Kuelap fortress to become second largest destination in Peru for tourists

The Kuelap fortress is to become the second largest destination in Peru for tourists after the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the regional director of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Manuel Cabañas.The tourist official pointed out that the northern Amazon region, home of the famous archaeological site, has several other natural wonders that currently “we do not know their full potential because of the lack of air connectivity and proper highways.”

To address this issue, he said that a cable car system which will link the district of Lingo with the Kuelap fortress is on track with the aim of doubling the number of visitors.This cable car system will provide a fast and modern access route to Kuelap Fortress. The cable cars route will be 4,400 metres in order to overcome the distance of 965 metres between Tingo lolality and Kuelap.

“The goal is to turn Kuelap into the second most favourite tourist destination in the country, there is a range of infrastructure works which will facilitate the arrival of domestic and foreign visitors such as the cable car and the extension of the runway at the Chachapoyas airport,” Cabañas told Andina news agency.Kuelap, one of the largest ancient monuments of the Americas, was a fortified citadel in northern Peru on the slopes of the Andes. The remains of the settlement sit 3,000 metres above sea level and the original fortress covered 25,000 square miles.This fortress was the political centre of the Chachapoya civilisation, a pre-Colombian culture that flourished from about 900 to 1400 AD.