Kuélap
The principal enclosures of the fortress
11
7 10
Monumental Archaeological Zone
Live an unforgettable experience
9 8
Kuélap
Arrival platform
Departure platform
Nuevo Tingo
6
Boarding station
4
5
Cross section of the complex
to Chachapoyas
Nuevo Tingo (1900 meters)
Location
Huiquilla private conservation area
LEGEND
The land of the Chachapoyas Departmental border
Departure platform (2272 meters)
2
20 min
r
3
ve
Departmental capital
Amazonas
Trekking trail to Kuélap 9.8 km / 4.5 h
Ri
20 min
ba m
go
Tin
a ub
Sealed highway
r
ve
Ri
tc
Choctámal
1
U
Pan American Highway
Tingo
10 min
City Zoomed area
Airport Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone
Lima
Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone
Lónguita
10 min
LEGEND
(3000 meters)
Cable car route
30 min
Sealed road Footpath
LORETO
AMAZONAS
Trekking trail
Arrival platform
30 min
Sites along the route
PIURA
Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone
Bagua Grande
María 20 min
Kuélap tourist center (La Malca) (2930 meters) to Leymebamba
Jaén
Yurimaguas
LAMBAYEQUE
CHACHAPOYAS
CAJAMARCA
1 Rodríguez de Mendoza
Tingo
KUÉLAP CHICLAYO Leymebamba
Celendín
CAJAMARCA
2
SAN MARTÍN
3 LA LIBERTAD
TRUJILLO
Approved by RD N° 0234/RE, November 21, 2019. The boundaries indicated do not prejudice international limits.
www.peru.travel www.ytuqueplanes.com
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism
The Circular Platform is located close to the Main Temple, suggesting not only that its political, social, and Tarapoto religious importance was significant but also that it served as the residence of an elite family.
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The Main Temple is the site’s most important religious structure, a sacred place to which only the elite, with their control over power, had access.
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The Main Entrance has a trapezoidal shape, a vault near the entrance, and stone blocks that display carvings of mythical and magical figures.
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Lamas
Arriving
The Second Entrance leads to a precipice and may have served as an escape route and point from which offerings and sacrifices to the gods were launched.
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The External Wall surrounds the complex and creates a large platform upon which the buildings of the complex were constructed. Along some
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sectors of the southern perimeter it reaches up to twenty meters in height. The Third Entrance was an access point for the delivery of goods of various types needed for daily activities and for ceremonial purposes.
The Upper Town is surrounded by a wall similar to the external rampart and has three subsectors—north, central, and south—each with unique architectural features and uses.
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The South Sector consists of two overlapping platforms. Here the perimeter wall reaches 11 meters, which, due to the topography, is the
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The North Sector, which features a tower located at the end of the monument, is attached to the outer wall on one side and faces an abyss on the western side.
BEFORE TRAVELLING
To ensure your visit is successful, plan it in advance, especially if traveling during holidays and long weekends. Always hire an accredited tour guide.
TICKET PURCHASE The Tower contains filling that includes numerous (re-buried) human bone remains, an indication of the site’s sacred character.
Purchase your Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone entry tickets at the Kuélap tourist center (La Malca) or at The Amazonas Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura (Jirón Ayacucho n.° 908, Mon-Fri 08:00 to 13:00 h and 15:00 to 17:45 h Tel. (+51-41) 477-045 / amazonas@cultura.gob.pe), particularly if you intend to do the trekking trail. Cable car tickets can only be purchased at the boarding station (Nuevo Tingo).For more information, write to contacto@telecabinaskuelap.pe or go to www.telecabinaskuelap.com
highest point.
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About your trip
All payments must be made in cash, or through the platforms YAPE or PLIN, using Peruvian currency.
The Central Sector consists of three buildings, the largest of which served a variety of purposes, such as accommodation and as a venue for ceremonies held under cover.
TRAVEL LIGHT
Bring hand luggage only if using the cable car. For the convenience of other passengers backpacks are limited in size to 55 x 35 x 25 cm. If your luggage exceeds these dimensions you will need to purchase an additional ticket.
Opening hours
From Chachapoyas you can reach the Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone:
Contact us:
FREE DISTRIBUTION. NOT FOR SALE.
24 hours (+51-1) 574-8000
1
(+51) 944-492-314
38 km
IPERÚ Chachapoyas Jirón Ortiz Arrieta n.° 630, Post Code 01001, Chachapoyas, Amazonas Tel.: (+51-1) 616-7300 Anexo 1897 iperuchachapoyas@promperu.gob.pe IPERÚ Telecabinas Kuélap Tingo - Kuélap Highway km 3.3, Post Code 01415 Nuevo Tingo, Amazonas Tel.: (+51) 991-798-719 (In accordance with the Telecabinas Kuélap hours of operation)
iperu@promperu.gob.pe VisitPeru
Opening hours and telephone
The
numbers are subject to change
updated in July 2023.
by
tourist
In developing it PROMPERÚ has used official
attractions. Confirm opening
information sources: MINCETUR - Kuélap, Guía
hours and telephone numbers
de visita (second edition - 2018) by Luis Alfredo
with IPERÚ.
Narváez
any
of
the
information
Vargas,
in
The
this
brochure
Amazonas
was
Dirección
Desconcentrada de Cultura, and Telecabinas Kuélap.
A publication by the Peru Export and Tourism Promotion Board - PROMPERÚ. Calle Uno Oeste n.° 50, piso 14, urb. Córpac, San Isidro, Lima - Perú Telephone: (+51-1) 616-7300 www.promperu.gob.pe © PROMPERÚ. All rights reserved. Legal Deposit made in the National Library of Peru N.° 2020-04763 Printing: Ideprint S.A.C. (Calle Luis Banchero Rossi 193, Santa Anita) Lima, August 2020
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From the bus terminal Chachapoyas to Nuevo Tingo.
1
hour
3
3 km From Nuevo Tingo to the cable car departure platform.
10
minutes
4
4 km From the cable car departure platform to the arrival platform at the Kuélap tourist center (La Malca).
20
minutes
2 km From the Kuélap tourist center (La Malca) to the arrival platform at the Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone.
30
minutes
The opening hours of the Kuélap Monumental Archaeological Zone are:
The cable car service operates from:
Seven days a week 08:00 to 17:00 h
Tues-Sun 08:00 to 17:00 h
The tour of the fortress of Kuélap lasts for:
2.5 to 3 h
Kuélap
The historical importance of the fortress lies in the testimony it has left behind of the sturdy Chachapoyas culture which developed over nearly a millennium, allowing us to discover in detail the mysteries held by each one of the walls and the fascinating architecture.
Monumental Archaeological Zone
5m
Agave plant
4m
Ichu thatch
10 m
Straw structure bound with maguey plant
Platform with symbolic decoration
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The Tower
The North Sector
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The Third Entrance The form of construction used was a base, supporting circular stone walls roofed with a reed structure and thatched with ichu.
6
The Upper Town
The Central Sector
7
9 The Main Entrance
3 The South Sector The Second Entrance
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The Main Temple
4
The Upper Town
2
3062
The Circular Platform
meters
The Lower Town Cerro Quisango
1
El Tingo
1247 meters
5 km
Cross section
The External Wall
5
AD 400-500
1470
1538
1570
1843
1870
1939
2003
Commencement of Kuélap.
Kuélap is incorporated into the inka Empire during the rule of Tupac Yupanqui.
The Spanish arrive and found the city of San Juan de la Frontera de los Chachapoyas.
Kuélap is abandoned when Viceroy Toledo introduces the policy of reductions for Indians.
Juan Crisóstomo Nieto stumbles upon Kuélap.
Antonio Raimondi visits the area and awakens the interest of archaeologists and historians.
Louis Langlois undertakes an expedition and prepares a detailed plan of Kuélap.
Kuélap is declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation, via R.D.N. N° 694/INC.
2004
Alfredo Narváez undertakes the most significant research (2004-2012).