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Behold, Our Eyes See Beauty, Northern Highlands, Peru

How interesting that we find ourselves being called to the mountains, instead of the coastal places we are accustomed to. Ideally, we prefer a combination of the two, probably why we love the Caribbean islands as much as we do. The green, the air, the lushness of life. It is so comforting, the rushing waters, abundance of the living. Even though we had arrived during an unusually long season of rain, the northern highlands of Peru touched us so. The beauty, the resilience, a calling of home.

What We Did

La Balsa: Ecuador to Peru Border Crossing

Not a popular border but the one that placed us exactly where we wanted to start exploring Peru. Our intention was to arrive with plenty of time to beat the long lunch closure that started at 2:00 but the drive from Vilcabamba took us around 5 hours. We also ended up giving an Ecuadorian soldier a ride to a nearby base with all the food, water, and sundries for everyone stationed there. Reaching the first customs office at 1:15 had us a bit anxious, especially since the office was empty. Wide eyed wandering gringos must mean something, minutes later we were both getting our exit stamps and having the van's TIP cancelled.

Rushing to the Peruvian side we parked and bee lined for the customs office getting 183 days on our tourist permit. The van took the longest as the Aduana agent wasn't the most proficient with modern technology. No matter, he eventually had us type the remaining information into the system before he checked the van's VIN and hurriedly printed then stamped our TIP...lunch time had begun. Elated, we jumped in the van and rushed through the gate to enter Peru. Later that evening we asked each other if we checked how much time we received on our TIP, we were never asked how long we wanted. In a tizzy we pulled out our paper work to find the van somehow was given a full year!

Huembo (Marvelous Spatuletail Interpretation Center), Amazonas

Our first night in Peru was spent in San Ignacio parked at El Gran Hotel for 20S ($6.13). It was a good place to perform our usual border crossing activities such as getting Peruvian Soles, a SIM for our phone, and vehicle insurance. After wandering in and out of every SOAT location we happened upon, no one was willing to sell us the required insurance, we eventually triumphed. It took almost two hours of waiting, we were told it should take 10 minutes, but the helpful Rimac agent seemed to have called everyone in the company she knew to get us one year of coverage for 85S, $26.07. We don't plan on spending one year in Peru but at that rate who really cares?

Sorted and stocked, we drove to the Marvelous Spatuletail Interpretation Center to free camp outside the gate for the night. Ever since learning about the marvelous spatuletail we knew we had to visit the center, also known as Huembo. Entrance cost 25S each ($7.67), not exactly cheap by Peruvian standards but worth every single penny. Witnessing the spectacle of the spatuletail was phenomenal. Out of the two viewing areas we preferred the covered one close to the highway. We were so enamored we returned a week later to catch another glimpse of the male with his beautiful tail. The Utcubamba Valley is the only place the spatuletail live.

Candamo, Amazonas

A chance encounter at Huembo had us parking in the grassy lawn of Estancia Candamo. The agreement was all we needed to do was purchase a meal and we could camp, like we can resist an onsite restaurant (6S - 18S, breakfast - dinner per person). Hugo and Marlena were exceptional hosts, Hugo taking us along with other guests to hunt for the elusive Cock on the Rock on his family's adjacent property one morning. Coming up empty handed, his dog Chicharron the culprit, we had a wonderful time exploring the property, a waterfall, and the onsite coffee processing facility. A couple days later, Hugo and Marlena took us shopping at the local market and we visited neighbors who had suffered damage from a landslide. The amount of rainfall was well above normal, preventing us from visiting many of the places we had intended. We spent four nights on their property, trying most of their available dishes for an average total cost of $6.14 per day, in hopes that the rain would cease. Unfortunately it continued so we said our farewells after deciding to just push further south. The region around Candamo is stunning and full of archeological and natural wonders. We expect to return one day to spend more time with our friends and to further explore the region.

Kuelap, Amazonas

After failed attempts at the giant waterfalls of Yumbilla, a landslide prevented access, and Gocta, due to the constant rain, we took the scenic drive along the Uctubamba river to visit the pre-Inca ruins of Kuelap. During the drive Mandi caught sight of parrots nesting in the cliffside so we pulled over for a much needed break. That night we parked next to the Jherly Hotel in the town of El Tingo for 20S ($6.13). Instead of driving to the ruins, we decided to visit them via the newly completed cable car for 20S each ($6.13), catching the first car. The ruins themselves, also 20S each, were still a decent uphill walk from where the cable car terminates. Our early start made us the first visitors to the park, wandering around for over an hour by ourselves before taking the return ride back to El Tingo. The day was cloudy, living up to the reference of the ancient civilization as the cloud people, and we enjoyed the hike and the surrounding flora. At a total cost of 80S ($24.54) for the two of us, we do feel it was a bit expensive for what it was. Our experience probably would have been much better if the grounds crew didn't have their equipment, gasoline, and debris scattered all over the site. They were also tossing the clippings over the side from the top, adding to a giant mound against the outside wall that is obviously creating a problem for the structure.

Revash Mausoleums, Amazonas

Driving further along the Uctubamba river to the town of San Bartolo was one of the most beautiful drives of our trip, of course it is also one we didn't record with our GoPro. We arrived in the afternoon, it was raining, so we opted to hike to the Revash funerary complex the next morning. We attempted to park in the two designated areas recommended by the park employees, one was too small and the other was extremely muddy and unlevel, before parking on the small town square for an unbelievably tranquil night. Entrance was 10S per person ($3.07) and we opted for a local guide for another 25S ($7.67). We were told a guide wasn't necessary but we knew hiring one was the best way to help the local economy. He was quirky, definitely a fan of his own humor, but a really fun guy that made for a great morning. Visitors can no longer get close to the funerary complex, it has suffered defacement, damage, and several people have fallen off the cliff side used to access them. It is a beautiful site, one of our favorites so far.

Leymebamba Museum, Amazonas

Leaving San Bartolo fairly early, we drove to Leymebamba to visit the well known mummy museum. It was raining when we arrived so we parked in the lot and wandered across the street to the KentiKafe for coffee and lunch. The cappuccinos were good, the sandwiches crappy, the real treat were the hummingbirds including a shy female marvelous spatuletail. We were unable to get a photo of her but are still very happy that we got to spend some time sipping coffee while she made sporadic appearances.

The museum, 15S each ($4.60), was much more than we imagined. While the mummies are phenomenal, the other artifacts on display were equally so. We spent over an hour in the little museum then ended up finding a couple local hand made purses we couldn't do without in the onsite shop. While getting some soles from the van I noticed a familiar overland vehicle, the owners also spent time parked in Villa de Leyva at Juan and Mariev's house! Soon we were chatting away with Nick & Angie. Eventually, we went our separate ways expecting to run into each other in a day or two, we drove about an hour out of town and free camped on the bank of a river.

Ventanillas de Combaya, Cajamarca

Our last stop in the highlands of Peru was the rather large town of Cajamarca. We arrived a day earlier than we had planned so we spent over an hour searching for a place to camp, being told exorbitant prices, before reaching back out to Ricardo at EcoRural to see if there was room for us to come early. No problem, except for the fact that his yard was completely saturated, making for a calculated parking job. At 25S per night ($7.67), it's nice little haven complete with WiFi and hot shower. Ricardo is a mechanic with an onsite shop, making it easy for us to sort a couple small things on the van. One of the bolts holding our fuel filter housing was missing and we needed a new spacer for one of our sway bar links. Both items were easily sorted while Nick & Angie were working on their own van.

After spending a couple nights we left for the Ventanillas de Combaya, hoping to possibly also catch Cumbe Mayo. What we expected to be a 30 minute drive, took over an hour, not exactly the best for a later than usual start. The ventanillas are free so we wandered around a little, deciding not to hike all the way up to them. The site is unregulated, meaning visitors can pretty much do what they want. Being archeological enthusiasts, we opt on the side of caution, hoping to help preserve the archeological treasures that still exist. The site is very large and wonderful, maybe one day it will be managed and protected.

On our way back through town we were unable to locate the route to Cumbe Mayo, twice reaching a dead end on a single track, many other times unable to drive up the stairs our mapping software insisted were roads. Eventually we gave up, driving to a large shopping center to resupply before heading back to EcoRural for another night. Once Ricardo heard about our failed navigation attempts he pulled out his phone and showed us the only possible way through town. If you are thinking there should be signs, those disappeared tens of thousands of miles ago.

Cumbe Mayo Aqueducts, Cajamarca

Leaving early, we decided to try the route Ricardo gave us at least once, before scrapping Cumbe Mayo entirely and heading straight for the coast. A couple hours later we pulled into the lot, paid 5S to park, then 8S per person to enter ($6.44 in total). The engineering aspect of the park was underwhelming, the setting quite breathtaking, the hike decent. It was raining, surprise, so we slipped and slopped around taking it all in. The petroglyphs were our favorites along with the local farmers in their absurdly tall hats, sorry we don't have a picture but we think it's rude to take a photo without permission.