Planning a trip to Kuelap ruins

Kuelap has been called the “New” Machu Picchu as the peruvian government is trying to reduce the number of visitors and stress from Machu Picchu with having other easy to access sites around Peru. 

This was the reason for them building the cable car to the Kuelap ruins so that it is easily accessible and to attract more visitors to northern Peru, as most people fly into Lima and catch a connecting flight to Cusco.

If you want to know what to pack for your trip to Peru, then click here to check out my packing list for Peru.

How to get to Kuelap

The nearest major town to Kuelap Peru is Chachapoyas where most people stay and base themselves when they are visiting the area.

You can either get the bus from Chachapoyas to the Peru Kuelap cable car (teleferico Kuelap) or arrange to do a tour to Kuelap with a guide from Chacapoyas Peru.  A tour is a great idea as this way you can actually find out the history of the site while you are walking around.  Kuelap tours are available in both English and Spanish.

The cable car at Kuelap was actually the first to be built in Peru and was finished in 2017 giving easy access to the site. It now only takes 20 mins by cable car, whereas before it was 2 hours by car or over 4 hours hiking.   The number of visitors doubled in the first year of the cable car being opened and more are expected each year.

Opening hours: It is open from every day from 8am to 5pm

Entrance Fee: 12 soles for adults

Cable Car Fee: 20 Soles return trip

When to visit Kuelap Ruins Peru

Kuelap Chachapoyas can be accessed all year, but it is driest from May to September.  I went in April and we had a bit of rain that day but the clouds rolling into the mountains did give it that mysterious and beautiful look.   Temperatures are generally 17 or 18 Celsius all year round, though it can feel colder when the sun is not shining.

About Kuelap

Kuelap is a pre-inca archaeological site occupied by the Chachapoyas culture around the 5th century, though most of the structures were built between 900 to 1100AD and it was occupied for around 900 years. 

It is located in the northeast of Peru in the Andes overlooking the Utcubamba Valley.  It is located on the top of a ridge at 3,000 metres above sea level.  It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 2011.

Two platforms were built 584m long and 110m at the widest part, covering an area of 450 hectares and the city was built on this.  The 20 metre high walls built to hold this platform give the impression that it’s a walled city, the Kuelap fortress Peru (Fortaleza de Kuelap). 

With only 3 narrow entrances that slope upwards and get narrower at the top ensuring only person can enter at a time, it’s clear that strategy and defence were high priority when it was built.

At their height it is believed the city may have had 3000 inhabitants before it was abandoned in 1570 following the Spanish conquest.

Inside the walls 80 circular structures were built and 3 rectangular, the lower sector outside the walls contains 335 circular structures and 2 rectangular. 

The excavations uncovered that the circular structures were houses, with evidence of hearths and artefacts found associated with the production of food.  There is also evidence of human burials beneath the floors of these structures too.

Many of the structures within the walls have carvings which you can still see today, of animals or zigzags which have been protected from the rains by corniches.  In the lower sector only 6 structures have these carvings.

Visiting Kuelap

The cable car station (Kuelap teleferico) is situated very close to the village Nuevo Tingo, you can either get a tour or a bus from Chachapoyas to here.  Once there you can buy your ticket and then wait until your time slot before getting on the bus that takes you the 3km up to where the actual cable car starts. 

From here it’s a 4km (20 minute) ride to the top.  Once you get to the top station it is about a 20-30 minute walk up to Kuelap.  There are the options of horses if you do not want or are not able to do the hike.  Also at the station is a great café with amazing views of the valley.

You do need to be able to walk around the ruins of Kuelap as no horses are allowed inside the archaeological site.

After the 20-30 minute hike you will have your first sighting of the wall going around Kuelap.

If you are with a guide then this is the first point the guide will stop and start to tell you the history of Kuelap.  From here you walk around the side of the walls to the only entrance still open.  Another of the entrances is currently being restored and is closed at the moment.

These are the 20 metre retaining walls that were built to hold the platforms that Kuelap is built upon.    They are very impressive to see, though a lot of damage has occurred over the years and restoration work has started on part of the walls to keep them standing.

Once you enter Kuelap through the narrow steep entrance you can see the ruins of the round houses, wound in between the trees and plants still growing on the site.

Some of the buildings have had some restoration work done, though a lot still look like they are buried in the jungle.

The two main structures in Kuelap are the main temple (Templo Mayor), where ceremonial remains have been found and it is throught it was used as a solar observatory and the circular platform which was used for sacrifices.  You can see the large ceremonial platform in the photo below.

Within Kuelap you can also find water canals that were used to supply water to Kuelap from a spring at the top of the mountain.

It normally takes around 1 and a half hours to 2 hours to go around the site with your guide, it just depends how much they explain and how many questions you have.  It is a clearly signposted route so you cannot get lost.  Once you have explored it is back to the cable car station for the return trip.

Is Kuelap worth visiting?

Yes Kuelap is worth visiting, it is not on the normal tourist map, but you will find the area where Kuelap is, is stunning and you will not be sharing it with the same amount of visitors that you would see at Machu Picchu.

You can do on your own or with a tour group, and if you do go on your own, you can hire a guide once you arrive at Kuelap station after getting off the cable car.

Kuelap is very unique and the location of it, on a mountain surrounded by a spectacular valley is well worth the visit.

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Where to stay when Visiting Kuelap

I personally stayed in Chachapoyas which is about an hours drive from Kuelap, it’s a great location to explore this area.  I stayed in a great hostel called Chachapoyas Backpackers, the owner is super friendly and helpful and the rooms are nice and clean. 

For other options of hotels and hostels in Chachapoyas, Click here.

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