Peru: Amazonas department

Location: North of the country
Area: 39 249 km2
Capital: Chachapoyas (2334 msnm)
Altitude
Minimum: 230 masl (Santa María de Nieva)
Maximum: 3952 masl (Chuquimbamba)

Altitude: 2,334 meters

Climate: Average annual temperatures run at 15°(Maximum 24° and minimum 18° C). The rain season runs from December to March. Because of the state of the roads, it is best to visit the department of Amazonas outside the rain season.

Access: The best route is overland from Lima-Chiclayo-Chachapoyas (1,225 km), a 24-hour drive by car. Another overland route is that of Lima-Trujillo-Cajamarca-Celendín-Chachapoyas (1,199 km), a 26-hour trip. There are no direct commercial flights, but one can charter flights from Chiclayo.

The department of Amazonas, named after the Amazon River, provides an extraordinary view of endless leafy forest for those flying over the region. Here and there one can spot villages and towns, even large cities built with great effort in the middle of the jungle. One of these cities is Chachapoyas, capital of the department of Amazonas.

Chachapoyas

The cradle of the ancient Chachapoya civilization, the city was overrun by the Incas in the fifteenth century.

Kuélap

Located at an altitude of 3,000 meters, in the cloud forest of the department of Amazonas, Kuélap is proof of the engineering skills of the Chachapoya.

Amazonas Region Tourism

Peru is known throughout the world, and with good reason, as the cradle of the Inca Empire. Nevertheless, this South American nation offers the world a much richer and more diverse past, that today is put within reach of travelers by means of the Northeast Amazon Tourist Circuit.
This circuit runs through the Regions of La Libertad, Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas, San Martín and Loreto, zones in which the most important archeological discoveries of the latter years, have been made. Among the marvels that cam be appreciated by visitors, are the Museums of the Royal Tombs of Sipán and the Gold Museum of Sicán, the Burial Grounds of El Sol, La Luna and el Brujo, the Cumbemayo aqueduct and the Kuélap Fortress. All these centers demonstrate the rich legacy of Moche, Lambayeque, Chimú and Chachapoya cultures and today are available at the disposition of travelers by means of impressive museums. But there is not only culture. It comes surrounded by marvelous landscapes, such as the green countryside of Cajamarca, the imposing Valley of Utcubamba or the fascinating route of the Granja Porcón. The impressive jungle is also present in such beautiful places as Tarapoto, or the city of Iquitos, very close to the source of the Amazon river. On the other hand, the historic Cities of Northeastern Peru, such as Trujillo, Cajamarca and Chachapoyas, the Hispanic architecture of which is preserved to this day, constitute an additional attraction. There are also the gastronomic delights of this part of Peru to be savored, where marvelous food is the object of praise from locals and visitors alike. Entry to the Northeastern Amazon Tourist Circuit is from Cajamarca, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Chachapoyas, Tarapoto or Loreto, with access by air. The five entry towns each have their own charm and enable invaluable experiences to be undertaken and which can be covered in one or more journeys according to how much time the visitor has available.There is practically no activity which cannot be undertaken on this tourist circuit:

From long treks to mountain biking, from visits to museums to agro-tourism, from surfing to intense nights. It also includes an important tourism development, specializing in the observation of nature and particularly of birds, which each time has more and more followers. Surely, there is nothing like twilight on the beach of Huanchaco and there is no Carnival like that of Cajamarca, nor Marina like Trujillo, nor museums like those of Lambayeque, nor orchids like those in Amazonia and San Martín. The Northeastern Amazon Tourist Circuit is incomparably beautiful and Peru is waiting for you.