Gran Vilaya Trek
Incredible 3 or 4-day hike exploring legacy of little-studied Chachapoya culture.
Includes sarcophagi at Karajia & many other lesser-known ruins that make up Gran Vilaya.
Scenic highlights include beautiful Huaylla Belen Valley & Yumal Pass.
Fully-supported trek, with guides & mule handlers; accommodation in basic guesthouses or tents.
Horse provided for every client on Congon to Choctomal section.
Ends with visit to Kuelap, the 'Machu Picchu of the North'.
Overview
The name Gran Vilaya was given by US explorer, Gene Savoy, to an extensive area containing more than 30 archaeological sites, spread from the Utcubamba River west to the Marañon River; and covering a great range of ecological zones according to altitude and rainfall.
Group ascending out of Huaylla Belen.
This hike explores this little-visited region, culminating in a guided tour of the largest and most important site of the Chachapoya civilisation, Kuelap.
Nights are spent in basic guesthouses, in small villages, giving an undiluted insight into local life.
The four-day hike spends the first day exploring two remarkable Chachapoya burial sites - Karajia and Tingorbamba Pueblo de los Muertos - on the way to Huaylla Belen.
For those short on time, the three-day hike skips these visits, and drives directly to the trekking start point … with the first night spent in Congon.
Gran Vilaya: 3-Day Itinerary Outline:
Day 1: Drive from Chachapoyas to Huaylla Belen. Hike to Congon, via Pirquilla.
Day 2: Hike / horseback to Choctamal, via Yumal Pass.
Day 3: Hike to Kuelap; guided visit. Cable car & car to Chachapoyas.
Gran Vilaya: 4-Day Itinerary Outline:
Day 1: Drive from Chachapoyas to Huaylla Belen, via Pueblo de los Muertos & Karajia.
Day 2: Hike to Congon, via Pirquilla.
Day 3: Hike / horseback to Choctamal, via Yumal Pass.
Day 4: Hike to Kuelap; guided visit. Cable car & car to Chachapoyas.
Prices
Below prices are per person, based on two people sharing a room/tent.
| Itinerary | Length | Prices From |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Days | £214 / $272 |
Itinerary
Gran Vilaya Trek Day-by-day Itinerary:
Day 1: Chachapoyas - Tingorbamba & Karajia - Huaylla Belen (L,D)
We begin the day driving from Chachapoyas city, crossing over the Utcubamba River, to the town of Lamud.
From here, we drive another hour on an unpaved road to reach the entrance of Tingorbamba or Pueblo de los Muertos (Village of the Dead). This is a little-visited, but remarkable Chachapoya burial site, built into the side of a mountain, as was their tradition.
After exploration in the company of our guide, we return to Lamud for our lunch.
After lunch, we continue driving to the town of Cruz Pata. This is the gateway - on foot - to the impressive and unique sarcophagi of Karajia.
Huaylla Belen with ‘silver snake’ river.
We return to our vehicle to continue to Huaylla Belen (Bethlehem Valley), a Private Conservation Area measuring 6,338 hectares (24.5 square miles).
Running through this stunning valley is a river known as the Serpiente de Plata (Silver Snake) on account of its meandering nature and the effect of the sun reflecting off its trout-filled waters.
The sides of the valley are covered in cloud forest, which is home to multiple bird species.
We spend the night in Huaylla Belen, at 2,335 m (7,661 ft) above sea level.
Walking distance: 7 km / 4 miles approx
Total elevation: 280 m / 900 ft approx
Day 2: Huaylla Belen - Congon (B,L,D)
Little-explored Chachapoya ruins dot the Gran Vilaya route.
We have breakfast in Huaylla Belen, and then begin our hiking in earnest along a pre-Hispanic trail, enjoying the dense vegetation, on the look out for Andean toucans and the Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird, among many other birds.
We have lunch at the archaeological site of Pirquilla, which has more than 400 circular rooms made of stone.
We then walk to the village of Congon (1,791 m / 5,876 ft), where we spend the night.
Walking distance: 16 km / 10 miles approx
Total elevation: 1,000 m / 3,300 ft approx
Day 3: Congon - Choctamal (B,L,D)
Horses are used for some steeper sections of the Gran Vilaya trek.
We have breakfast in Congon. From here we use horses to take us to Lanche archaeological site.
We have our picnic lunch and then continue to Yumal Pass, at 3,348 m (11,000 ft) above sea level.
From here there is a stunning, panoramic view of Kuelap.
In the evening, we arrive at Choctamal, where we spend the night.
Walking distance: 22 km / 14 miles approx
Total elevation: 1,600 m / 5,250 ft approx
Day 4: Choctomal - Kuelap (B,L)
The torreon at Kuelap.
We have breakfast in Choctamal, and then have a short hike towards Kuelap.
We will spend some three hours visiting Kuelap, in the company of a guide who will talk about the archaeological site’s history, conservation, discoveries and stories.
We take the cable car from Kuelap down to the village of Nuevo Tingo, where we have lunch and then drive back to Chachapoyas.
We arrive in Chachapoyas at 5.30 pm approx.
Walking distance: 6 km / 3.5 miles approx
Inclusions
INCLUDED:
All transfers mentioned in itinerary
Entrance fees
2 nights' accommodation in basic hostels
1 night’s accommodation in a tent in Huaylla Belen (on 4-day trek)
3 breakfasts, 4 lunches & 3 dinners
Purified water
Baggage-carrying mules and mule-handler
Horse for each client on Congon to Choctomal section.
Official English-speaking Tour Guide
First Aid Kit
Cable-car ticket from Kuelap to Nuevo Tingo
NOT INCLUDED:
Map
Reviews
“All good.
It was hard work on the knees. And the climb on the third day was hard.
[The guide was] very good. Very knowledgeable about the sites and the area.
[The hotels were] great. Both very new. Or at least in very good condition
Food was very good. Typical of the region but decent. ”
“The 4-day Gran Vilaya Trek with PeruNorth, July 2024, was an incredible adventure, physically challenging, which we loved, but also a profound journey through time, one in which we not only explored the ancient pre-Inca civilization at Kuelep, but even more profoundly, we got to explore the same sorts of remnants in the deep jungle, where the only tourists were ourselves. Wow!!!!!
One could not have asked for a better guide than Roger, who was fun, sociable, and incredibly knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and the complex layers of history found in Northern Peru.
Thank you!!!!”
“Seeing the Huaylia Belen valley was great as well as some of the other ruins we visited.
... our good feelings about the trip were all the result of Roger being such an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable about the area and was able to come up with alternatives when the original itinerary proved to be impossible.
It turned out that Roger’s family home was very close to the Kuelap ruins and that is were we spent night 3 of the trek.
The following day, we walked next to the walls and did a horseback ride circling part of the ruins. We saw no other tourists. We also explored a little visited burial cave high on a cliff. That was one of the highlights of our trip.”
“We’ve just returned to Lima after a fabulous trek with Roger and Enoch.
We really enjoyed the sites and the adventure of the trek, and Roger was personable and informative throughout the trip.
... Thanks for your help in organizing the trek. We really had a wonderful adventure! ”
“The Gran Vilaya Trek was amazing! The nature there is beautiful and not yet spoiled by too much tourism.
The accommodation was very basic, but we really enjoyed the home-stays and seeing how people live.
We stayed at Roger’s (guide) family home right next to Kuelap - very special. He was a very kind and knowledgeable guide.
Thank you so much for arranging!!!”
“The trip was great.
I appreciated a lot Ronal’s expertise and friendliness as well how he handled unforeseen issues. He is a great guide.
Maybe one thing could be made more clear upfront to the end users: the trip is best done with really light back packs (5kg or so). But Ronal did the necessary to deal with ours.
I’d definitely recommend the trip further.”