Peru - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 808

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange Banco de Crédito, on Plaza de
Armas next to iPerú o ce.
Hospital The public hospital (open 24hr) is on the corner
of the plaza ( T 041 477 017).
Police Half a block from the plaza on Jr. Amazonas 1040
( T 041 477 017).
Post o ce Jr. Salamanca (block 9), two and a half blocks
from Plaza Mayor.

9

a hole through its middle, open at the
top. It's thought that it was used for
astrology or sacrifices.
It takes around three hours to cover the
40km between Chachapoyas and the site,
due to poor road quality, so it's a long day
however you do it. Coming with a tour
company (see p.811) from Chachapoyas
is the easiest way to get here, but if
you're in a group and don't want a guide,
consider hiring a taxi (around S150 to
take you there and wait for you). You
can also get there as part of a four-day
trek that passes by the ruins known as
Gran Vilaya - the tour companies in
Chachapoyas all run excursions (around
S120 per person per day and includes
food, accommodation and transport).

DAY TRIPS FROM CHACHAPOYAS
There is so much to see in the department
of Amazonas that the real problem is
choosing where to go. There are many
remote ruins dotted around the stunning
countryside ripe for exploring, but the
sights below are the most popular, for
good reason.

Cateratas de Gocta
About a two-hour road trip from
Chachapoyas, the waterfalls at GOCTA
were only measured officially in 2005,
and there has since been much debate
concerning their place in the scale of
the world's tallest waterfalls - they could
be anywhere between the third and
fourteenth tallest. Whatever the truth,
they are indisputably impressive. Taking
a tour is the best option as it's mandatory
to go with a guide, though if you get a
taxi to the entrance you'll find guides (S5)
and even horses to rent (S30) - without
them it's a two-hour walk through lush
forest each way from the entrances (either
at Cocachimba or San Pablo).

Kuelap
If you only see one sight in the northern
highlands, make it KUELAP (daily
8am-5pm; S15). This impressive pre-Inca
fortress, 3100m up in the clouds, was
built around 600 AD and would have
housed more than three thousand people
in circular thatched huts. Although
rediscovered in the mid-1800s, it's only
just being properly uncovered; it is
beautifully overgrown with trees,
bromeliads and mosses, and you may see
archeologists at work while here. One
of the most interesting buildings is called
El Tintero (“the ink well”), a temple that,
as its name suggests, has nothing but

AYAHUASCA CEREMONIES
Shaman ceremonies involving the ayahuasca jungle vine are popular with visitors all over
Peru, particularly in the jungle areas and Cusco. Ayahuasca is a powerful hallucinogen
traditionally used for medicinal purposes, never for recreation. Ceremonies need to be
prepared for with a special diet (many places in town have special menus) and are typically an
all-night affair. It is not a comfortable experience; the visions can be intense and profound and
are often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea - part of the cleansing process.
Due to the strength of some people's reactions to the vine, ceremonies should only be
undertaken with a reputable shaman . In Cusco these include the Shaman Shop on Triunfo 393
and Lesley Myburgh at the Casa de la Gringa, at the corner of Tandapata and P'asñapacana. In
Puerto Maldonado, ayahuasca ceremonies can be arranged through Tambopata Hostel (see
p.824). In Iquitos, there is a plethora of shamans and lodges specializing in learning about
the vine. Some will take visitors for long work-stays to reduce the cost. Don Lucho and Carlos
Tanner are recommended and can be reached via W ayahuascafoundation.org. Ron Wheelock
( W ronwheelocksayahuascacenter.com), known as “the gringo shaman of the Amazon”, also has
a good reputation.