Lake of the condors / Laguna de los Condores Trek

Lake of the Condors cliff tombs

The trek to Lake of the Condors is a tough one and it is highly recommended to ride horses to get there from Leymebamba. Our tour starts with a couple of days of acclimatization to see the cliff sarcophagi of Karajia and the citadel of Kuelap. The Lake of the Condors (Laguna de los Condores) is south of the village of Leymebamba and the trek usually takes 9-10 hours to get there. You stay the night in simple accommodation.

The visit to the tombs is a full day excursion that takes you round the end of the lake, past the remains of an old Chachapoya settlement. Once in the forest, you need to climb wooden ladders to gain the ledge where the tombs are located. The tombs are now empty after archaeologists recovered their contents in 1997. You can still see pictographs painted on the cliffs and appreciate the setting and the importance the deceased held for the ancient people. On our return to Leymebamba we will visit the Museum of Leymebamba that houses the mummies and the other finds before returning to Chachapoyas.

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