Machu Picchu may be closed to visits for several months, but you don’t have to cancel your Peru trip. In Peru’s less-visited northern highlands, the country’s second-most thrilling archaealogical site, Kuelap, is still open. Rain is not an issue up here.
Kuelap, about 22 to 24 hours from Lima by bus (with changes in the coastal city Chiclayo, and another at Chachapoyas), was home to the mysterious Chachapoyas, or ‘People of the Clouds,’ from AD800 to the 14th century.
Visitors reach the monumental stone-fortified city atop a craggy limestone mountain via a two- or three-hour trek from nearby villages. A number of guesthouses are in the village nearby, such as Tingo (a 9.8-km walk away). Another option is the lovely hacienda-style compound Estancia Chillo.
With more stone than the Great Pyramid of Egypt, Kuelap had a population of about 3500 residents. You enter via three deep, lean gates — an ingenious security system to force attacking parties into easily defeated single file. There are ruins of over 400 circular dwellings across three levels, including a lookout tower with excellent views of the city surrounded by bromeliad-covered trees and exotic orchids.
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Kuelap, Cajamarca
Kuelap photogallery
