Amazonas: Waterfalls, Kuélap and Chachapoya Culture

Amazonas in Peru can be explored through several distinctly different travel interests: waterfalls, a fortified city of the Chachapoya culture, and a cave with an underground expanse, rock paintings and bone remains. This combination offers reasons to weigh nature and culture against one another, rather than reducing the region to a single type of experience.

Waterfalls in Bongará Province

Catarata de Gocta is located near the hamlets of Cocachimba and San Pablo in the district of Valera, in Bongará Province in the Department of Amazonas. Catarata Yumbilla is part of the Ruta o Valle de las Cataratas in Bongará Province. Gocta’s location is described in relation to nearby hamlets and administrative divisions, while Yumbilla’s is described in relation to a regional waterfall route. Those interested in waterfalls therefore have two different geographical reference points. The association with Bongará can also help narrow your search within the department.

Kuélap and the Caverna de Quiocta

Kuélap is a fortified city of the Chachapoya culture. Its name conveys two specific points of reference: the type of place and its cultural affiliation. The Caverna de Quiocta shifts the focus from the fortified city to the underground: the cave extends 545 metres underground in the Amazonian Andes. It is considered Peru’s first illuminated cave and contains rock paintings typical of the Chachapoya culture, as well as bone remains. Kuélap and Quiocta therefore cannot be grouped together as the same kind of destination. Their cultural connection sits alongside very different descriptions: one is a fortified city, the other a cave with an underground expanse and specific finds.

If you are particularly interested in the Chachapoya culture, Kuélap and the rock paintings of Quiocta offer two different points of connection. If your focus is more on natural features, Gocta and Yumbilla can serve as starting points for your further planning.

Getting there and choosing accommodation

A long-distance bus connection to Amazonas is listed as taking 22 hours; the actual journey time may vary depending on road conditions and the timetable. For a private car journey, the route via Lima, Chiclayo and Chachapoyas is listed, along with a duration of 22 hours and a distance of 1,219 kilometres. Journey times and road conditions may change. Both modes of transport are described as taking 22 hours, but only the car journey is also given a route and distance. Read the time estimates in the context of the mode of transport: the same figure does not answer the same planning question when one option is a bus connection and the other is a car journey. Check the timetable or road conditions before departure.

When looking for a holiday apartment or house, you can first decide whether waterfalls, the Chachapoya culture or the underground character of the Caverna de Quiocta is your main focus. Then search for the specific places you want to include and compare the location of an accommodation with your travel plans. If several interests are equally important, compare each destination separately.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Chachapoyas, Lamud District, San Jerónimo District, Bagua Grande, Florida District, Longuita District, Bongará Province, Nuevo Tingo.

For the main travel overview: Peru.