, standing high in the clouds the typical way that fortress´ do round here. It also seems there´s a fear of taking the limelight away from the countrys most profitable tourist destination, where people pay $100s to visit.

Just as I thought I couldn´t take another down-hill step we arrived at Coñgon, what a relief to take my shoes off, to sit with a beer in the wooden hut amongst the mules, chickens, dogs, guinea pigs, banana trees, coffee plants, with blue sky above me, to look to the sunsetting behind the mountains, hearing stories of ruins and stolen treasure, listening to Rachael sing songs on the guitar, and to sit around the fire for a last beer before bed.



As we ate our breakfast the next day the mules were being prepared. We rode down to the humid river then up to the cool fresh peaks. To keep the mules moving the owner walked with us the entire way, without stopping to catch his breath, he constantly whistled and called. His endurance is phenomenal. The way these people live and work on their land, puts the Westerner to shame really.

Before stopping for lunch, we explored another site re-discovered only 3 years ago, the jungle reclaiming it, wrapping its branches around individual stone bricks, holding on tight as not to let the modern man open it up.

Then the mountain side where we ate lunch, all locally produced, organic food. The friendly isolated owners smiled as I watched them make cheese and liquor de leche. We continued on mule back to our final destination of the day. And then the mules and their owner walked all the way back again!

Our last night was spent in a small village with enough 80s and 90s music to keep the novelty going for about an hour, before Roberto the manager of the hospedajs played his guitar, then Rach stole the show.

We woke with hangovers the last day, and missed the sunrise over Kuelap, but made it by mid-morning. The fortress strong on the summit, built to receive maximum sunlight lies east to west. 600 meters long, 100 meters wide, within its walls holding 420 circular homes and 5 rectangular buildings. The fully excavated site gives a vivid example of how they lived between 900 - 1100 AD. The Incas joined the Chachapoyas here, which is why the buildings take two shapes. The Incas responsible for the straight lines and corners. Perched at 3000 meters high, the views are as spectacular as they are wide. Using three times as much stone to build as the great pyramid of Egypt. It takes you by surprise. Developed largely through agriculture, lama and al-paca footprints are still visible in the stones through the walkway .