Kuelap in Peru – The Machu Picchu of the North of Peru

Kuelap is often described as the Machu Picchu of the north of Peru. I'm not sure why, because it's totally different! As this stunning and much older hillfort is starting to appear on more and more travellers itineraries, i thought I would share my experiences.

Kuelap in Peru

I am fortunate to have visited Kuelap in Peru twice. The first time, was back in 2005 as part of a backpacking trip through South America. The second time, was in 2010 during my bicycle tour from Alaska to Argentina. This travel blog post comes from the second visit.

July 18 2010

Taking a day of from cycling, I chose to see Kuelap independently.  It involved a 10 km uphill hike over the mountains that would see me rise over 1000 metres to the 3100 metre mark. Following a rough trail I would then finally reach Kuelap itself.

Walking to Kuelap

I was a bit concerned that the rains of yesterday would carry on into the morning, and make the trek much more difficult, but the weather throughout the day was just about ideal. That’s not to say the walk was an easy one though. Granted, I am a cyclist not a trekker, but I consider myself to be at least reasonably fit, and the uphill walk took me three hours. The track itself was reasonably well maintained and marked in a handful of places, although there were several sections which were just pure mud baths as the ground was still soaked from the day before. There were a few near arse over tit moments!

The views were stunning from the trail.

First view of Kuelap.

Kuelap is often called the Machu Picchu of the north, more often than not by Peruvian tourist information in an effort to stimulate more tourism in the less accessible north of Peru. Whilst their motives are sound, and it is a magnificent site set on a mountain top with commanding views of the surrounding valleys, any comparisons of the two sites should end there. Kuelap is unique in its own way.

What is Kuelap?

Primarily a defensive fortress complex, Kuelap is at least 1000 years old, and built by an unknown people, although they were most likely the Chachapoyans or Sachupoyans. Remains found at the site include artefacts from coastal Ecuador, as well as items gathered through trade in the early days of the Spanish conquest.

The most unique things about Kuelap are the 30 metre high defensive wall, and the circular stone huts inside. During its 200 years of construction, Kuelap is said to have used more stone than the Great Pyramids in Egypt. They were of more manageable size though! Although there is some reconstruction on the inside, such as some huts, most of the site, including the defensive wall, is original.

The foundations for most of the untouched and unreconstructed huts are little more than a couple of feet high.

After visiting Kuelap

After a nice few hours of wandering around inside Kuelap, it was time to start hitting the trail back down to Tingo Viejo once more. I thought I would walk downhill faster, but in fact, it took me the same amount of time at 3 hours to hike the 10 kms. One close call when four horses came charging around a corner and down the narrow path towards me. Five minutes later I saw their owners, who judging by the cuts and bruises had just been thrown off them, split bags of rice and corn strewn across the trail. If life wasn’t hard enough for these guys living at the top of a mountain with no vehicle access, it just became more difficult as they now had less to eat for the week.

Back at Tingo Viejo, it was time for a big feed and a couple of relaxing beers. The next day I would cycle from Tingo Viejo to Leymebamba.