Laguna de los Cóndores

In 1996 farmers clearing land above a lake in the cloud forest south-east of Leymebamba broke into a cliff ledge holding Chachapoya funerary chullpas, and found more than two hundred mummies and around two thousand associated objects - textiles, ceramics, gourds, and a large collection of quipu, the knotted cord records. The find was looted before archaeologists arrived, and the rescue excavation that followed recovered what remained. The material was moved to the Museo Leymebamba, built in the town specifically to hold it, where the mummies are kept in climate-controlled conditions and can be seen. The site itself is a hard trip: nine to twelve hours each way on a muddy trail through cloud forest, done on horseback or on foot with a guide, camping or staying in a basic lodge at the lake, and the mausoleums are viewed from below rather than entered. Most people see the museum instead.

What you actually see

• The cliff mausoleums - Chachapoya chullpas on the ledge above the lake, viewed from below.
• The lake - ringed by cliffs and cloud forest.
• The 1996 find - over two hundred mummies and around two thousand objects.
• The Leymebamba museum - where the material is now kept and displayed.

When to go

May to September; the trail is deep mud in the wet season and can be impassable. Three days minimum. Horses and a guide are arranged in Leymebamba.

Honest expectations

Nine to twelve hours each way on a muddy mountain trail - this is a serious trip and most visitors go to the museum instead. Basic accommodation at the lake. The mausoleums cannot be entered. Everything recovered is in Leymebamba, not on site.

Nearby

Leymebamba and its museum are the base; Kuélap and Chachapoyas are north.