I will be arriving :Lima 11th March 2017 and want to go to Either/or Chacha/Kuelap.
Has anyone taken the new flight there?
How much is it?
Is it easy to get there from the airport?
How much time should I allow for this trip?
Many questions but if anyone can help with these it would help me decide
Thanks
Hello,
Actually to go to Kuelap, you will have to pass at Chachapoyas. Kuelap is a two and a half to three hour drive from Chachapoyas.
If you take the flight Lima - Jaen, which is a great idea, as you will be much quicker and more comfortable than taking a bus, you should find taxis at the airport in Jaen that bring you to Jaen city. From Jaen city you can take a combi that brings you to Chachapoyas. The cost should be 20 soles and the trip from Jaen to Chachapoyas takes three and a half hours. The cost of the flight depends on your time of booking and your flight dates. Have a look at the LATAM Airlines website and see which rates you can get for March.
Then you can stay overnight in Chachapoyas and take a day-tour the next day to Kuelap. I recommend to go with Turismo Explorer (they are directly on the Plaza) and the day-tour including transportation, guide, entrance and lunch is at 80 soles (rates 2016).
I hope this is helpful to prepare your trip for next year.
Happy travels,
Martina
We wanted to take a bus to Maria and visit Kuelap on our own but there were no buses when we were there in January (low season). We booked a tour through our hostel (Chachapoyas Backpackers). The tour was 50 soles. That did not include lunch (15 soles) or the entrance to Kuelap (20 soles). Kuelap was great. There is lots to do in the Chachapoyas area. We also loved the Gocta Falls. We then took a very scenic bus ride to Cajamarca. We stopped in Leymebamba (nice town, great museum) on the way. From Cajamarca we flew back to Lima.
The new flight must be to Jaen, because Chachapoyas airport doesn't have any commercial flights. But Jaen is still closer to Chachapoyas than Cajamarca or Tarapoto, which used to be the only airport options in this region of Peru. I've taken a shared taxi from Jaen to Chacha, and it only takes about 2 hours, not counting transport time to the taxi stand.
Sonia's comment contradicts my experience. When I was in Chachapoyas in January, the tour companies were running trips to Kuelap every day.
Yes, the tour companies were running trips to Kuelap every day (we booked the tour through our hostel). I meant that we tried to visit Kuelap on our own without taking a tour by taking the bus to Maria but the buses to Maria were not running in January.
From Jaen, there are frequent combis and collectivos to Bagua Grande, and from Bagua Grande (but not from the same terminal), there are some combis and collectivos to Chachapoyas. Doon't expect fast and easy public transport in that area.
I'm pretty sure there are combis from Chahcapoyas to Maria (and even further up the road) every day, but it is in the afternoon and it can not be used for a daytrip.
Thank you all for your usefull info. It has helped me alot.
I am looking forward to my trip
Hello Mstep,
How did you arrange for a "shared" taxi from Jaen to Chachapoyas? What was the cost?
Hi, well also an alternative way to go towards Chachapoyas is :
this Both for chachapoyas-lima as lima-chachapoyas and also to know the tourist attractions of Chachapoyas.
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