Kuelap: The City Above the Clouds in Peru's Amazonas Region

Tourist visits to Kuélap fortress are increasing by 15% annually, meaning that the relatively overlooked site now attracts up to 700 people a day, even though some days, you might spot only 30 other visitors. To put this in perspective, thousands of people visit Machu Picchu every day (more than a million a year)!

Surrounded by cliffs and precipices, the ancient fortified citadel is found on a humid ridge overlooking the Utcubamba Valley in northeastern Peru. It's also known as the City Above the Clouds. To visit Kuélap, one must head to the city of Chachapoyas, which was chosen by the popular National Geographic Traveler Magazine as one of the "50 Tours of a Lifetime". It takes almost 24 hours to reach the city of Chachapoyas by bus from Lima, but from there it's only a short hop to Tingo, from where you begin a 3-4 hour hike.

Predating Machu Picchu, it was constructed in the 6^th century AD and occupied until the early Colonial period (1532-1570AD). It served as the political center of the pre-Columbian Chachapoya civilization, which was eventually subjugated by the Incas. The site boasts hundreds upon hundreds of circular buildings, the majority of which are protected within the 65 feet high fortress walls, which only has three narrow portals allowing only one entrant at a time. Various structures are decorated with carvings of snakes and faces, which are especially prevalent among the recently uncovered tombs. To build all of this, the amount of stones and earth that had to be moved equals that of three Egyptian pyramids.

After Kuélap, the second great touristic attraction in the Amazonas region is the recently discovered Gocta waterfall, considered the third highest in the world. Prior to 2002, it was only known to locals, and avoided due to legends that a mermaid or large serpent guarded it and accosted those who neared it. Today, international and national tourists flock to Gocta, which can be reached by a arduous 5 hour hike.