Chachapoyas Valley
 

Somehow can only post here on my iPhone. If anyone can change it to Peru, great. FYI Kuelap is definitely closed still with no time of reopening. Some travel blogs that say it is partially reopened mean you can pay money for a cable car ride and walk 20 minutes to the outside of the wall. There is no way to walk around the fortress. We knew this was probable when we planned our trip so not a dealbreaker. We are on our third night in Leymebamba, with rest and a hike when we arrived, the Leymebamba museum yesterday where we met several international researchers and a local researcher first name Margaret who was so glad to see tourists as we are very few now post Covid and the Kuelap closure. She and the gate attendant/guide set us up for a tour of La Congona and Cataneo Chachapoyas ruins. A taxi took us up about 20 minutes past Leymebamba and then on a small road to a farm. Segundo Aguilar was our guide, and he brought his dog Scooby to be a buffer for the local dogs around. Segundo used to work as a guide for the museum but since Covid has needed to do more hiking guides and was very glad to practice his English again as it was a bit rusty but improving minute by minute. The hike was muddy and more downhill than up with slippery areas. I was glad to have poles and ankle high hiking boots and gaiters. It was about an hour to the ruins and an hour exploring them inside and out, and a nice lunch. The walk down was about three hours for me as I was pretty careful trying not to slip. We met local farmers and chickens on the way down. I will have more details later on trip reports but wanted to give some up to date info on Kuelap and the Chachapoyas area. #Kuelap
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...513dc7a58.jpeg
Cataneo
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f2a82cc58.jpeg
The view
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Inside the ruin
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La Congona

Thanks for sharing. I had no idea Kuelap was closed. Perhaps because of damage caused by the influx of visitors post cable car? Shame you missed it. We were glad we visited when we did . some photos from our visit 10 years ago https://accidentalnomads.com/2013/07...e-chachapoyas/

Would love to hear of where else you are going as a return to Peru is always on our minds!

Kuelap clisure
 

Just over a year ago, some of the walls fell down during the rains. Kuelap has been closed for over a year now, until all is stabilized and evaluated.

Kuelap closure
 

Just over a year ago, some of the walls fell down during the rains. Kuelap has been closed for over a year now, until all is stabilized and evaluated.

I was stunned to read that Kuelap was closed -- it's a good thing I visited it when I did. It was the winter (NorthAmerican summer) of 2019, and while I have enjoyed all nine of my Peru trips, this one might have been among the two or three best. My day at Kuelap was perfect -- great weather with clear, cool, crisp air; only a trickle of other visitors; intriguing ruins just before me; and beautiful mountain vistas in the distance. And then the quaint, Spanish-colonial town of Chachapoyas to return to. Honestly, I don't think the guidebooks I had consulted did this charming town justice; it made me wonder whether the authors had actually been there.
Thank you for calling attention to this fantastic part of Peru.

just returned from Peru and we understand Kuelap can potentially re-open in 2025. The airport in Jaen has been closed since January, should be opening very shortly (we were told).