Chachapoyas is a city in Amazonas.
There are 3 entry cities if you want to fly most of the way, Tarapoto and Chiclayo have equal road trips from those airports of 8 hours, and Cajamarca's airport is more like 12 hours away.
Flights to Tarapoto can be as cheap as $30, Jaen is slightly more expensive ($50) to fly to, but is just four hours from Chachapoyas and has 2 daily flights with Latam. The bus is not cheaper if you book flights in advance.
As of 2022, ATSA has direct flights to Chachapoyas once daily from Lima that cost $70 each way if booked in advance.
Movil Tours has direct buses Lima/Chachapoyas that pass through & leave Chiclayo.
Civa has daily bed buses from Lima taking about 22 hours with movies and meals furnished on board like Movil Tours. Cost is about US$45 one way from Lima.
Zelada offers daily service at a bit of a discount, and Paredes Estrella has a bed bus, but you must get off at Pedro Ruis and take a combi leaving about every hour for a 2-hour trip for about $2.
Most of the bus stations are in La Victoria a walk apart, but to get downstairs for a "full bed" you may need to buy your ticket in the day on the double deck bus to reserve. These leave in the evening, so with a sleeping pill, the long trip isn't bad at all. Take a throw or blanket for the night.
There are nightly service from Trujillo (4PM) and Chiclayo (7PM and 8PM) & arrive in Chachapoyas around 5AM. Civa three times a week from Lima and nightly from Chiclayo. Transervis Kuelap and Transportes Zelada have nightly buses from Chiclayo.
A more arduous route takes 2 days from Vilcabamba & Zumba in Ecuador crosses the frontier at Balsas & goes via San Ignacio to Chachapoyas.
You can also arrive from Tarapoto to the east. Getting down from the buses in Pedro Ruiz and catching local transport for the final leg up to Chachapoyas.
Theres´s only one daily service from Cajamarca leaving at 4:30AM with Virgen del Carmen (S/50 one way, May 2014), Movil tours has discontinued its more comfortable service. This is a spectacular road to travel and in a big bus definitely not for the faint-hearted.
There are daily vans & taxis from Chachapoyas to Kuelap, Leymebamba and Luya. Most leave from their respective stations 2 to 3 blocks from the main square.
There are several tour agencies, many located on the Plaza. They all offer identical itineraries for around the same price, but each runs their own tours so the quality of guides and drivers may vary - ask around.
There are many agencies and guides available, and trekking offers from the 1-day trip to Gocta (a 6-hr walk there and back) to a 4-5-days trip visiting other archaeological sites.
Turismo Explorer does day trips and a trek to Gran Vilaya. Vilaya Tours higher end tours and treks all around the Chachapoyas area.
Tourist Week is the first week in June, with a large parade from many villages of all the provinces of Amazonas participating on the Sunday. Lots of traditional clothes and customs to be seen.
The Patron Saint of Chachapoyas is the Virgin of Asunta and they celebrate the festival in Her honor during the first two weeks of August.
There are many hotels and hostels in the budget and mid-range categories within two blocks of the main plaza.
Kuelap on your own account. There is no public transport (combis) from Chachapoyas to Kuelap. You can take a public combi to nearby Pueblo Maria (about 2 hours travel)and from there follow the road to Kuelap, an easy 2 hours walk. You may find a taxi in Pueblo Maria but do not count on that. Combis and colectivos to Pueblo Maria leave Chachapoyas early in the morning (around 5AM), look for the office of Roller´s two blocks down from the plaza, passing the market. At Pueblo Maria you can stay the night in one of the several rooms made for visitors by villagers. There are several restaurants as well at Pueblo Maria (good trout). You can go back to Chachapoyas by public combi or walk down to the village of
Tingo lies halfway on the road between Chachapoyas and Leymebamba. The walk from Kuelap is interesting but quite long, going down about 1,500 meters (5,000 feet). About 2 to 3 hours walking. There is a basic hotel in Tingo and 2 restaurants and a hospedaje. In Tingo you can pick up a bus or combi to travel on to Leymebamba (about 70 minutes) or Chachapoyas (about an hour). Combis to Chachapoyas pass by around 6AM. The daily bus of Movil Tours from Chachapoyas to Cajamarca vice versa passes Tingo at about 7AM coming from Chachapoyas (arriving at 8:15AM at Leymebamba and at 5:30PM at Cajamrac) and at about 4:15PM coming from Cajamarca - Leymebamba, arriving at Chachapoyas at 5:15PM.
You can also go from Tingo to Leymebamba picking up one of the combis or the micro passing at about 1PM, 3PM and 5PM.
There are daily buses from Movil Tours (recommended) and Virgen del Carmen from Leymebamba to Celendin and vice versa. The trip from Cajamarca to Chachapoyas takes about 11–12 hours. The route is very beautiful, crossing the deep canyon of the Marañon river. The road is mostly a well-maintained gravel road and partly asfalted.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division