Huaylla Belen & Karajia Day Trip

Huaylla Belen, Luya, Amazonas, Peru

If you are a nature lover then the valley of Huaylla Belen is a surprisingly special place to enjoy beautiful Andean landscapes covered in cloud forest. These wondrous landscapes have a harmonious blend with the many funerary sites found within them that were left by the Chachapoyas culture. An iconic and famous example are the sarcophagi of Karajia in the province of Luya. (The province where the vast majority of cliff sarcophagi are found.) These pre-Incan funerary constructions are considered unique in the world due to their style and placement, built high up on cliffs, and date between 1100 to 1460 AD. Without a doubt one of the most important tourist attractions in the region of Amazonas that should be visited.

Our trip begins at 7:00 AM with a drive through the Utcubamba valley passing many immense and impressive landscapes. After passing the Utcubamba valley, we will ascend to the village of Luya, which we will pass on our way to the valley of Huaylla Belen. We will arrive at the valley of Huaylla Belen around 10:30 AM. Our professional guide will show us around the valley for around 2 hours and then we will conclude our visit by having our lunches (box lunches) on site.

Afterwards we will leave the valley, at around 12:30 PM, to drive for an hour to the sarcophagi of Karajia located close to the village of Cruzpata. From Cruzpata we will walk for 40 minutes (2 km) to reach the sarcophagi of Karajia. These impressive anthropomorphic funerary statues date to around 1000-1500 AD. Our guide will explain everything found at the site in a prudent amount of time. For this tour it is recommended to rent horses, more so for the return hike back up to the village. At 5:00 PM we will depart from Cruzpata to drive back to the city of Chachapoyas which we should arrive at around 7:00 PM.

What To Bring?

Comfortable athletic clothing, hiking boots, hat, jacket, sunglasses and sunscreen.