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The ancient Kuelap fortress in Peru was hidden in the mists of the Andes at an elevation of 10,000ft for centuries, and now tourists will be able to experience its full glory thanks to a new cable car.
The remote site in the Amazonas is located on a ridge overlooking the Utcubamba Valley region in the north of the country and is known as Peru's 'second Machu Picchu'. This amazing structure was developed and built between the 6th and 16th centuries by the Chachapoyas culture.
Warriors of the Clouds
The Chachapoyas people earned the name of 'the Warriors of the Clouds' and they were responsible for creating the largest stone structure in South America, containing approximately 450 houses topped with thatched roofs. The whole edifice is ringed by walls up to 60 ft high and it predates the famous Machu Picchu by around 800 years.
In a story that sounds like the blockbuster adventure film The Lost City of Z, Kuelap was lost in the cloud forest and forgotten about for three hundred years until being rediscovered in 1843. In 2003 it was declared a cultural heritage site.
Cable car
Now the new cable car service will take tourists up to the site, taking only 20 minutes each way, from the nearest town of Nuevo Tingo. In the past anyone wanting to visit the spectacular location had to take a trip of 90 minutes each way by road or a four hour uphill hike over rough tracks.
The new Kuelap cable car has 26 gondolas carrying up to eight passengers in each. Of course, the view is amazing and it is hoped that double the number of tourists will now visit the site each year, bringing the total up to around 70,000.
If you’re thinking of travelling abroad this year, be sure to organise your Travel Insurance in advance.
Date Created: 26/04/2017
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