Quiocta Cave

Quiocta is a limestone cave in the hills near Lámud with several hundred metres of passage open to visitors. Near the entrance lie human bones and skulls placed there long ago and associated with the Chachapoya, left in position behind a low barrier. Beyond that the passage opens into a series of chambers with stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstone, some of it still forming and wet to the touch. The floor is thick clay mud for most of the route, over the ankle in normal conditions and deeper after rain, so rubber boots are standard kit. Lighting is by headlamp, since the cave has no installed electrical system.

The landscape

• The bone chamber - human remains near the entrance, left where they were found.
• Stalactite chambers - columns, curtains and flowstone through the main sequence of halls.
• The mud passage - the deep clay floor that defines the walk more than anything else does.
• Active formations - wet, still-growing calcite deposits deeper inside the system.

When to go

The drier months from May to September keep the mud manageable; after heavy rain the floor turns to slurry and sections can be closed. Go with a guide from Lámud, and combine it with other sites in the same valley, since the cave itself takes about an hour. Wear clothes and shoes you do not mind ruining.

Things to know

You will get filthy. The mud reaches over the ankle in normal conditions and higher after rain, and the boots provided do not always fit. The cave is dark, low in places and not for anyone uneasy in confined spaces. There is no lighting or handrail. Some visitors find the display of human remains uncomfortable rather than interesting.

Nearby

The Karajía sarcophagi are in the same valley, and Chachapoyas is an hour and a half away.

Key facts