Cajamarca to Chachapoyas — The Marañón CanyonCrossing.
Distance
335 km
Duration
2 days
Climb
5,200 m
Cajamarca to Chachapoyas — The Marañón Canyon Crossing.
The most dramatic road in northern Peru links the colonial cities of Cajamarca and Chachapoyas by plunging into the Marañón canyon. From Celendín the route drops almost 2,000m of switchbacks to the river at Balsas, then climbs back over the 3,680m Abra Barro Negro before descending again to Leymebamba and the Utcubamba valley. Cactus desert, cloud forest and Chachapoya ruins in a single crossing.
Quick facts
SurfaceMixed
Distance335 km
Days2
Total climb5,200 m
DifficultyChallenging
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2 days, 2 moods.
A suggested split across 2 days with 5 waypoints to discover along the way.
CajamarcaStart · Start in colonial Cajamarca (2,750m), where Atahualpa was captured in 1532. Fill up: the road ahead has the biggest elevation swings in northern Peru.
CelendínRestaurant · Straw-hat weaving town and the last supplies before the plunge to the Marañón. Early lunch here.
Balsas — Marañón BridgeScenic Point · The road drops nearly 2,000m of switchbacks to the Marañón river at 850m - cactus, mango trees and searing heat at the canyon floor. Cross the bridge, then begin the climb back up.
LeymebambaOvernight · Overnight in Leymebamba (2,150m) after cresting the Abra Barro Negro pass near 3,680m. Its museum holds 200-plus Chachapoya mummies recovered from Laguna de los Cóndores.
ChachapoyasEnd · Follow the Utcubamba valley to Chachapoyas (2,300m), base for the Kuélap cloud-fortress and the towering Gocta waterfall.
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