From the Field: AdventureWeek in Northern Peru
Stephanie Kowacz, Holbrook Travel's Chief Operating Officer, just got back from a trip to northern Peru, where she participated in AdventureWeek. Overshadowed by the Sacred Valley and Peruvian Amazon, northern Peru is a less-traveled region but has a burgeoning tourism infrastructure and a host of hidden gems with fewer crowds.
Stephanie reports: “I was thrilled to participate in AdventureWeek Peru this April, exploring off-the-beaten-path sites in northern Peru along with the vibrant and beautiful city of Lima. We trekked through the breathtaking cloud forest to Gocta Waterfall, where our eyes feasted on a 2,531-foot double-drop waterfall plunging into an icy pool of inky water. We experienced the solitude of a French cable car that glided between mountains and over rivers to the Kuélap fortress, the beautiful “Kingdom of the Clouds” atop a mountain, where the Chachapoya people once dwelled in round houses of stone. We hiked along a mountain trail to the funerary complex of Revash, where we were rewarded with astounding views of the brightly painted burial tombs of the Chachapoya carved from the limestone mountainside in the form of a miniature village. We had cooperative coffee and chocolate in Jaén and experienced Lima’s vibrant Malecón, bustling market, and even a fruit-tasting and cooking class.”
Enjoy the following photos from Stephanie's journey, from hiking and cooking to cultural excursions and even a cable car ride.
Hike to Gocta Waterfall
Cocachimba
Cooperative coffee demonstration
Fruit-tasting and cooking class
Cable car to Kuélap
Kuélap Fortress
If you'd like to learn more about options in Northern Peru, see our blog post here.